A Comparative Study Of English And Chinese Compliments

Compliments are increasingly being used in comparative studies. Compliments vary cross-culturally in their linguistic forms, frequency, distribution and responses. Based on the data provided by Jia Yuxin(1997), Chen Rong (1993), Wolfson & Manes (1980, 1981), Pomerantz(1978) and Herbert (1989), this paper compares compliments and compliment responses between Chinese and American English.The study reveals that compliments in American English are formulaic in nature and lack originality in terms of syntactic structures and lexical items while those in Chinese are much more specific and original, being realized in a wide variety of lexical terms and structures. The topics of compliments can be classified into three major types: (1) appearance or possession, (2) results of skills and efforts, and (3) personality. The first two are more frequently visited topics in both languages accounting for the most of the compliments. With regards to compliment responses, the paper shows Americans are ready to accept the credit offered by compliments while Chinese are more likely to reject or deflect the credit, trying to be modest. Through the comparative study, the paper concludes that the American English speakers' strategies in responding to compliments are mostly motivated by Leech's Agreement Maxim, whereas the Chinese speakers' strategies are motivated by his Modesty Maxim. This difference is then related to difference of social values between the two cultures. Besides culture, this paper also discusses other factors such as sex, age, and intimacy that may influence people's behavior in performing compliments and responding to compliments.The complimenting behavior in Chinese and English shows both language-universal and language-specific characteristics. The findings of the inter-language study serve as useful pedagogical information for learners (non-native speakers) of English. The findings will also help English educators with the preparation of teaching materials and syllabus written on complimenting behaviors.