Linguistic Characteristics of Chinese and English Compliments and Responses A Contrastive Study.docx

Linguistic Characteristics of Chinese and English Compliments and Responses A Contrastive Study.docx

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LinguisticCharacteristicsofChineseandEnglishComplimentsandResponsesAContrastiveStudy

LinguisticCharacteristicsofChineseandEnglishComplimentsandResponses:

AContrastiveStudy

Abstract:

Asageneralrule,everyoneintheworldisinsympathywithcompliment,whichislikethelubricantindailylife.TheChineseculture,andEnglishculturealike,hasitsownwaysofexpressingcompliments.Fromthecontrastivepointofview,theirforms,content,andresponsesaregreatlyinfluencedbytheirowncommunicativecultures,understandingsofpolitenessandotherfactors.ChinaandBritainhavebeguntocontactwitheachotherforalongtime.Itisnodoubtthattheaccommodationofcomplimentshasbecomedeeperanddeeper.Furtherresearchonthistopicisstillcertainlyneededinfuture.Thelanguageandculturearechanging,so,furthercontrastivestudyaboutthechangesofcomplimentsmayhavesignificantresearchingvalue.

Keywords:

compliment;response;linguisticcharacteristics;contrastivestudy;cross-culturalcommunication

英汉称赞语与回应的语言特征研究

摘要：

一般说来，每个人都对称赞语充满好感，它就像是日常生活中的润滑剂。

对于称赞语，中英文化都有属于自己的表达方式。

从对比分析的角度来看，受交际文化，对礼貌的理解的差异等其它因素的影响，中英称赞语的形式，内容和应答都有各自的一些规律，当然也不乏共同点。

中英两国人民的交往由来已久，他们对彼此之间的称赞语也表现出越来越强的适应性。

文化是不断发展、进步的，而语言作为文化的载体也一直在吸收新的元素，因此，对中英称赞语的研究有很高的使用价值和学术意义。

关键词：

称赞语；回应；语言特征；对比研究；跨文化交际

Contents

1.Introduction……………....……………………………………………………….1

2.Compliments……………………………………………………………………...2

2.1Thedenotativeandconnotativemeaningofcompliment…………………......2

2.2Classificationsofcompliment…………………………………………………..2

2.3Communicativefunctionsofcompliment...........................................................3

3.ContrastiveStudyofCompliments….............................................................4

3.1Commons………………………………………………………………………...4

3.1.1Inform………………………………………………………………………..4

3.1.2Incontent……………………………………………………………………..6

3.2Differences……………………………………………………………………….7

3.2.1Inform………………………………………………………………………..7

3.2.2Incontent……………………………………………………………………..7

4.ContrastiveStudyofResponses………………………………………………8

4.1Chinesecomplimentresponses……………………………………………….....8

4.2Englishcomplimentresponses………………………………………………....10

5.CurrentDevelopmentsofComplimentsandResponses……………....11

5.1Culturalbackgroundbeingunderstooddeeper…………………………........11

5.2Conceptualizationofcomplimentsrefreshed………………………………....12

6.AnalysisofFactorsLeadingtotheDifferencesinCompliments……13

6.1Communicativeculture………………………………………………………...13

6.2Politeness………………………………………………………………………..13

6.3Interlocutor’srelationship……………………………………………………..14

7.Conclusion………………………………………………………………………..14

References………………………………………….………………………….…….16

Acknowledgements..................................................................................................17

1.Introduction

Acomplimentisafrequentspeechactoranactsequence（Wolfson,1989:

1）,anditis“apolitespeechactwhichexplicitlyorimplicitlyattributescredittosomeoneotherthanthespeaker,usuallythepersonaddressed,forsome‘good’（possession,characteristics,skill,etc.）whichispositivelyvaluedbythespeakerandhearer”Holmes’s（1988:

446）.Itfollowsnaturallythatcomplimentisimportantspeechactthatplaysavitalroleinpeople’sdailyinteraction.Influencedbyculturalbackgroundandotherfactors,however,theChineseandtheEnglishhavetheirownunderstandingofandattitudestowardscomplimentsandcomplimentresponses.

InordertouseChineseandEnglishcomplimentsappropriately,weshouldpayattentiontotherelationshipbetweencultureandlanguage.Withoutexaggeration,languageisthebasictoolforpeople’scommunication,ononehand,welearnaboutotherpeoplethroughthecontenttheyexpressandthewaythattheysay;ontheotherhand,welearnaboutourselvesthroughthereactiongivenbyourlisteners.Cultureis“thatcomplexwholewhichincludesknowledge,belief,art,morals,law,customandanyothercapabilitiesandhabitsacquiredbymanasamemberofsociety”（Tyler,1871:

1）,or“thecumulativedepositofknowledge,experience,beliefs,values,attitudes,meanings,hierarchies,religion,notionsoftime,roles,spatialrelations,conceptsoftheuniverse,andmaterialobjectsandpossessionsacquiredbyagroupofpeopleinthecourseofgenerationsthroughindividualandgroupstriving”（SamovarandPorter,2000:

12）.Languageisaminiatureofculture,andtosomeextentcultureconstrainslanguage’sdevelopment（Sapir,1949）.Inconclusion,cultureandlanguagearekeenlyrelatedtoeachother.Suchbeingthecase,iftheChineseandtheEnglishwanttocommunicatewitheachotherwithoutobstacles,theyshouldhavesomeknowledgeofculturalconnotationshiddenbehindtheChineseandEnglishlanguages,especiallytheircompliments’customsandlinguisticcharacteristics.ThisthesisisthusmotivatedlyacontrastivestudyofChineseandEnglishcomplimentsfromculturaldistinctions.

2.Compliment

2.1Thedenotativeandconnotativemeaningofcompliment

Eachlexicalwordandphrasehasitsdenotativemeaningandconnotativemeaning.Denotativemeaning,orliteralmeaning,isgenerallydefinedinthedictionary.Thereforeitisreadilyfound,inWebster’sDictionaryoftheEnglishLanguage（1979）thatthedenotativemeaningof‘compliment’is“topraise,toflatterbyexpressionsofapprobation,esteemorrespect,tocongratulateorpayacompliment”.Here,“topraise”inEnglishand“表扬，称赞”inChinesebothstandforlaudwithacommendatorysense;incontrast,both“toflatter”inEnglishand“恭维，奉承，阿谀”inChineserepresentadulationwithaderogatorysenses.Fromthispointofview,thedenotativemeaningsofChineseandEnglishcomplimentshavesimilarities.

Denotativemeaningisthebasisofunderstandinganditisgenerallystable.Comparedwithit,connotativemeaningisaffectedbysomeobjectivefactors,suchaspeople’seducationallevel,attitudestowardslifeandtheworld.Torecap,connotativemeaningisculturallybiased,reflectingnotonlyparticularculturalbackgroundofonenationbutalsoitspsychologicallyculturaltendency,andfinallydeterminingthenation’scommunicationbehaviors.Whenitcomestocompliment’sconnotativemeaning,intermsofChineseandEnglishcompliments,traditionallyandsimplyspeaking,theEnglishtendtoacceptcomplimentswithgrace,becausetheirstrategiesarecharacterizedbyacceptancewhichisgovernedbyLeech’sAgreementMaxim;whereastheChinesearelikelytodenycomplimentsoutofmodesty,fortheirstrategiesarecharacterizedbycomplimentrejectionandself-denigrationwhicharemotivatedbyLeech’sModestyMaxim（WangandTsai,2003:

127）.

2.2Classificationsofcompliment

Assaidabove,acomplimentisaspeechactthatisaccomplishedeitherexplicitlyorimplicitlytoexpressadmirationorapprovalforsomegoodoftheaddressee.Therefore,complimentisnotmonotonousbutdiversified.Basedonthehonestyaspect,complimentscanbeclassifiedintotwogroups,oneissincerecompliment,andtheotherisinsincerecompliment（Li,1999:

62）.Toagreatextend,theformerisagreeingreasonably;furthermore,itisakindofappreciationwhichcomesfromheart.Forexample,“Youworkwasoutstanding!

”“Youreallydidagoodjob!

”However,thelaterdisobeystheTruthPrinciple.Thatmeans,oneusesthecomplimentinordertoachieveacertainorunknownpurpose.Forexample,“Howmarvelousthemealyoucooked!

”Theimplicationofthisstatementisthat:

Whatanawfulmealyoucooked.Ofcourse,wecansortthecomplimentfromotherrespects,andIwillgiveamoredetailedstudyinthefollowinglengthofwriting.

2.3Communicativefunctionsofcompliment.

Itisgenerallyassumedthatcomplimentisoneofthemostfrequentlypolitespeechactsindailyverbalinteraction,anditsvitalcommunicativefunctionsarebeyonddoubt.Complimentsestablishsolidaritywiththeinterlocutorsbythespeaker’spraisingsomefeaturesrelevanttothelistener（WolfsonandManes,1981:

115-132）.Thatis,complimentscanbetreatedaspositivelyaffectivespeechactsdirectedtotheaddresseethatservetoincreaseorconsolidatethesolidaritybetweenthespeakerandlistener.Torecap,complimentsappearedtobefunctionallycomplexspeechactswhichservedassolidaritysignals,commentingonfriendships,attenuatingdemands,smoothingruffledfeathersandbridginggapscreatedbyotherwiseoffenses（Holmes,1988:

464）.

Inaddition,thefunctionsofcomplimentingarevaried.Fromtheethnographicpointofview,thefunctionofcomplimentsvariesfromculturetoculture,communitytocommunity.Butnomatterwhatfunctionsdocomplimentshave,theyaregenerallydescribedaspositivepolitenessstrategiesservingtoincreaseorconsolidatethesolidaritybetweenthespeakerandaddressee.Weusecomplimentsbecauseweintendtomakeothersfeelgoodandthenhavegoodinteractionswiththem.

Specificallyspeaking,forinterpersonalrelations,complimentscanpromotefriendshipandunderstanding,raisecommunicationeffects;forcountries,properuseofcomplimentsmaybeakeytocertaindiplomaticissue.JustasWolfsonsaid,complimentshavebeensaidto‘cream’thesocialwheelsandthustoserveassociallubricantthatcreateormaintainrapport（Wolfson,1983:

89）.

3.ContrastiveStudyofCompliments

AccordingtoShih’s（1986:

35）studyonacomparisonbetweenthewayscomplimentsfunctioninEnglishandinChinese,complimentingbehaviorisquitesimilaracrosslanguagesexceptthatthecomplimenteditemsmaydiffersomewhataccordingtowhatishighlyvaluedintheculture.Withthefastdevelopmentofcommunicationandcontactbetweenpeopleofdifferentnationsandregions,contrastivestudybecomemoreandmoremeaningfulandimportantinacademicsenseaswellasin