Exploring Differences in Compliment Responses in English between American Undergraduates and Korean Undergraduates

Abstract

This study examined compliment responses (CRs) among American undergraduates and Korean undergraduate learners of English. A total of 120 undergraduates from both countries participated in the study. The data was gathered through the instrument of written discourse completion tasks (DCTs), with four situational settings: appearance, character, ability, and possession. The findings demonstrated that Korean undergraduate learners of English had a high tendency of using fewer positive strategies than the American undergraduates did. Furthermore, the Korean participants used an indirect approach in response to compliments, preferring modest strategies to CRs; whereas, their counterparts, conversely, preferred using direct CRs, which was due to cultural stimulus. This indicates that the participants from both cultural backgrounds used different compliment protocols, and CRs in both cultures varied in meaning respectively.