Abstract
The purpose of this research is to investigate the pragmatic features of Chinese college EFL learners’ compliment responses (CR) in English. Since nowadays there is a large population learning English in China and there are limited researches on how the English language is used by Chinese EFL learners, to study the patterns of Chinese EFL learners' use of English is significant. The data of this study were collected by role play. Twelve short films which contain compliments from native English speakers were designed and recorded. These scenes were controlled by four variables: gender, social status, types of compliments and the formality of the situation. Then these short films were played to 360 Chinese undergraduate students which were divided into 12 groups. The compliment responses of these participants were recorded immediately. Then, these records were transcribed and the data was analyzed statistically with the reference of the four variables. The results of the analysis indicate that a majority of Chinese EFL learners tend to accept the compliment while seldom Chinese EFL learners still apply non agreement as their CR strategy. Also, Chinese EFL learners prefer to apply a mixed CR strategy when they are complimented and they prefer to accommodate a combined pragmatics which is based on Chinese and English pragmatics. Chinese EFL learners could respond to compliments in English in several CR strategies that did not discussed in previous studies. The four variables of gender, social status, types of compliments and the formality of the situation have a huge influence on Chinese English learners’ responses to compliments in English.
Highlights
Since the ‘First Contact’ between English speakers and Chinese people in 1637 in the coastal area of southern China (Bolton, 2002, p. 181), the English language has spread in China intermittently for almost four hundred years
Based on the data of this research, there are still a few subjects respond to compliment in a normal Chinese pattern, great majority subjects do accept the compliment first. This partly reflects that a majority of Chinese English learners do not reject compliments as they did in Chinese language any more
Majority of Chinese English learners accept the praise when they are complimented in English
Summary
Since the ‘First Contact’ between English speakers and Chinese people in 1637 in the coastal area of southern China (Bolton, 2002, p. 181), the English language has spread in China intermittently for almost four hundred years. Since the ‘First Contact’ between English speakers and Chinese people in 1637 in the coastal area of southern China 181), the English language has spread in China intermittently for almost four hundred years. 99) pointed out that English Speakers’ and Chinese have different concepts of politeness in compliment responses. Responding to a compliment is a dilemma for speakers The reason is that speakers have to consider two conversational principles. Conversation participants have to agree with others’ compliment, they have to avoid self-praise. When responding to a compliment, how to balance these two conflicting principles is a problem to Chinese English Learners because in Chinese culture, to avoid self praise is more emphasized. The standard mode of Chinese responses to compliments is rejection or denial
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