Abstract  Compliment is a kind of important polite speech act, which plays an important role in the intercultural communication between the Chinese and the English. Because of different social backgrounds and cultural values between the English and the Chinese, the compliments, in English and Chinese culture, have their own characteristics. Using English learners’ compliments as examples, I want to make an analysis of the characteristics of compliments in English and Chinese in terms of their language form, topic distributions, response strategies, and pragmatic principles, and through the comparison of Chinese and English compliment, to analyze English learner’s pragmatic failure caused by these differences between Chinese and English compliments. It is necessary for us to understand these differences and reduce misunderstandings in the cross-cultural communication between the Chinese and the English, and to improve our communicative ability.55055

Keywords: compliment; pragmatic failure; difference; cross-cultural  communication

摘要称赞语作为一种重要的礼貌语言，在中英跨文化交际中起着重要的作用。由于社会背景和文化价值的不同, 称赞语也存在着各自的特点。本文以中国英语学习者使用的英语称赞语为例，从中英称赞语在语言形式、话题分布、应答策略、语用原则方面所存在的差异的角度出发，探析由这些差异带来的中国英语学习者称赞语运用失误的原因，并为中国英语学习者提出避免失误的策略。以期了解这些差异并减少在跨文化交流方面出现的误解局面，提高跨文化交际能力。

毕业论文关键词：称赞语；语用失误；差异；跨文化交际

 Contents

1. Introduction 1

2. Literature Review 1

3. Theoretical Basis for This Research 2

3.1 Definition of Compliment 2

3.2 Definition of Pragmatics 3

3.3 Definition of Pragmatic Failures 3

4. Causes of English Learners’ Pragmatic Failures in Using English Compliments 4

4.1 Differences in Language Forms 4

4.2 Differences in Topic Distribution 6

4.3 Differences in Response Strategies 7

4.4 Differences in Pragmatic Principles 8

5. Strategies to Avoid Pragmatic Failures in Using English Compliments 11

5.1 Making Clear the Relationship Between Language and Culture 11

5.2 Intensifying Communication Practice with Native English Speakers 12

5.3 Adapting to the Social Context 13

6. Conclusion 14

Works Cited 16

 1. Introduction

In linguistics, compliment is often defined as “a speech act which explicitly or implicitly attributes credit to someone other than the speaker, usually the person addressed, for some good (possessions, characteristic, skill, etc.) that is positively valued by the speaker and the hearer.” (Holmes, 1986: 485) From this definition, we can see that compliments are intercommunication between the speaker and the listener, which are the commendatory comments of the former on the latter. Therefore, compliments both have communicative function, and expressive function.

     Compliments are usually intended to have a positive impact on interpersonal relations. As a kind of polite speech act, compliment has attracted more and more attention of linguists who have done many studies. These studies are helpful for English learners, especially important to those people who participate in intercultural communication. However, different moral values, traditional cultures and customs make compliments of English and Chinese have many differences in language forms, topic distributions, response strategies and pragmatic principles. And these differences lead to English learners’ pragmatic failures in using English compliments directly or indirectly.