Research Paper

Function of compliments

What role does complimenting play in social interaction ?
It is obvious that there is not only one answer to this question as compliments may play different roles on different occasions. An analysis of their pragmatic and sociolinguistic features suggests that they serve a number of different functions in interaction. They may serve as a way to consolidate solidarity between the speaker and the addressee, to ease communication, and to reduce the social distance between interlocutors. They can also be used in conjunction with and even as substitutes for other speech act formulas. In this section, we shall try to look at each of these functions so as to show the role compliments may serve in everyday interaction.

One of the most obvious functions of compliments is to increase and consolidate solidarity between interlocutors. According to Holmes (1988), compliments are generally treated as positively affective speech acts directed to addressee, which serve as a powerful device for mutual support and solidarity. They are thus used as a means to achieve and reinforce good social relationships and hence affirm solidarity and sympathy among people in a wide range of situations. Here is an example, which clearly illustrates this function :

Context: two women, good friends, meeting in the lift at their work place.
C. Hi how are you. Youre looking just terrific.
R. Thanks. Im pretty good.
(Holmes, 1988:447)

Compliments can also be used as a way to ease communication. People usually use them as a means of communicating easily with each other especially when they are not very intimate. In addition, the giving of compliments is accepted as an excellent strategy to start a conversation and hence establish contact between the people and make them communicate more effectively. Also, by complimenting, speakers feel more confidant and this encourages them to be more effective in their interaction. By so doing, compliments function as good tools, which help to reduce the social distance between people and this, of course, makes them feel more comfortable in interacting with each other.

As wolfson (1983b) points out, compliments as used by middle-class speakers of American English may often serve to strengthen or even to replace other speech act formulas. Thanks, apologies, and greetings, for example, are often accompanied by or substituted by compliments. Indeed, there are a number of situations in which compliments may function as an appropriate means of thanking. In this way, they are usually expressed as a response to the performance of a service. Wolfson (1983b:88) explains:

In most traditional American families, for example, it is expected that the wife will prepare meals and therefore it is inappropriate for the husband or children to thank her for this service. The appropriate expression of appreciation in this situation is a compliment on the tastiness of the food.

As for apologies, there are a number of cases where compliments are used either as part of or in place of apologies. This sort of behavior is very typical in interactions involving intimates, but they may also frequently be used when status is unequal:

More interestingly enough, compliments may also be used as a good device to soften criticism. This is particularly used when the interactants are in a relationship which is likely to continue, and in which the maintenance of harmony is desirable. This combination is typical in interactions occurring in work situations as well as in interactions between close friends whereby a frank appraisal is often preceded by a compliment.

Compliments, on the other hand, may make the addressees feel uncomfortable as they may imply some elements of envy on the part of the complimenter and her/his desire to have something that belongs to the addressee. This is observed to exist in a number of societies, but it is most obvious in some cultural contexts such as the Samoan, where an expression of admiration for an object imposes an obligation on the addressee to offer it to the complimenter. Holmes (1988:449) provides the following example to illustrate this phenomenon:

Context: Pekeha (i.e New Zealander of European origin) to Samoan friend whom she is visiting.
C. What an unusual necklace. Its beautiful.
R. Please take it.

The list of functions presented in this section is not by any means definite as compliments may serve more than one function depending on many factors such as context, relationships between interlocutors, and more importantly sex of participants. But, it is of interest to note that the functions discussed are very fundamental in the sense that they help to establish good relationships and to emphasize positive politeness.

A research paper submitted to the department of English of Cadi Ayyad University
in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Licence-es-Letters in English
Year : 1998 - 1999 / Major : Linguistics / Seminar Title :Pragmatics
Supervisor : Dr. GAJJOUT Hassan