The Result of Accepting Compliments - Research Paper Example

Data Analysis Student’s name: Instructor’s Name: Class Name and Code: University: Date of Submission: RESULTS 1. Reasons for accepting the compliment This study established that non-native English speakers accept compliments because of varied reasons depending on their linguistic repertoire, self-perception, modesty, and age differences with the individual giving a compliment. a. Linguistic repertoire Some of the interviewees particularly the lecturers provided answers based on their linguistic skills as well as their proficiency and mastery of the English language. Consequently, they acknowledged that their responses were most appropriate considering the circumstances at play coupled with their understanding of the English language. In fact, they went to the extent of affirming that their responses were consistent with those of native English speakers and therefore the most appropriate. “Yeah because none of these choices, I think suits me, and I think this is a normal answer to this statement or this compliment.” L2 In another scenario, the interviewees strived to be reassured that in deed their spoken language was great particularly when complimented by a native English speaker. In fact, the interviewees were very certain their English was great hence, all they needed was a confirmation that what they were hearing was a certification by a native English speaker. This confirms their mastery of English and their proficiency in speaking fluently and coherently. In addition, the response was motivated by their confidence in skills relating to the English language. “Yeah because I see I am confident in English, yeah (laugh) so “do you really think so? “ It is good that she sees I am speaking good English. I think its normal and it the one that suits me in here. It is good. (laugh). Yeah when she sees me speaking well it’s a good compliment, if she thinks so yeah, I am happy that she thinks so”. L2 b. Self perception In the first scenario, the respondents received complements about their bags or phones from a new staff member who speaks no Arabic. A section of the respondents accepted the compliments given to them and acknowledged in affirmation that in deed the statements were appropriate. The responses shown below are a reflection of the respondents’ perceptions, beliefs and experiences. “Thank you, I like it too.” L1 & S6 “Oh thank you so much.” L2 Thank you, I like it too. “Thank you I have just bought it”. S3 The motivation behind these responses also ranged from perceived approvals by the respondents themselves regarding the items in their possession. They provided the responses because they too felt the same way about their bags or phones, which had prompted them to carry them along. Consequently, some of the respondents however, downgraded the compliments to create a perception that they were obvious. “Umm, yeah I think I said this because it’s a very confident response. What I mean is that I already know that my bag is nice and I bought it because I like it. (laugh) , So when you complimented, I could confidently say thank you and yes I like it too. Right? If I wasn’t confident with my purchase, then I would have its not too bad or really?” L1 Another respondent was sure that in deed her phone was fancy based on her own perception that had prompted her to buy because she also liked it. “Because I know its fancy and I am confident about that. Yeah”. In other scenarios, the interviewees accepted compliments with the sole intention of starting a conversation by having something to strike a discussion. In fact, some of the respondents confessed that an individual would give a compliment with a conversation in mind. “To also start a conversation so we can find something in common, and start talking”. S3 Experiences play an important role on the nature of response that one receives following a compliment. Some interviewees showed apparent indifference to the compliments because of what they were aware of due to their experiences in the past. Some abstained from responding and merely smiled back because they perceived the comment to be unwarranted. “I just smiled and didn’t say anything. The reason for this response is because I have been in a previous situation where at work someone commented that I should do something to my hair to make it look nicer. And next time when the same person saw me at a party she came and complemented that my hair looked nice. What she didn’t realise was that I always go to hairdresser and get my hair done when I go to places outside of work. That’s why I didn’t really think I needed to say thank you for the compliment”. L1 c. Modesty While responding to a compliment in the second scenario, one of the respondents appreciated the acknowledgement that her spoken English was really good but was quick to downgrade the compliment. This is also informed by her recognition of the fact that she is prone to several mistakes while speaking and native speakers of English have a better mastery of the language. Though she accepted the compliment and acknowledged the possibility that her English is really good, she was also aware of the facts of her short comings. “Because I think also the girl speaks well as me, and I am not like a native speaker. So I make mistakes so yeah.” S1 “(Laugh). Because I do not know what to say to her, and I know that hair style suits me”. S6 d. Age variation Age difference was an important variation that influenced how the interviewees respondent to compliments. The interviewees appreciated compliments from colleagues perceived to be older and more senior with better mastery of English language than the former hence, the show of respect in their responses. “Umm yeah, I think I said this because the compliment came from someone who I think was much more experienced than me and was more knowledgeable. Like native speakers so, I mean Therefore, after thanking her, I had to say that she is a much better writer than me. Of course, she is. But If the compliment had come from someone who was much younger and less experienced than me then I would not have said it that way. My response to the visiting lecturer showed respect”. L1 2. Challenges behind the compliment sincerity a. Sincerity The degree of sincerity while responding to a compliment varies from one respondent to another depending on the circumstances. Upon being complimented regarding a phone for being fancy, one of the respondents wondered if this compliment was well intentioned or just an act of mockery hence challenging the sincerity of the particular compliment. The response thereafter was motivated by the respondent’s awareness of the fact that the phone in question was about four years old and as such, she never attached great value to it. “I don’t really think highly of my phone, it’s pretty old, four years now, and for her to think that it’s really a good phone!! Brand new phone!! Oh its brand new phone, ??? Oh even if its brand new phone, I don’t really think highly of my stuff, so it’s not a major possession that, I own, so I would answer really?” (Laugh). S5 In a similar scenario, some of the interviewees felt they were under obligation to respond with a compliment even if there was nothing to compliment about whereas there are those that never gave a compliment but hoped to discover something that deserved a complement. “Yeah I’m just gone say thank you with a smile. But if I can find something that I can complement her on I will do. Because I want to compliment her the same way she did to me, because it is a polite way I believe”. L3 “Actually yes this is what I usually do when people compliment or say something nice to my stuff, okay. I feel I need to say yours is nice too even if it’s not (laugh) or if I don’t see it like in this scenario because I some time feel so shy from their words and I don’t know what to say other than paying the compliment back. I think this is what all girls say.” S2 Another respondent appreciated a compliment regarding her great publication and affirmed that she had spent a lot of time on it because that was the true position of her usual practice while writing an article. “Umm because definitely I’ve been spending a lot of time on any article or paper or even poster I will be presenting, so yeah probably this will be my first and only answer and first choice. Because it is a fact”. L3 When placed in a scenario where the interviewees received a compliment regarding their spoken English from a native English speaker, their response was out of surprise and they wanted to be sure that it was sincere before accepting it. “(Laughs) I said this because I would be quite surprised to hear from a native English speaker that she thought my English was good. I knew my English was better than most Arabic speakers but not that good to receive a compliment from an English native speaker. So I was a bit surprised and wanted her to confirm her compliment one more time” L1 b. Phaticity Some respondents accepted compliments with the intention of providing additional information or facts leading to the present circumstances. “Thank you I have been studying English since I was little”. L3 The motivation behind the compliment was to influence a perception by bringing to light the fact that English is taught as a second language in Saudi Arabia “Because I want to give her an idea about the education here and that we teach English from primary school as a second language. So just to give her a positive impact about my country and our education”. L3 c. Sarcasm A section of the respondents felt some compliments were acts of sarcasm and not well intentioned thus prompting the responses they provided. An interviewee felt she was being mocked in a case where one of the students was complimented for speaking really good English by a native English speaker and doubted if the compliment was really sincere. “Yes, because the one that complimented me was an English native speaker right? So I am sure that my assignment is not really good because my English is not my native language. You know. I thought she is not serious about the compliment right? I mean she does not really mean it. Yes, maybe mockingme, because I know I am not that good in English and Iam still learning English”. S2 d. Personal assumptions The study established that some compliments provided by respondents were pegged on their personal assumptions with fixed answers to any compliment provided. Some respondents felt that they were under obligation to reciprocate with a compliment even if it was not deserved whenever somebody complimented them. Some of the reciprocal comments are insincere but given as a routine response to someone complementing them. “Actually yes this is what I usually do when people compliment or say something nice to my stuff, okay. I feel I need to say yours is nice too even if it’s not (laugh) or if I don’t see it like in this scenario because I some time feel so shy from their words and I don’t know what to say other than paying the compliment back. I think this is what all girls say.” S2 Interestingly, some responses to compliments were motivated by the interviewees’ attempt to initiate a conversation based on their understanding that the latter would ensue following their answers. “Because I will try to start a conversation, I think that’s the only way to start it.” 3. Purposes for overgeneralization a. Directness While accepting a compliment regarding an own publication, one of the respondents was quick to provide additional information clarifying why her paper was of high quality. The information was provided in an open and direct manner with commendable precision. “Thank you, I did spend a lot of time on it.” L2, L3, S3 The interviewee demonstrated confidence in the output of the efforts she made to realize such a great piece of work and that is what is expected when you put in a lot of effort. “Well, to show her that I did put an effort to get that level”. (laugh) S3 One of the respondents also acknowledged that she needed to express appreciation for a compliment while also providing a reason to demonstrate what made possible for her to realize such quality of work. “I need to thank her first, and this is really a fact, because when I write a paper it takes time to write a good one” L2 b. Familiarity Some of the interviewees responded to compliments using phrases they are most familiar with because that is how locals respond to compliments. The assumption in this case is based on the supposition that most people just give compliments with the intention of socializing or starting a conversation. “Yeah, at the university here I hear compliments every day from my closest friends or sometimes from my class mates; I mean those who are not my best friends. they sometimes don’t mean it, but It’s a way of trying to be friend or to start a conversation with me”. S2 Responses to compliments are influenced by an individual’s familiarity with common phrases used by the locals. Consequently, some responses accepting compliments by interviewees was limited to these phrases that they understood clearly. “Thank you, yeah because this is a normal response to this compliment”. L2 “To thank her (laugh) Yeah this is the most appropriate respond here yeah”. S3 “Thank you, I’m glad to help: Because I like helping others, I don’t know, I just like to do it unconsciously that’s why I responded in this way”. S6 c. Repertoire cultural There are some compliments and responses acceptable in a given culture thus determining how an individual responds to a compliment. Notable during this study was the concept of the evil eye that apparently causes one to lose their talent or beauty when they receive a compliment relating to the same. In such a scenario, some interviewees were quick to reject a compliment and caution the individual complimenting them. “Don’t envy me”. S2 This is also one of the challenges hindering the acceptance of a compliment made in good faith by an individual lacking awareness of the cultural practices of the locals. “Yeah because I am really so afraid of people’s eyes (laugh).You know people some time envy you that is why in Arabic we say some phrase to prevent this evil eye. Like “allahwakeberAlekey” and “goley mashallah” and “eheem” Notably, when further prompted, the interviewees acknowledged they would still use the above phrases if the compliment was from a native English speaker with no understanding of Arabic or the concept of the evil eye. “ I will say it, because I believe some people do, because many people believe in it and they are so afraid of losing their talent or beauty. But I use those phrase with my friends if they don’t mention God’s name when complimenting”. Cultural beliefs and perceptions greatly influence the manner in which an individual responds to a compliment. As such, the response is used as a means of averting potential consequences that may be orchestrated by a particular compliment. “Yeah, because the topic is the same and the compliment is on my appearances. I am afraid again that I might lose my beauty or something bad might happen to me. Because I know a girl who went to a wedding and was very dressed up and she had a really long hair, after the wedding her hair kept on falling off”. S2 d. Thank you versus your eyes are beautiful In other instances, the interviewees returned a compliment in return regarding an item possessed by the person complimenting them. Some noted that definitely there is something positive about the person complimenting them hence the need to appreciate them with a compliment in return. “Thank you, your phone is nice too.” S2 “Thank you I think you find even better ones (dresses) in Canada”. S3 “Because definitely she has something that I like on her, her hair or maybe something she is wearing, or something I can see nice on her, so I complimented her back as it is a nice thing to do and a nice way of saying thank you”. L3 DISCUSSION Reasons for accepting compliments The findings of this study revealed important variations that influence the manner in which an individual responds to a compliment. Superior levels of language proficiency permit an individual to provide skillful responses to compliments particularly from an individual of foreign origin. Lecturers accepted compliments because of their linguistic repertoire as opposed to the students who wanted to initiate a discussion. Previous studies confirm these findings by demonstrating the various options at the disposal of respondents who have a better mastery of English language thereby promoting their confidence in how they react to compliments (R. Chen & Yang, 2010; Ishihara, 2010; Maíz-Arévalo, 2012). The study also unearthed motivation behind these respondents acceptance of a compliment ranging from perceived approvals by the respondents themselves regarding the items in their possession. This was reflected in both the responses of students and lecturers who essentially provided the responses because they too felt the same way about their bags or phones, which had prompted them to carry them along. However, some of the lecturers however, downgraded the compliments to create a perception that they were obvious or perhaps overrated. This finding is consistent with a previous study, which established that an individual will accept a compliment that is consistent with his/her perceptions arising from previous experiences (Cedar, 2006; Mohajernia & Solimani, 2013). According to Mustapha (2011), one’s beliefs, notions, and experiences directly influence their reactions to compliments. Exposure to different cultures through intercultural education yields a blended view of how one responds to a compliment from an a foreigner (Mustapha, 2011). According to the findings of this study, reactions to English compliments from non-native speakers are also influenced by the attempt to appear modest. In essence, majority of the student respondents wanted to look pleasant and polite to persons of foreign origin hence their acceptance of the compliments. This finding demonstrates the fact that we try to look for approval from other persons especially those perceived to be of foreign origin in an effort to cut a positive image of one’s culture. The fact that such responses to compliments were prevalent with students demonstrated that during the learning process, students seek for approval from their teachers or senior colleagues as an affirmation of their learned skills. The researcher also ascertained that age and experience are significant variations on the responses provided to English comments from non-native speakers. In essence, compliments from elderly persons with perceived longer experiences tend to be accepted with a lot of respect. This was consistent with the responses from the lecturers who understand the value of experience in their practice of teaching. In a different study, it was also established that persons raised in conservative settings strive to look for opportunities to demonstrate their respect to senior members of the society hence, will easily accept compliments from them as opposed to individuals exposed to the contemporary society characterized by unlimited access to information technology (Phoocharoensil, 2012; Razi, 2013). Challenges behind the compliments sincerity The researcher observed that the motivation behind any compliment varied from one individual to another leading to a section of the respondents questioning the sincerity attached to a compliment. A compliment was given with the intention of either starting a conversation, or on the basis of what one was familiar with. Consequently, some of the respondents challenged the sincerity of such compliments and wanted to be sure that they were sincere and well intention. On the other hand, the respondents easily accepted compliments particularly in scenarios where they shared common perceptions with the person giving the compliment. Based on the findings of this study, sincerity is a shared theme between the students and the lecturers demonstrating how valuable it is to the population under study with sincere compliments attracting positive responses while perceived non-sincere comments being received less enthusiastically. Various studies also confirm this finding by affirming that scenarios perceived by respondents as sincere were most likely to attract positive responses to compliments. In situations where the respondents fail to ascertain a correlation with their experiences, they tend to shy off especially when the person complimenting is senior to them. Rejection of the compliment is witnessed in situations where the respondents were conversant with and subscribed to the contrary position of the compliment (Bu, 2010; Sadeghi & Zarei, 2013). Some compliments appeared sarcastic to a section of the lecturers who questioned their appropriateness before rejecting them. Similarly, they also provided informative comments to justify their responses to such comments. This also stems from the fact that the lecturers are more proficient with the English language and could easily give a verdict on the appropriateness of particular responses. A feeling of being mocked was observed by a lecturer who thought some compliments were uncalled for and out rightly rejected them. According to a study by (Yousefvand, 2012), it was concluded that rejection of compliments was informed by real or perceived feeling of mockery by the respondents. This is particularly in scenarios where the respondents do not hold a similar view with that of the person complimenting them (Karimnia & Afghari, 2010; Yousefvand, 2012). Purpose for overgeneralization This study also unearthed the purpose for overgeneralizations whereby directness, familiarity, repertoire cultural, as well as thank you versus your eyes are beautiful formed part of the themes. Most lecturers responded directly and provided information regarding their response. Directness was evidenced amongst both lecturers and students who had a great deal of confidence regarding the information at their disposal. In a study conducted by Ishihara (2010), it was concluded that whenever respondents are in possession of information they felt was accurate, their responses to compliments were more direct as opposed to when they were lacking the correct information. In addition, respondents with significant prowess in speaking English language especially the lecturers express their willingness to substantiate their responses to compliments in order to ensure clarity and lack of misrepresentation (Chen & Boonkongsaen, 2012; Ishihara, 2010). According to the findings of this study, some responses to compliments by respondents depended on the familiar phrases they had learned over time. There are conventional responses used to respond to compliments that are learned through exposure to the spoken language and practice by non-native English language speakers. The lecturers by virtue of their long experience and constant interactions using the English language appeared to be more conversant with such conventional clauses unlike the student responses. These responses are preformed and used regardless of the circumstances depending on the ability of an individual respondent (Zhang, 2013). Based on the findings of this study, response to a compliment is also be influenced by ones cultural expectations, beliefs and perceptions. This was very pronounced with the student respondents whose cultural experiences are still limited. Unlike the students, lecturers are exposed to a lot of information from across several cultures and thus gain intercultural competence. On the other hand, the students responses were motivated by the fact that they still firmly held onto their cultural values due to their limited exposure to other cultures hence the skewing of their responses to what is culturally acceptable to them. Notable during this study was the concept of the evil eye where a respondent feared to lose their ability or talent if they accepted a compliment. There is an acceptable way to compliment an individual without contravening their cultural beliefs and perceptions. Culture dictates the manner in which persons relate to each, the communication cues acceptable in different circumstances, and the acceptable phrases to use during any conversation. Consequently, culture creates a significant variation that influences the responses given to specific compliments (Chen, 2010). References Bu, J. (2010). A study of pragmatic transfer in compliment response strategies by Chinese learners of English. Journal of Language Teaching and Research, 1(2), 121–129. Cedar, P. (2006). Thai and American responses to compliments in English. The Linguistics Journal, 1(2), 6–28. Chen, J., & Boonkongsaen, N. (2012). Compliment response strategies by Thai and Chinese EFL teachers: A contrastive study. Theory and Practice in Language Studies, 2(9), 1860. Chen, R. (2010). Compliment and compliment response research: A cross-cultural survey. Pragmatics across Languages and Cultures, 79–101. Chen, R., & Yang, D. (2010). Responding to compliments in Chinese: Has it changed? Journal of Pragmatics, 42(7), 1951–1963. Ishihara, N. (2010). Compliments and responses to compliments. Speech Act Performance: Theoretical, Empirical and Methodological Issues, 26. Retrieved from https://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=fAIDFeSv3tkC&oi=fnd&pg=PA179&dq=response+to+compliments+2010&ots=k3gZ0j8eTh&sig=e8r8fG2QLBnsbvukdr17OGs03mo Karimnia, A., & Afghari, A. (2010). On the Applicability of Cultural Scripts in Teaching L2 Compliments. English Language Teaching, 3(3), 71–80. Maíz-Arévalo, C. (2012). “Was that a compliment?” Implicit compliments in English and Spanish. Journal of Pragmatics, 44(8), 980–996. Mohajernia, R., & Solimani, H. (2013). Different strategies of compliment responses used by Iranian EFL students and Australian English Speakers. Journal of Language Teaching and Research, 4(2), 340–347. Mustapha, A. S. (2011). Compliment response patterns among speakers of Nigerian English. Journal of Pragmatics, 43(5), 1335–1348. Phoocharoensil, S. (2012). L2 English compliment responses: An investigation of pragmatic transfer. International Journal of Applied Linguistics and English Literature, 1(6), 276–287. Razi, N. (2013). A contrastive study of compliment responses among Australian English and Iranian Persian speakers. Procedia-Social and Behavioral Sciences, 70, 61–66. Sadeghi, E., & Zarei, G. R. (2013). Investigating the use of compliments in Persian and English: A case study of Iranian EFL students. Journal of Foreign Language Teaching and Translation Studies, 2(2), 30–49. Yousefvand, Z. (2012). A sociolinguistic perspective: Compliment response patterns in Persian. 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