A Contrastive Analysis of Linguistic Features of Chinese and American Compliments

Abstract

Compliments are an integral component of social etiquette and play a significant role in everyday interpersonal communication. This study examines the influence of distinct phonetic characteristics in Chinese and English on the moods and sentiments conveyed through compliments. Through an analysis of compliment strategies and their linguistic functions in common situations, this study compares the differences in vocabulary selection and expression methods between Chinese and American compliments. It also discusses the underlying reasons for these differences from the perspectives of cultural variations, social norms, and thinking patterns. Furthermore, the study analyzes and compares the similarities between Chinese and American compliments in terms of their purposes, topics, and stylistic changes. Overall, despite differences in phonetics, vocabulary selection, and expression methods, Chinese and American compliments exhibit convergence in their macroscopic purposes, themes, and styles due to the constraints imposed by specific conversational scenarios.