Compliments and Compliment Responses in Greek and English

Abstract

Within the framework of the ethnography of speaking, this study presents an analysis of the speech acts of complimenting and responding to compliments in Greek with reference to the use of the same speech act in English. The major foci are: a descriptive analysis of the strategies employed by native speakers of Greek to offer and respond to a compliment, a discussion of the way in which compliments are a reflection of the cultural values appreciated within Greek society and, lastly, an exploration of the functions of compliments as well as some aspects of the sociolinguistic distribution of complimenting behaviour. Often enough a comparison between Greek and English is made. The present analysis suggests complimenting as a complex sociolinguistic skill. The information about rules for language use provided here is considered to be of particular importance to nonnative speakers if they are to interact successfully in Greek or English-speaking society.