从称赞应答语看中美文化差异

Title:An Analysis on Comparison Between China and America on Culture From Compliment Responses 题目:从称赞应答语看中美文化差异
摘要
语言是社会交际的工具，语言的使用反映着一个社会文化生活的方方面面。

任何语言不仅体现该民族的风土人情、文化习惯以及历史的演变和发展，而且还蕴藏着该民族的人生观、生活方式和思维模式。

简而言之，根植于不同社会文化历史背景下的不同民族，其语言习惯相差甚远。

其中，称赞语作为一种社交语言即社会交际用语，不同文化背景自然产生不同的称赞语模式。

同时，作为一种配对性结构，称赞与回应的共现又反映着不同的文化渊源。

也就是说：被称赞人必须对称赞做出回应——接受或拒绝。

在不同文化背景的影响下，人们的称赞内容、运用的场合及对象、形式对比、价值观念、采取的礼貌原则以及应答语的模式也会存在着差异。

如果不了解文化之间的差异，跨文化交际就会因语用失误产生交际障碍，甚至导致交际失败。

因此，文章拟从中美两国的称赞语及其应答模式，看中美文化的差异。

以其能尽量避免语用失误，更好地促进两国人民的交流。

关键词：称赞语；应答语；模式；文化对比；分析
Abstract
Language is a tool of social communication, whose use reflects various aspects of the cultural life of a specific society. Any language not only embodies the customs, cultural habits, historical evolution and development of the race speaking that language, but also contains the philosophy, life style and way of thinking of that race. Simply put, different races, based on different social cultures and historical backgrounds, will produce different languages. It is also natural that compliments deriving from different cultural backgrounds will generate different patterns in terms of their use and responses. Meanwhile, as an adjacency pair, the coexistence of compliments and responses in turn reflects different cultural backgrounds. In other words, person complimented must respond—either accept or refuse. Under different cultural backgrounds, the contents, contexts and objects forms, concept of value, the principle of politeness of compliments and their responses differ. A misunderstanding of the difference between cultures will lead to conflicts even failure in communication. So, this paper tries to make an elementary probe into the similarity and difference of Sino-US compliments and their responses from the perspective of social culture with the hope that pragmatic mistakes could be avoided to facilitate the communication between people of the two countries. Key words: compliment; response; pattern; cultural contrast; analysis
Contents
摘要............................................................................................................................. (i)
Abstract ...................................................................................................................... (ii)
Chapter 1 Introduction (1)
Chapter 2 Concept of Compliment Responses (2)
Chapter 3 Comparisons Between Chinese and American Compliment Responses in Different Context (4)
3.1Comparison Between Chinese and American Compliments at Home (4)
3.1.1Chinese Compliments at Home (4)
3.1.2 American Compliments at Home (5)
3.2 Comparison Between Chinese and American Compliments at School (6)
3.3 Comparison Between Chinese and American Compliments in Workplace (8)
Chapter 4 Cultural Differences Between China and America on Compliment Responses (10)
4.1 Compliment Object Differences Between China and America (10)
4.1.1 The Object of Compliment Response in America (10)
4.1.2 The Object of Compliment Response in China (10)
4.2 Expressions Differences Between China and America (11)
4.3 Value Differences Between China and America (12)
4.4 Difference in Social Functions Between China and America (13)
4.5 Answering Style Differences Between China and America (14)
Chapter 5 Conclusion (16)
Bibliography (17)
Acknowledgements (18)
An Analysis on Comparison Between China and America on
Culture From Compliment Responses
Chapter 1 Introduction
As we all know, different countries have different culture. Culture is the collective programming of the mind which distinguishes the members of one category of people from another and represents their own characteristic. In terms of the different process of the social development between China and America, the culture of each other represents their own characteristic, especially in the language use. Language culture is the one point. Language is the reaction of the culture and the reflection of the culture and the reflection of values.
Compliment responses is the frequently language which is used in our daily life and familiar to people, it is easy for people to understand the culture difference from compliment responses. During the process of cross-cultural communication, Chinese and American usually misunderstand each other for unknowing other‟s own culture. This essay lists a lot of examples to analyze the cultural difference from compliment responses between China and America in order to make people understand the cultural difference better and improve the ability of cross-cultural communication.
Thus it can be seen that Chinese and American compliments reflect the culture and are restricted by culture at the same time. Only by understanding the cultural differences between the two countries, can we use the compliment better--this positive non-verbal communication behavior so as to achieve the expected effect of communication.
Chapter 2 Concept of Compliment Responses
Compliments have been said to …grease the social wheels‟and thus to serve as …social lubricants‟. We all have given compliments and we all receive them occasionally. Compliments are primarily aimed at …maintaining, enhancing, or supporting the addressee‟s face ‟.
Herbert argues that there seems to be a widespread popular agreement over what it is that constitutes a compliment. He notes that most definitions of compliment, particularly those based on studies of Western languages, specify two conditions: the first one is that compliments must contain an expression of admiration on the part of the speaker, the other one is that they must concern a possession, accomplishment, or personal quality of the addressee.
Contrastive studies have been conducted comparing compliment responses in different languages and language varieties with (mostly American) English. These studies illustrate a clear contrast among different languages. On the one hand, Arabic and South African English are more likely to prefer acceptance of compliments and less likely to reject to them than American English. On the other hand, speakers of Asian languages (Chinese, Japanese, Malay, and Thai) tend to avoid accepting compliments but rather reject them compared to English.
The speech act of compliment responses is selected simply for two reasons. First, studies on it in several varieties of English, as well as in other languages and other politeness formulae are many, which provide a basis for comparative analysis. However, the present study seeks to address an important omission in previous scholarly analyses, as there have been very few Chinese and American English cross-cultural studies on the compliment responses speech act set. Indeed, the relevant literature is confined to a couple of studies on mainly American and European languages. Second, compliment responses provide an invaluable but under-utilized insight into speakers‟ reaction to external appraisals of their personal and social identity.
The data of the study come from the result of the present research works, which
examine the similarities and differences between the compliment responses strategies of Chinese native speakers and American native speakers and to reveal the inter language characteristics of Chinese native speakers in responding to compliments.
Chapter 3 Comparisons Between Chinese and American Compliment Responses in Different Context
Due to the different history and concept, China and America compliment response is undeniably distinct from each other. Context is very important for language learners to learn a language. We do need to consider the different contexts in the use of American and Chinese compliments. This part will mainly talk about the comparisons between American and Chinese compliments.
3.1 Comparison Between Chinese and American Compliments at Home
3.1.1 Chinese Compliments at Home
American couples and Chinese couples are similar. They both are advocated to constancy for love and undying loyalty to lovers. The fundamental difference is that their cultural backgrounds are different. They are living in different countries. Different culture background is the key reason for their different language patterns. Tolstoy once said, …All happy families are alike one another, each unhappy family is unhappy in its own way.‟ The question what is a happy family usually comes to our mind: mutual trust, understanding and communication, compromise, tolerance, management and so on.
Traditionally the love between Chinese husband and wife is implied. Ashamed, they could not tell the spouse of their love, especially in old China, they did not say (I)
love you‟or …You are the one I love best‟over the course of the whole lifetime. Compliment is a kind of the embodiment of the love. For most Chinese people, compliment usually occurs in love period or new marriage. A man in love will take every opportunity to give compliments to his girlfriend. They do so because they want
to impress his girlfriend or make her happy. As for an old-married couple, they seldom compliment each other. They think the love is needless to say out. They pay more attention to using actions to express their love. Sometimes Chinese speech community ignores their family members, seldom use complimentary words to praise them for appreciation. But this is not to say that emotion between Chinese family members is indifferent. Just the way they express emotions is implicit, is love you more than I can say. In fact, the Chinese kinship is much stronger than the American people; and the family consciousness is even more intense. The Chinese people take more care and support obligations than the American people.
But with the opening of ideas, Chinese couples begin to be bold and brave to speak their love, especially the young couples. They begin to take a variety of ways to show their love in the bottom of their heart boldly to their lovers.
3.1.2 American Compliments at Home
Its society with individualism popular, marriage is just a combination of two individuals. And marriage is based on love and sex in their opinion; marriage without love is immoral and of low quality. So we say that western wedding is a human right and the Chinese wedding is more like an obligation for family. Respect and freedom is the most basic principle in the relationship of marriage. No matter how deep the marital love is, the American couples do not ignore these two principles, respect and freedom. They know the importance to hold on the two basic bottom lines if they want to make a lasting marriage.
Because of the differences of Chinese and western culture, people have different views and means of expressions for the same things. In the aspect of expressing compliments, the Chinese language is implicit and euphemistic; the American language is enthusiastic and straightforward. Most westerners with strong sense of self concept would like to pay the best compliments to their family members. They know spousal relationship is the most fundamental and important interpersonal relationship, which
concerns the happiness of life, family harmony and career success. So a husband often says to his wife, “Oh, your dress is elegant.”, “You have such a gorgeous smile” an d “You are unique”. I am proud of you, my darling. ” Similarly a wife will say to her husband, “Your handwriting is so perfect.”, “You look very cool today, honey.”, “I like your sense of humor.” American compliments are reflected in every aspect of life and every moment. That is why we see the American couples are more loving and connected.
Comparatively speaking, American couples understand the significance of marriage and manage marriage better than Chinese couples. The most important change of Chinese married couples after marriage is that they no longer appreciate each other and ignore each other‟s advantages. There is no compliment, only sarcasm and irony. They ignore each other for everything they have done, and take everything for granted, not from the heart of thanksgiving. However, the British couple is exactly the opposite. They take everything their lover has done in the eyes and in the mind. They duly give compliments and thanks to their lover, which makes the relationship sweeter and more harmonious. Happiness and foundation in the marriage, of course, is love and loyalty.
Whether the couples can finally get real happiness depends on the good habits of feelings between husband and wife. So we say good habits determine a happy marriage. The big difference between Chinese families and American families is American families has formed the good habit of expressing the love and compliments. Love is an art; love is two people grow together. It must have communication. There will be a deeper love if there is a communication to understand.
3.2 Comparisons Between Chinese and American Compliments at School
The healthy growt h of students can not go without teachers‟ proper guidance. Every student has a tendency to pursue progress, has a good side: positive, smart and
studious. At the same time, teachers must be common in mind to look at their each merit and regard their every progress as positive. Naturally, the teachers will be good at discovering students‟ merits; appreciating their value, so as to establish the students‟self-confidence and pride. It requires that teachers should see beauty of human nature, and making compliments towards students is the penetration in the process of the humanistic spirit in the education teaching, embodies the equality of the personality and dignity between the students and teachers. If we can treat the students‟ failures and mistakes with a broad mind and understanding with tolerance and encouragement, at the same time, point out the solution to correct the wrong doing for them. Teachers will provide a harmonious atmosphere of mutual trust for a long time; it is good for students to form a positive healthy psychology and an active attitude to learn new knowledge and explore new methods to study the new problem.
In this way, the life journey will be full of laughter, applause; full of determination and confidence. Specialty is the children‟s shines. The teachers must be good at catching the students‟ bright spots, give timely compliments in order to set up their confidence. When being complimented, the students will feel a sense of satisfaction, can make a comprehensive analysis of him, and can realize his insufficiency. At the same time, he can also accept the opinions of others, gradually perfecting his wish.
A philosopher said: only the truest compliment will touch the heart of a person. The teachers‟ compliments should start from the students‟ trivial life, seek truth from facts and do not simply say to the student, “You are a good student. You are great. You are so smart.” The more specific your compliment is, the more clear the students will feel about his good behavior and so is the more possibly the students will obey the rules of such behaviors. For the young children, the teachers should give timely compliment for every small progress. For example, the teacher can compliment a student like you make the classroom so clean, or you make your handbag so tidy, or you are excellent that you can solve the classmates‟ difficulties, etc.
If you are a teacher, please do not make compliment stingy, for compliment is spring breeze, which makes students filled with warmth and gratitude; please do not look down compliments, for compliment is a fire, which can light the longing and hope
in the heart of students. If every teacher is full of spirit to enjoy encouraging word to students, compliments will be able to moisten everything silently. We sincerely hope that the students can healthily grow in the teaching with correct compliments.
3.3 Comparison Between Chinese and American Compliments in Workplace
According to analysis, there are three major topics in complimenting in American. Ability and traits are often referred to in daily communication, sharing the highest proportion, appearance ranks second only a little lower than ability and traits, and then possessions rank third. In the American culture, the positive comments on looks or appearance occupy a very large proportion because they like to compliment mutually. If others‟ appearance has any change, it is deserved to be complimented in order to show one‟s care or respect to others.
In this part we mainly talk about the gender difference in the use of compliments.
A lot of research and experiment show that there are many differences between women and men in the use of topic, syntax, vocabulary, strategy and function about compliment. Much corpus finds compliment is unevenly distributed in men and women. Women use compliments more than men do. In English-speaking countries, the content of compliments more focus on intelligence, skills, performance, clothing, furniture cars, on such good quality and vessels with high quality. In western culture, individual struggle and personality reflection is an important notion which pursues the self value performance. Thus, positive compliment on appearance and hairstyle occupies the main and the most prominent position. The compliment recipients are mainly women. Women often receive the compliments from men, “You look nice today!”, “You look sexy!”Women will be pleased to say “Thank you” on hearing such compliments.
In China, men do not often compliment women‟s appearance directly, otherwise they will be regarded to be frivolous or have ulterior motives. Influenced by
deep-rooted orthodox culture, men often use such adjectives to compliment women as virtuous, gentle, beautiful, intelligent, highly cultured and steeped in propriety; educated and reasonable and so on.
Men need women‟s compliments, but he only needs to know his position in the eyes of women, which is enough. He does not need the nagging words, does not need the repeated compliments. However, women need to be complimented repeatedly from men. So, in a social situation, it is important to give a woman proper compliment which can make the communication easier. However, in the life, there are few men who can give proper compliments naturally to women. This may be a kind of unique Chinese connotation. Men should learn to compliment women, appropriate compliment which can make communication more harmonious and can eliminate the contradiction in the communication and can make them feel better and blissfully happy.
It needs an appropriate scale for men to comp liment women‟s appearance. It should be practical. Men should not say beautiful to all women. In compliments, it needs men to quickly find each woman‟s biggest advantage in the first place. For example, some women are not pretty, but with good temperament; some women are very short, but the skin is very delicate. In short, every woman must have the advantage she really deserves to be complimented. People say that women are living with ears; compliment is the sunshine in the life of woman. In fact, man is the same, they like to hear the affirmation and compliment from others, which will give them a sense of value and make them full of confidence. Because of traditional male roles in the society, to support their home, it makes a man care about his image in the eyes of others, his pride and his work. Career is closely related to the work; any work evaluation will let him sensitive.
Chapter 4 Cultural Differences Between China and America on
Compliment Responses
As the positive speech act, both American and Chinese compliments are widely applied in the interpersonal communication. Correspondingly, there are many differences between American compliments and Chinese compliments.
4.1 Compliment Object Differences Between China and America
4.1.1 The Object of Compliment Response in America
Compliment in English is widely used in the country, especially Americans prefer to use praised the way to greet others or say hello. Generally speaking, English Compliment objects include everyone, juniors or seniors, family or friends, superiors or subordinates, distant relatives or neighbors, and even strangers. Inside, on the road, in the office praised the manner in greeting.
In addition, people often English-speaking countries to the other praised their immediate family members or relatives, including their own husband or wife, parent and child.
For example, parents praise their children smart, outstanding, will use even what musical instrument, what won awards, while his wife also often praised how her husband work hard, how to be reused, and how being a friend of trust and so on. It's all very well for them since the hearer is natural thing.
4.1.2 The Object of Compliment Response in China
Cover a wide range of countries than in the United State praised the object, the object of the Chinese people praised relatively much smaller.
First, the Chinese people meet for the first few strangers praised, especially men praised the first meeting women, to give people the impression of frivolous or malicious. The first time we met each other in another unfamiliar situation carried out under conditions praise may cause misunderstanding.
Moreover, the Chinese people will not praise his family in front of outsider members, and other family members are generally based on the object of praise. For example: "Your son is really smart" or "your dad is really great " or " Your wife is really virtuous, "etc. In the traditional Chinese concept, the family is the most important. Close to him, too much praise but seemed polite and unfamiliar. Usually the parents of the child's performance of praise, the elders are less or the same generation with Compliments. Intimate marital relationship, usually do not need to use language to express his affection between husband and wife and therefore the behavior of mutual praise is rare.
In addition, the Chinese people in the praise of others, unlike English-speaking countries conducted as frequently and directly, but behave more euphemistic, unemotional.
4.2 Expressions Differences Between China and America
In most of the time, we get compliments and give compliments. Interestingly, different countries have different kinds of ways to praise other.
Americans as expressing openly and directly their appreciation and acceptance of the compliment. They express goodwill, solidarity and encouragement. Moreover, Americans are also good at greeting people, expressing thanks and getting over embarrassment through compliments.
The Chinese often compliment the others, it is mean to making others feel good for the traditional pursuit of harmonious, to showing one‟s appreciation on something, to trying to make use of certain people.
Chinese compliments don‟t emphasize on negotiating solidarity while American
really do.
On the other hand, Chinese culturally use the …deny‟response to …push away‟praise as a way to communicate modestly.
Actually, …deny‟in china response to other as one of the most obvious culture norms which are different with Americans. On the contrary, Americans are positive to compliments and make them deserve the compliments.
4.3 Value Differences Between China and America
In Chinese society, people generally accept the traditional viewpoint that collective restriction on individual should be stressed and interpersonal harmony should be maintained in the social communication. In China, such ideas that a person should serve others first and think of others are considered to be unselfish and acceptable. Expressed in the speech act—compliments, we find that Chinese people use compliments mainly with the purpose of maintaining the harmonious interpersonal relationship with others. They hold the point that individuals do not stand out so as to cause the unpleasantness from others. The value and expectation of individual are weakened. It is thus clear that Chinese people are accustomed to compliment others but not accustomed to accept compliments about themselves from others. Otherwise, they will be considered to be arrogant and showing-off.
At the same time, China is an agricultural society with Confucian ethics as the governing rule of most interpersonal relationships. Chinese people influenced greatly and deeply by the Confucian ethics believe in modesty, self-abasement, other-respect and collectivism. In terms of psychological experience, Chinese people also like to hear complimenting words. But orally, especially when there are a lot of people or the public, most people tend to refuse compliments from others. This response pattern is strongly influenced by traditional Chinese values. Chinese people regard modesty as a virtue. From the past till nowadays, Chinese people generally believe unity is the key force of one‟s success both in families and in the society. So every Chinese person stresses the
harmonious relationship with anyone else. They do not want to cause uncomfortable feelings to others and they do not want to be the people who are not liked by others.
But with the development of society, Chinese people‟s traditional concepts are also gradually changing. Many people, especially young people, there are more situations in which they accept compliments. Many people think that too much humility is a kind of hypocrisy. Most young people do not immediately reject the compliments from others, while they will take different approaches to accept them. Some express agreement; some express appreciation; others give a smile; the others give a counter-question.
While most American people are individual-oriented, they tend to accept compliments from others naturally. There are two important points for them to meet: the positive face and thinking positively about oneself. So facing a compliment from others, the American people do not expect to refuse or reject because if they do so, the value of individualism will be violated.
In terms of the western value of individualism, it is found that it is deeply rooted in the American social history. In the long and fierce fights against severe and terrible natural environment, the American people depended on themselves to struggle for their better life. This can be seen in the famous English sayings, like “God helps those who help themselves” by Benjamin Franklin. The saying tells us that the American people depend on themselves not strangers or anybody else. And also individualism has its own religious source—Christianity which believes that men are equally born. So in the social activities, not only daily communication, but also in the personal interest, they emphasize the individual feeling, and values.
4.4 Difference in Social Functions Between China and America
As a means of positive evaluation, compliment acts many social functions, playing a irreplaceable role in daily communication. The function of Chinese function is mainly to keep or promote the unity and peaceful relation between the speaker and addressee. Chinese compliments are to create or promote interpersonal harmony in the Chinese
speech community just like social lubricants.
The main functions of Chinese compliments is to express appreciation which is the most basic function; to be used between acquaintance and old friends as a ritual greeting; to start a conversation between strangers which is beneficial to the development of the conversation; to be use as acknowledgement and congratulations which are helpful to establish rapport between the speaker and addresses and sounds more sincere and acceptable; to be used as encouragement which is often employed by teachers in teaching activities so as to cheer students up physiologically and psychologically, thus achieving satisfactory teaching effect; to ease criticism tone in which we stress the advantages before we point out the shortcomings or mistakes of colleagues, classmates or students, because polite criticism saves the critic‟s face and achieves the purpose of criticism; to flatter which is a commonly-used communicative strategy people will say their requests after they flatter others with compliments; to alert by complimenting which is also a communicative strategy, in daily life and study if the speaker compliments others in the face of us we will feel rebuked indirectly, and we will pay more attention to these aspects in the future life and study; to satire others by complimenting, which is often used as a warning when others are showing off some advantages.
Comparatively speaking, American compliments are not as rich and varied as Chinese compliments. American compliments are mainly used as admiration or praise, encouragement, gratitude, to soften criticism and as a greeting formula. By comparison, we find that Chinese compliments acts more social functions mainly because the Chinese language is more colorful and varied than the American language. It reflects the richness of Chinese. With the long history, the Chinese language is both extensive and profound. In terms of personal relationship, Chinese people are more tactful in dealing with interpersonal relationships and Chinese people pay more attention to the harmonious relationship with others.
4.5 Answering Style Differences Between China and America。