Text A Compliments in Chinese and American English(1)

Compliments are commonly and widely used both in Chinese society and American society to greet, encourage, thank, and to open a conversation. As a polite speech act that explicitly or implicitly attributes credit to someone for something that is valued positively by the speaker and hearer, a native speaker of a particular language is taken for granted to know when and how to offer and respond compliment appropriately. For example:

1) 甲：你的字写得真好，学的是什么体啊？

Your handwriting is beautiful, what style are you following?

乙：哪里，哪里，我还差得远着呢，什么体也不是。

No, it's nothing. I am just scratching.

2) A: Your French is good. Where did you learn your excellent French?

B: Thank you. I learned it at my university.

It is clear that a Chinese and an American respond to a compliment differently. For a simple compliment like the above, a Chinese tend not to accept the compliment though the particular compliment itself to his talent in handwriting is well appreciated. As for an American, he or she normally accepts the compliment with pleasure.

Topics for Chinese and American Compliments

Both in Chinese and American societies, compliments are employed to start a conversation. Appearances, talents, ability, and achievements are common topics in Chinese and American language.

Complimenting appearance

The appearance of a speaker or hearer such as color of skin, clothing, style, etc. is a major topic of compliment, but the difference is that sex is an important factor for consideration when a Chinese is to compliment the appearance of a hearer. For example:

3) 今天你真精神！

You look handsome today.

4) 多漂亮的毛衣啊！

What a beautiful sweater!

In the Chinese society, if the hearer is a male, complimenting his appearance as shown in Example 3) is appropriate. But the speaker has to be very careful if he or she is to compliment a female hearer because it is against rules governing the speech act of compliment in Chinese unless the speaker is very intimate to the hearer. But it is all right for a Chinese speaker to compliment a hearer of same sex with regard to the appearance. Besides, age or social status is also a factor that affects the speech act of compliment if this speech act happens between two interlocutors of same sex. A senior speaker can compliment a junior hearer's appearance but not vise versa. For example:

5) (年长或上级) 小李，你这身打扮真精神。

(A senior speaker to a junior hearer) You look terrific today.

Complimenting the appearance of a hearer is more flexible in the American society, and a female hearer tends to welcome or appreciate compliments of her appearance be it is from a male or female speaker.

6) You're wearing a lovely skirt. You look sexy.

7) Your new sweater looks great on you. I really like the style.

Compliments in Examples 6) and 7) are quite appropriate to a female hearer in American English regardless of the sex of the speaker. But it would be inappropriate or even rude in the Chinese context.

Complimenting talent or ability

The talent or ability is another major topic of compliments in both Chinese and American societies. But again there are two differences between the two languages. First, compliments by an American speaker would focus more on the achievements by a hearer as a result of hard work and less on the talent or ability of the hearer. For example:

8) You've done a great job.

9) You made a great presentation. I like it.

But a Chinese speaker tends to compliment a hearer's quality or talent. For example:

10) 你真能干，把家操持得这么好。

What a capable housewife! You take so good care of your family.

11) 你脾气真好，对孩子这么有耐心。

You have got such a good temper and are so patient to kids.

The second difference is that in American society compliments on one's ability are usually made by the speaker of higher social status because they are serious judgments that have to be made by capable people. Obviously it would be inappropriate for a speaker with lower social status to make such compliments to a hearer with higher social status. For example:

12) I am satisfied with what have done.

13) (A native speaker to a non-native speaker) I must applaud your excellent English. I wish my Chinese were as good as your English.

In the Chinese context, however, it is not uncommon to have compliments from a junior official to compliment his or her superior. For example:

14) 刘教授，您知道得真多，我现在明白了。

You're so knowledgeable, Professor Liu. Now I fully understood this point.

Cleary, Example 14) would be very inappropriate in American context. In fact it could be regarded as a flattery rather than a compliment.