A Pragmatic Study Of Gender Differences In Compliments And Their Responses

Gender differences in language use are common in social communications.Based on the relevant theories of sociolinguistics and pragmatics,this thesis attempts to make a qualitative study of the gender differences in language use from the perspective of compliment Speech Act(that is,compliments and their responses).Compliment is a kind of positive speech act which can meet the needs of the listener.This thesis examines compliments of different genders from different perspectives.This thesis aims at clarifying the hypothesis that there are significant differences in compliments and their responses between males and females,and to explore the causes of gender differences in language use.Gender differences in compliments are mainly influenced by gender social roles,and different compliments also meet the psychological needs of different genders.The data of this study are collected from the dialogue of a famous American TV series Desperate Housewives,a family ethics TV series produced by the ABC in 2004.It is different from the new American dramas in which the language is too novel in recent years.The use of language by the characters in the TV series is of great reference value.This thesis will conduct the research from the perspectives of frequency,the formulas,topic choice and compliment response.The study finds that there are gender differences between compliment and their responses in daily communications.First of all,in terms of compliment frequency,the frequency of compliments used and received by females is significantly higher than that of males.Secondly,in the form of compliment formulas,females mostly use personal form,while males use impersonal form.Thirdly,gender differences also show that males and females focus on different topics.Finally,in terms of compliment response strategies,the female tend to accept compliments,while the male tend to reject them.The study of gender differences in compliments from the perspective of pragmatics has certain theoretical and practical significance.On the one hand,this research expands the research horizon of gender differences in language.On the other hand,this research can help second language learners to better understand compliments and their responses,and realize that they should not only pay attention to the study of English grammar,but also not ignore the importance of language rules.In addition,the research in this thesis can help second language learners choose more appropriate languages to express themselves through pragmatic analysis,and can understand the differences in language expression of different genders,thereby improving communication skills and avoiding unnecessary misunderstandings.