Філологічні науки/7 Мова, мовлення, мовленнєва комунікація

Olga I. Malashina

The Donbas State Technical University

Female compliments in English linguistic culture

In linguistic works of last decade more attention is paid to gender researches. The given term designates the researches studying cultural, social, language factors, defining not only the relation of society to men and women, but also speech behavior of native speakers in connection with their accessory to this or that sex, and also stereotypic representations about male and female qualities.[1:36]

Studying of gender aspect of speakers' speech behavior is of great importance in linguistics because its account allows linguists to get more deeply into a female or male picture of the world, and, thus, to understand real-life models of focusing behavior of men and women, and also specificity of male and female speech strategy and tactics more full.

The object of given article is the etiquette expression of the compliment statement in English linguistic culture, the addresser of which is the woman, and the addressee (addressees) - are both the man (men), and the woman (women).

A subject of given article is communicative tactics of senders-women.

Further we will start with the following theoretical positions:

1. Communicative (speech) tactics is “a set of practical courses in real process of speech interaction”[3:132]. It promotes realization of communicative (speech) strategy and is always correlated with a set available at speaker's communicative intentions or problems;

2. Communicative (speech) strategy is “a set of the planned in advance and realized in the course of the communicative act marches directed on achievement of the communicative purpose”. It is correlated with the communicative purpose, instead of intensions. In a number of works it is noticed, that communicative (speech) strategy ( the most important task) is universal, it basically cannot possess national specificity, and communicative (speech) tactics always derives from national culture; it is original in various ethno cultural and linguistic communities;

The compliment is the etiquette statement verbally representing “extremely structured formula which can be applied with the minimum efforts in set of the situations demanding the approving comment (interpretation)”.

The basic function of compliments in speech consists in creation or solidarity maintenance between the sender and the addressee). The role of compliments in the western cultures (especially in American) is so great, that they were figuratively, but very precisely named “lubricant for a society” (“social lubricant”).

The compliment represents two-member speech action of a kind: a compliment (remark-stimulus) - the answer to a compliment (remark-reaction).

The general communicative strategy of compliment addressers in English linguistic culture can be described as strategy of origin or development of already available personal contacts to addressees, strategy of consolidation of solidarity with addressees or, in other words, strategy of creation and maintenance of mutual understanding and the consent with addressees. The various relations of men and women to compliments in the western societies leads to strategic, and, hence, to tactical distinctions of female compliments in address of interlocutors of different sex.

Possibility of accurate opposition of male and female compliments speaks for a theoretical position, recognized by western sociolinguists that men and women differently behave in communicative situations [4:78].

The communicative behavior of women can be characterized as that focused on an establishment of contacts to the interlocutor and co-operative (affinitive and co-operative), unlike the communicative behavior of the men characterized as competitive and focused on control. If we speak about the complete contribution of women to process of interaction this contribution can be described as “focused on another” (other-oriented).

Such distinctions in communicative behavior of men and women is the reason of their various relation to compliments. Proceeding from positions of the theory of politeness P.Brown and S.Levinson, it is possible to say, that women concern compliments as statements of positive politeness (i.e., to the statements showing unity and solidarity), and for men compliments are statements of negative politeness, (i.e., to the statements giving freedom of actions).

Women perceive compliments in the address as speech means of expression of approval or encouragement of the role behavior accepted by a society. The interest to various ornaments, to beautiful clothes, stylish hair dresses, and also obvious, explicit interest in family affairs and education of children is expected from representatives of middle class in the British and American societies display. For the woman to look attractive, to carry beautiful dresses and ornaments means to play the socially-caused role and it is considered as action.

Men do not consider compliments as the best speech means of expression of solidarity, the friendly relation to the addressee, therefore they more often verbalize compliments in situations, in which their application is offered rules of etiquette or public politeness.

Literature used

1. Olshansky I.G.review on A.V.Kirilnoj's book «A gender: linguistic aspects»//Philological sciences. 2000. № 3. With. 133.

2. Klyuyev E.V.speech communications: the Manual for University and high schools. - М: Publishing house "ПРИОР", 1998. With. 11.

3. Manes J., N. Wolfson. The compliment formula//Conversational routine. The Hague, Paris: Mouton, 1992. P. 123.

4. Wolfson N., Manes J. The compliment as a social strategy//Papers in Linguistics. 1999. Vol.13. № 3.

5. Wolfson N. An empirically based analysis of complimenting in American English//Sociolinguistics and Language Acquisition. Rowley, London: Newbury House Publishers, 2003. P. 86.