The analysis of the English DCTs showed that some participants accepted the compliment with “Thank you” and “Thank you very much”

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Appendix B: Compliment scenarios

Item 1

You have recently made an impressive achievement such as passing the University Entrance Examination and you come across one of your previous teachers. He/She is so happy to hear the news and congratulates you on your success as follows:

A: Congratulations! You did a great job. Well done!!

You: . . . The Swedish DCTs included examples of:

Acceptance: “Tack!” “Tack så mycket!”

Positive elaboration: “Tack, jag ser fram emot utbildningen, detta ska jag fira.”

“Tack, det var du som hjälpte mig mycket.” “Tack! Det är skönt att det är över och jag är stolt över att jag klarade det.”

Neutral elaboration: “Tack, nädå, man gör sitt bästa.” This response was a borderline case between acceptance and a neutral elaboration since “nädå” was included, which the author decided being a denial but at the same time an

acceptance because of “Tack”, and therefore placing the result in the middle – a neutral elaboration.

Negative elaboration: “Tack, men det var väl inget speciellt.” The informant is clearly downplaying the compliment even though there is a “Tack” included, and therefore the compliment is placed under the category Negative elaboration.

The analysis of the English DCTs showed that some participants accepted the compliment with “Thank you” and “Thank you very much”. Other informants gave positively elaborated responses to the compliment such as returning it, “Oh, thank you, that was nice of you. Maybe I owe some of my success to you.” or feeling responsible for their achievement “Thank you, I am really proud.” and what they are planning on doing “Thank you, I am going to celebrate this.” There were no instances of neutral elaborations, negative elaborations or denials.

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Item 2

A family friend compliments your cooking after dinner by saying, “Your food is so delicious. You’re a fantastic cook!”

Acceptance: “Tack, jag vet”. ”Tack så mycket.”

Positive elaboration: “Tack, jag lärde mig receptet på …, du kan få några tips om du vill?” “Tack! Vad kul att du tycker det.” “Tack, jag gillar att laga mat, hemligheten är att recepten är från internet, det går inte att misslyckas!”

Neutral elaboration: “Va! Tycker du det, tack?” “Tycker du det? Tack.”

Negative elaboration: “Tack, men jag är ingen fantastisk kock direkt.”

Denial: “Åh, nej då.” “Jo, tjena. Vad är det du vill ha?” The final denial would

probably be considered as a joke or a dismissal of the original compliment, but could be a strategy to defuse an uncomfortable moment.

The analysis of the English DCTs showed examples of acceptance to the compliment such as, “Thanks, my pleasure” and ”Thank you, I am glad you enjoyed it”. Positive elaborations were; “Thank you, do you want some tips?” or “Thank you, it is easy when you enjoy cooking”. The response “I know I am, I’ve learned from my mother,”

was put into the category positive elaboration and not into Neutral elaboration since it was not a shift of credit to the mother, more a reason behind the person’s good cooking, he/she had learned from his/her mother. Examples of neutral elaborations were; “Do you really think so?” or indication of a laugh combined with “You think so?

Thanks.” Examples of negative elaborations were “Thank you, but I am not really a great cook”. “Thanks.. although I don’t think I’m much better than you or anybody else.” “It’s nothing complicated.” Finally, some denials demonstrated replies such as,

“No, I’m not” and “Ah, stop it!” The downplaying of responsibility as well as rejection could be a sign of modesty according to Swedish culture norms. Perhaps not wanting to be praised is a sign in relation to some of the Thai compliment responses when

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only a smile is indicated, the addressee of the compliment do not want to feel as if he/she would be better than the giver of the compliment, or engage in self-admiring.

Item 3

Your friend praises your child by saying, “You have a very smart child”.

You: . . . The Swedish DCTs showed examples of:

Acceptance: “Tack, vad snällt av dig.” “Jo, jag vet.” “Ja, visst har jag.”

Positive elaboration: “Tack, hon brås på sin mor.” “Tack, det går i släkten.” “Tack!

Jag är stolt över honom/henne.” “Japp, äpplet faller inte långt ifrån trädet!” Overall it seemed as if informants attributed the compliment onto themselves by saying that the child gets it from its parent, i.e. the informant. However, many times the response was indicated with a laugh in writing.

Negative elaboration: Firstly an indication of laugh (in writing), “Aa, men inte är det alltid en dans på rosor.”

The analysis of the English DCTs showed examples of acceptance such as, “Thank you.” “Thank you very much.”, “Yes, I know.” or “Isn’t she!” In most of the positive elaborations (both Swedish and English) where something like “it runs in the family”

or “Thank you, she’s just like her mother/father,” was added, it was done so with an indication of a laugh or a wink, which might suggest a hint of humility or a feeling of being uncomfortable when responding to such a compliment which in turn could be a sign of modesty. One of the male participants seemed to transfer a negative elaboration in Swedish into English by saying in English “Thanks, but he/she is not always sunshine and teddybear.” The Swedish response was “Aa, men inte är det alltid en dans på rosor.” As above when modesty is detected, it could simply be a strategy to downplay the compliment.

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Item 4

You have bought a new dress/suit and your colleague/classmate says to you, “What a nice dress/suit! You have a very good taste in clothes.”

Acceptance: “Tack, det var snällt sagt.” “Tack, man försöker.” “Tack.”

Positive elaboration: “Åh, tack så mycket. Vad glad jag blir att du tycker det.” “Tack så mycket, jag köpte den på H&M.” “Tack, jag var tvungen att köpa den. Du vet hur det är, ibland hittar man något som ropar ens namn från hyllan.”

Neutral elaboration: “Den här gamla paltan?”

Negative elaboration: “Ibland hittar även en blind höna ett korn.”

Denial: “Var inte så säker på det! En klänning säger inte så mycket om den som bär den.”

The analysis of the English DCTs showed examples of acceptance such as, “Thank you. That is very nice of you.” And “Oh, thank you!” Some examples of positive elaborations were; “Thank you, it was one of those dresses, I just had to have it.”

”Thank you, so do you.” “Thanks, you don’t look too bad yourself!” Some of the neutral elaborations were; “Do you really think so?” “Really?” An example of a negative elaboration was “Do I.. I thought I just got lucky this time and picked something that wasn’t horrible!” The response can possibly depend on whether it comes from a woman or a man. In the responses there were more elaborations than acceptances from women than men. Just like Holmes (1995), who found that in New Zealand English men do not pay each other compliments on their appearance as much as women may do, and therefore the elaborations compared to acceptance could perhaps be a gender difference.

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Item 5

Your friend is visiting your newly-built/bought house and says, “What a beautiful house!”

Acceptance: “Ja, visst är det!” Tack.” “Tack, jag trivs.” “Ja, eller hur!”

Positive elaboration: “Tack, jag trivs, men det blir nog bättre när jag fått lite ordning.”

Neutral elaboration: “Tycker du det är fint?”

Denial: “Det blir nog inte riktigt bra förens jag fått lite ordning.” Since the response was contradictory but without a no, it should according to the criteria be placed in negative elaborations, but since there was no acceptance included as in “Tack, men…”, it was then placed in the category Denial.

The analysis of the English DCTs showed examples of acceptance such as, “Thank you.” or “Thank you, it has been hard work, but it seems worth it.” and “Thank you, I really like it too.” One example is a borderline case between accepting and positively elaborating on the compliment by saying, “Isn’t it! I fell in love with it the moment I saw it.” However, with the exclamation mark as an indication and the rest of the sentence, the response feels enthusiastic, and therefore placed as a positive elaboration. One example of a denial is “Not until I get everything in order.”

Compliments directed at an object such as a house/home seem mostly accepted, nonetheless there is an example of a denial in both Swedish and English, and therefore pragmatic transfer seems possible.

Item 6

Your have bought a brand new car. Your friend likes your car and says to you, “You have a very nice car!”

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Acceptance: “Ja, visst är den!.” “Ja, inte så dum eller hur!” “Jodå, den känns bra.”

“Tack, jag är väldigt nöjd med den.”

Positive elaboration: “Tack! Ska du med på en sväng!?”

Neutral elaboration: “Tycker du det? Det var inte billig om jag säger så.”

Negative elaboration: “Kul, men det är ju trots allt bara en bil.”

The analysis of the English DCTs showed little difference from the Swedish DCTs.

Acceptance examples were; “Thanks, I like it too.” “I know.” “Thank you.” “Yes, it is very nice.” “Yeah, she’s a pearl.” A positive elaboration was “Thank you! If you’d like, you can borrow it sometime.” Examples of negative elaborations were; “To me it’s just something to get me from A to B.” “I just hope it stays that way.” No neutral elaborations or denials were detected from the compliment responses.

Item 7

After reading your essay, your friend/classmate says to you, “You’re very intelligent and knowledgeable!”

Acceptance: “Tack, det var snällt sagt.” “Tack.” “Tack, ju mer jag skriver desto bättre blir jag.”

Positive elaboration: “Tack, kul att höra från dig.” “Tack, och du skulle ha gjort ett minst lika bra jobb.” “Tack, det är du också.”

Neutral elaboration: “Tycker du?”

Negative elaboration: “Tja, kanske.” “Alltså, egentligen inte, även fast jag la ner mycket tid på att skriva den.” This response is an example of a borderline case, since it could be taken for a denial as well as a negative elaboration. However, by demonstrating the English response as well where the informant replied; “Maybe, not really, but I did spend a lot of time writing it.” The author chose to place the response in the category negative elaboration instead of a denial because it included the word

“maybe” and not a definite contradiction. In addition, the informant also included an

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explanation of having spent a long time writing it, both in Swedish and English.

Denial: “Äsch då.” “Är du säker på att det var min uppsats du läste?” An example of a borderline case between a neutral elaboration and a denial. A denial felt more natural, since there was no indication of uncertainty (other than the question mark), more so a dismissal of the compliment because the person might have felt uncomfortable being complemented for his/her intelligence/academic work. “Nej då.”

The informant (in the final example) provided an indication of using humour to change topic).

The analysis of the English DCTs demonstrates examples of acceptance such as,

“Thanks.” One of them indicated her reply with a wink in writing before writing down

“Yeah, people usually tell me that.” This was perhaps a strategy to indicate the response jokingly, seemingly common in order to downplay a compliment. Examples of positive elaborations on the compliments were; “Oh that’s nice of you, I’m glad you enjoyed it.” “Thank you, I really enjoyed reading yours too.” “I’m glad to hear that from you. You always seem to know the right answers.” One participant’s negative elaboration response was, “Thank you, but I’m really not that smart. It’s just that I’ve spent a lot of time writing the essay.” Examples of denials were; “Cut it!” “No, I’m not.” Personal achievement seemingly is a sensitive area for Swedish addressees of compliments. Some of the participants who tried to dismiss, negatively elaborate or deny the compliment appear to indicate a feeling of being uneasy with such a direct compliment, and perhaps with the feeling of intellectual comparison. One male participant negatively elaborated on the compliment in Swedish “Äsch då, men tack.”, but accepted it in English. Another subject accepted the compliment in English, but denied it in Swedish by saying; “Är du säker på att det var min uppsats du läste?”

Finally, one male participant denied the compliment in English (but not in Swedish) and said; “It’s nothing.” Clearly, there was no evidence of pragmatic transfer in this instance.

Item 8

Your superior finds you very busy with your work and says to you, “You’re a real hard worker!”

You: . . .

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The Swedish DCTs showed examples of:

Acceptance: “Jovars.” “Tack, jag försöker.” “Man gör sitt bästa.” “Ja, visst gör jag.”

Positive elaboration: “Tack, älskar man sitt jobb så gör man.” “Jajemän! Det rullar på bra nu!”

Negative elaboration: “Någon måste ju.”

Denial: “Äsch.” Seemingly a common expression when the addressee of the compliment is perchance trying to show signs of modesty.

The English DCTs showed examples of acceptance, such as “Thank you Sir/Madame.” “Thanks, I only do my best.” “Thank you.” “Thanks, I’m really trying.”

An example of a positive elaboration response was “Yes, if you like your work like I do!” A negative elaboration was the example of; “I hope to get through this pile today.” The majority of the compliment responses in English were acceptances.

Item 9

You have received a prize for your outstanding work and your mother says to you,

“Congratulations! Well done!”

Acceptance: “Tack.” “Tack mamma.” “Tack lilla mamma.” “Tack, det känns bra.”

Positive elaboration: “Tack, du stöttade mig verkligen.” “Tack, jag har verkligen jobbat för detta.” “Tack mamma, hade inte varit för dig hade jag jobbat i någon fabrik eller något.”

Neutral elaboration: “Tack. Tycker du verkligen det?”

The English DCTs showed examples of acceptance such as, “Thanks Mum!” “Thank you.” “Thank you, it feels great!” Examples of positive elaborations were; “Thanks, and thank you for all your help and support.” “Thank you, I really worked hard for it”.

“Thank you Mother, if it wasn’t for you, I would probably work in some factory or something.” A negative elaboration was; “Thanks, but I am surprised that they chose

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me.” This type of compliment was mostly accepted in both languages and did not seem to differ significantly. However, there were positive elaborations in both languages where the person who received the compliment attributed the compliment to the Mother, which is a common strategy amongst Persian speakers (Sharifian, 2005, 2008).

Item 10

You have an admirable talent such as very good handwriting or a beautiful voice and a friend says to you, “What beautiful handwriting!/What a beautiful voice!!”

You: . . . The Swedish DCTs include examples of:

Acceptance: “Vad snällt sagt, tack!” “Tack.”

Positive elaboration: “Tack, jag har försökt att bli bättre och tydligen lyckats!” “Tack, kul att någon tycker det!” “Tack detsamma.”

Neutral elaboration: “Tycker du verkligen det?”

Negative elaboration: “Tack, men jag har mycket att jobba på också.” “Tja, den är väl inte så speciell.” “Det är bara för jag är perfektionist.”

Denial: “Eh, nej då.”

The English DCTs display similar variation. Examples of acceptance were “Thank you.” “Thanks.” “Thanks, that’s very nice of you.” “Thank you, I love doing it.” An example of positive elaboration was, “Thank you, I have worked hard on it for a long time, nice that someone noticed it.” An example of a neutral elaboration was “Do you really think so?” Examples of negative elaborations were; “Don’t make me blush!”

“It’s just because I’m such a perfectionist.” “Ah, thanks, I guess..” Examples of denials were; “No, it’s just luck.” “Stop it.” Clearly as earlier stated, compliments towards personal achievements and skills are sometimes dismissed by negative elaborations and denials. Whether the reason behind is modesty or a feeling of being uncomfortable is difficult to establish since the responses were written down and not verbally submitted.