Compliment response strategies by Thai and Chinese EFL teachers: A contrastive study

Abstract

This study investigated compliment responses (CRs) by Thai and Chinese EFL teachers. The data were collected through the written discourse test (DCT) in English, containing four settings in terms of appearance, character, ability and possession. A total of 60 Thai and Chinese EFL teachers participated in the study. The results revealed that more similarities were observed than differences in CR strategies used by Thai and Chinese EFL teachers. The teachers from the two countries followed the same patterns of preferences: that is, they employed Accept strategies the most and Reject strategies the least. However, Accept strategies and Evade strategies used by Chinese participants were slightly more frequent than those used by Thais, whereas Thai teachers employed more Reject strategies than Chinese teachers did. In the four situations, some differences existed between the two groups. Chinese teachers employed more varieties of micro strategies than their Thai counterparts did. Interestingly, Thai and Chinese EFL teachers transferred their native cultures in L1 to L2 in some situations. The findings suggested that EFL teachers' awareness regarding their L2 pragmatics should be improved. © 2012 ACADEMY PUBLISHER Manufactured in Finland.