Abstract:
To investigate compliments and compliment responses in Thai used by male, female and effeminate male speakers. The data on which the analysis is based are collected from 75 Thai speakers; 25 males, 25 females and 25 effeminate male speakers in Bangkok, using discours completion test, 32 natural situations in which compliments and compliment responses are noted down, as well as 3 recorded conversation data and observations made in daily life. The results show that explicit compliments and acceptance to compliments are the most common form used. When answering compliments, all speakers will request for informations and give some comment on such compliment topics. Besides, it is found that compliment behaviour varied by gender. Men compliment less than women and effeminate male speakers, and usually compliment others in greeting while women do both in greeting and in conversation. Effeminate male speakers do not compliment others on good health and will give compliment to those who are nice. Topic of compliment widely used on appearance, abilities, possessions; such as, family, children and valuable things as well as good behaviour and good health. Syntactically, most of the compliments fall into 5 syntactic formulas, 3 as indicated in the hypothesis while the other 2 are the formulas starting with verb and the other is in a form of complete sentence. It is interesting that there is another syntatic formula found only in the compliment used by effeminate male speakers which contain an adjective only, showing that speakers prefers short and abrupt compliment and usually intensify the compliment meaning by tensed voice. Men prefer not to be much expressions while complimenting meaning but women do and effeminate male speakers do must. However, the result shows that not everybodo compliments in situation where a compliment is called for and some have experienced receiving compliment from strangers in public regarding appearance which makes them felt uneasy. This finding agree with those found in English and Cunming Chiness. In summary, the result of this study shows that Thai people value their appearance most and use compliment in everyday life in greeting, thanking and congratulating as a form of solidarity enhancers.