Compliment Production and Compliment Responses in Immersion and Non-immersion Environments: Saudi English Learners

Abstract

This thesis makes an original contribution to the existing literature on intercultural communication, politeness and teaching English as a foreign language, by investigating compliment production and compliment responses in Saudi English learners and British English native speakers. Data were collected through the use of open-ended discourse completion questionnaires from a total of 463 respondents divided into three groups of university students as follows: Saudi students in a non-immersion environment in Saudi Arabia (Saudi KSA), Saudi students in an immersion environment in the UK (Saudi UK ) and British English native speakers (British NS). The data were analysed both quantitatively and qualitatively based on Yuan’s (2002) and Holmes’ (1986) taxonomies of compliments and compliment responses. The results show that, in specific situations, there were significant differences between the scores of the two Saudi groups in terms of their strategy use. In the case of compliment production, Saudi KSA respondents used explicit compliments and enhanced rapport through exaggeration and expanding on compliments. Saudi UK respondents tended to use explicit compliments or opt out of situations, while British native speakers used explicit compliments and notably, information questions. There was a tendency to use redressive actions across groups in some situations, influenced by variables such as social distance and power. In the case of compliment responses, Saudi UK respondents accepted compliments more than their peers in KSA. Saudi KSA respondents used deflection and shifted credit more, employing a larger number of religious and cultural references that reflect Saudi social norms. British participants tended to accept compliments or respond to compliments by giving information.It is recommended that English instructors in KSA, in their classrooms and curriculum design, highlight the differences between Saudi and British complimenting behaviour. This may contribute to improving learners’ intercultural communicative competence.