Informative Comments in Response to Complimentsin Japanese Conversations

Abstract

In Japanese compliment discourse, the recipient of a compliment often responds with comments related to the content of the compliment or offers additional information and/or an explanation. This study uses discourse analysis to determine how informative comments are used in response to compliments and explores their role in conversation. The findings indicate that informative comments appear particularly frequently in first-time encounters between a complimenter and the recipient of a compliment. Furthermore, analysis of compliment response patterns indicated that recipients either used informative comments alone or combined them with responses of agreement, expressions of gratitude or joy, or disagreement. Additionally, these comments serve various other functions in discourse. Using informative comments, recipients can express their stance with toward the compliment (positive, neutral, or negative) while avoiding self-praise or rejecting goodwill, thus facilitating smooth communication.