Abstract
In this paper, I analyze people's responses to praise, focusing particularly on the case for superiors, based on 870 samples from 104 scenarios. The most common response to praise from a superior was avoidance, as opposed to acceptance or denial. I propose that this is related to the fact that hearers often read other intentions behind 'praise'. In my analysis, I divided these hidden intentions according to their ease of acceptance: 1) requests, advice, scolding, etc. which benefit the hearer, 2) change of topic, 3) requests which benefit the speaker, and 4) irony or teasing. I argue that this order in the acceptance frequency of praise is closely linked to the interpretation by hearers of the intention behind the praise and the degree of benefit involved for them. Thus, it is easier for hearers to accept praise when it benefits him or her in some way. In any case, praise which benefits the hearer is useful for good communication.
