Compliments and Topic-development in the Conversation between Unacquainted Participants

Abstract

The purpose of this study consists of the following two points: 1) to describe the way in which ``compliment'' is introduced and developed in the first meeting, 2) to reconsider the definition of compliments that previous studies have suggested as making the recipient to feel good. The analysis shows that compliments can be used not only as a means to make the recipient to feel good but also as a means to move the conversation forward by minimizing silences which are likely to occur in the first meeting.