A pragmatic analysis of compliment response strategies by Emirati Arabic speakers

Figures & data

Table 1. Frequency of use of CR strategies by the Emirati Speakers.

Strategy	Emiratis
	Freq	Percent
Agreeing	3	0.46
Expressing gratitude	209	32.25
Expressing gratitude to Allah	7	1.08
Expressing gladness	12	1.85
Upgrading the praise	53	8.18
Impersonalizing the compliment	9	1.39
Returning the compliment	221	34.10
Shifting credit	90	13.89
Encouraging	3	0.46
Informative comment	34	5.25
Seeking protection from the evil eye	7	1.08
Acceptance strategies	648	43.17
Offering	0	0.00
Using humour	5	0.97
Assuming duty	39	7.60
Seeking confirmation	5	0.97
Praying	269	52.44
Giving advice	0	0.00
Expressing embarrassment	6	1.17
Address terms	131	25.54
Expecting adequacy	6	1.17
Making requests	3	0.58
Giving promises	44	8.58
Extralinguistic strategies	5	0.97
Evasion strategies	513	34.18
Disagreeing	4	5.63
Doubting	5	7.04
Downgrading	62	87.32
Rejection strategies	71	4.73
Re-interpreting as requests	8	72.73
Re-interpreting as self-serving acts	3	27.27
Re-interpretation strategies	11	0.73
Ignoring the compliment	2	16.67
Irrelevant comments	10	83.33
Non-acknowledgement strategies	12	0.80
Formulaic expression	246	16.39
Total	1501

The values in bold are the categories and the ones not in bold type are the subcategories.

Table 2. Results of (Ch²) for differences in strategies used according to gender.

Strategy	Males		Females		Ch^2	Sig
	Freq	Percent	Freq	Percent
Agreeing	3	0.98	0	0.00	6.000	.014*
Expressing gratitude	72	23.61	137	39.94	20.215	.000*
Expressing gratitude to Allah	2	0.66	5	1.46	1.286	.257
Expressing gladness	3	0.98	9	2.62	3.000	.083
Upgrading the praise	31	10.16	22	6.41	1.528	.216
Impersonalizing the compliment	5	1.64	4	1.17	0.111	.739
Returning the compliment	108	35.41	113	32.94	.113	.737
Shifting credit	59	19.34	31	9.04	8.711	.003*
Encouraging	1	0.33	2	0.58	.333	.564
Informative comment	14	4.59	20	5.83	1.059	.303
Seeking protection from the evil eye	7	2.30	0	0.00	14.000	.000*
Acceptance strategies	305	38.36	343	48.58	2.228	.135
Offering	0	0.00	0	0.00	0.000	1.000
Using humour	4	1.41	1	0.43	1.800	.180
Assuming duty	23	8.13	16	6.96	1.256	.262
Seeking confirmation	2	0.71	3	1.30	.200	.655
Praying	150	53.00	119	51.74	3.572	.059
Giving advice	0	0.00	0	0.00	0.000	1.000
Expressing embarrassment	0	0.00	6	2.61	12.000	.001*
Address terms	70	24.73	61	26.52	0.618	.432
Expecting adequacy	2	0.71	4	1.74	0.667	.414
Making requests	3	1.06	0	0.00	6.000	.014*
Giving promises	26	9.19	18	7.83	1.455	.655
Extralinguistic strategies	3	1.06	2	0.87	.200	.655
Evasion strategies	283	35.60	230	32.58	5.476	.019*
Disagreeing	3	6.38	1	4.17	1.000	.317
Doubting	4	8.51	1	4.17	1.800	.180
Downgrading	40	85.11	22	91.67	5.226	.022
Rejection strategies	47	5.91	24	3.40	7.451	.006*
Re-interpreting as requests	5	62.50	3	100.00	0.500	.480
Re-interpreting as self-serving acts	3	37.50	0	0.00	6.000	.014*
Re-interpretation strategies	8	1.01	3	0.42	2.273	.132
Ignoring the compliment	1	33.33	1	11.11	0.000	1.000
Irrelevant comments	2	66.67	8	88.89	3.600	.58
Non-acknowledgement Strategies	3	0.38	9	1.27	3.000	.083
Formulaic expression	149	18.74	97	13.74	10.992	.001*
Total	795		706		5.227	.022*

*The difference is significant at the 0.05 level.

Table 3. Results of (Ch²) for differences in strategies used according to formal, informal.

Strategy	Formal		Informal		Ch^2	Sig
	Freq	Percent	Freq	Percent
Agreeing	2	0.60	1	0.32	.333	.564
Expressing gratitude	110	33.03	99	31.43	.579	.447
Expressing gratitude to Allah	4	1.20	3	0.95	.143	.705
Expressing gladness	10	3.00	2	0.63	5.333	.021*
Upgrading the praise	28	8.41	25	7.94	.170	.680
Impersonalizing the compliment	8	2.40	1	0.32	5.444	.020*
Returning the compliment	69	20.72	152	48.25	31.172	.000*
Shifting credit	67	20.12	23	7.30	21.511	.000*
Encouraging	0	0.00	3	0.95	6.000	.014*
Informative comment	32	9.61	2	0.63	26.471	.000*
Seeking protection from the evil eye	3	0.90	4	1.27	.143	.705
Acceptance strategies	333	45.55	315	40.91	.500	.480
Offering	0	0.00	0	0.00	.000	1.000
Using humour	2	0.92	3	1.01	.200	.655
Assuming duty	31	14.29	8	2.70	13.564	.000*
Seeking confirmation	2	0.92	3	1.01	.200	.655
Praying	105	48.39	164	55.41	12.941	.000*
Giving advice	0	0.00	0	0.00	.000	1.000
Expressing embarrassment	1	0.46	5	1.69	2.667	.102
Address terms	58	26.73	73	24.66	1.718	.190
Expecting adequacy	4	1.84	2	0.68	.667	.414
Making requests	3	1.38	0	0.00	6.000	.014*
Giving promises	10	4.61	34	11.49	13.091	.008*
Extralinguistic strategies	1	0.46	4	1.35	1.800	.180
Evasion strategies	217	29.69	296	38.44	12.166	.000*
Disagreeing	1	2.08	3	13.04	1.000	.317
Doubting	2	4.17	3	13.04	.200	.655
Downgrading	45	93.75	17	73.91	12.645	.000*
Rejection strategies	48	6.57	23	2.99	7.118	.008*
Re-interpreting as requests	3	60.00	5	83.33	.500	.480
Re-interpreting as self-serving acts	2	40.00	1	16.67	.333	.564
Re-interpretation strategies	5	0.68	6	0.78	.091	.763
Ignoring the compliment	1	33.33	1	11.11	.000	1.000
Irrelevant comments	2	66.67	8	88.89	3.600	.058
Non-acknowledgement strategies	3	0.41	9	1.17	3.000	.083
Formulaic expression	125	17.10	121	15.71	.065	.799
Total	731		770		1.013	.314

*The difference is significant at the 0.05 level.