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The use of humor in Spanish and English compliment responses: A cross-cultural analysis

  • Montserrat Mir

    Montserrat Mir is Professor of Spanish and applied linguistics and the Language Coordinator at Illinois State University (United States). Her area of research and publication includes Spanish L1/L2 pragmatics and language teaching and learning. Email: montserratmir@ilstu.edu

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    und Josep Maria Cots

    Josep Maria Cots is Professor of English and applied linguistics at the University of Lleida (Catalonia, Spain). In his research, he adopts a discourse-analytic perspective to study multilingualism and interculturality as individual and social/institutional processes. Email: jmcots@dal.udl.cat

Veröffentlicht/Copyright: 27. Juni 2019
HUMOR
Aus der Zeitschrift HUMOR Band 32 Heft 3

Abstract

Compliments and compliment responses (CRs) are face threatening acts which may jeopardize the interlocutor’s positive and negative face. Compliment responses are especially challenging because of the need to balance accepting the compliment with saving face for not sounding arrogant. The use of humor in responding to a compliment can serve as a mitigating factor to respond to a compliment gracefully but with amusement to balance out the loss of face. The present study seeks to analyze humorous CRs in Spanish and English in order to establish cross-cultural comparisons. The results suggest some distinct cultural tendencies. American English speakers prefer self-denigrating humor whereas Peninsular Spanish use teasing and ironic upgrades. Spanish speakers also rely on a wider variety of linguistic resources to add humor to their CRs. Both language groups use humor as a tool to save face. Teasing among Peninsular Spanish is used to strengthen familiarity and closeness ties between interlocutors, a trait often associated with the positive politeness nature of Spanish culture. Self-denigrating humor in English CRs is described as ambiguous from a politeness perspective because it can preserve negative face by directing the humor to the speaker or it may be interpreted as an imposition to reiterate the compliment.

About the authors

Montserrat Mir

Montserrat Mir is Professor of Spanish and applied linguistics and the Language Coordinator at Illinois State University (United States). Her area of research and publication includes Spanish L1/L2 pragmatics and language teaching and learning. Email: montserratmir@ilstu.edu

Josep Maria Cots

Josep Maria Cots is Professor of English and applied linguistics at the University of Lleida (Catalonia, Spain). In his research, he adopts a discourse-analytic perspective to study multilingualism and interculturality as individual and social/institutional processes. Email: jmcots@dal.udl.cat

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Published Online: 2019-06-27
Published in Print: 2019-08-27

© 2019 Walter de Gruyter GmbH, Berlin/Boston

Heruntergeladen am 21.9.2025 von https://www.degruyterbrill.com/document/doi/10.1515/humor-2017-0125/html
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