A Pragmatic Study of Compliments in Emily Bronte's Wuthering Height

The present paper aims to explore the use of compliments in Emily Bronte's Wuthering Height through a pragmatic perspective. It focuses on how compliments fulfill various social purposes and goals. The current novel has many compliment expressions that are in fact not merely expressions of admiration but devices for other functions and purposes such as manipulation, social negotiation, persuasion or flattering and relationship maintenance depending on the intentions of the speakers and receivers' role in the novel. The current study sheds the light on the relations between characters and social dynamics within the novel. This study shows how compliments in Wuthering Heights are closely related to the complex relations of gender, power, and class by utilizing speech acts theory. Thus, compliments have five different types along with several functions and purposes. Firstly, is compliment about appearance and external looking. Moreover, the type which praises the personality. Besides, the ones that are utilized to compliment the skill and effort. Finally, unique and specific type which is used to praise the specific and distinctive qualities.