A Study on Compliment Speech Act of Chinese Learners of Korean Based on Sociolinguistic Variables

Objectives This study aims to investigate the influence of compliment topics, social status, and intimacy on the compliment speech act of Korean native speakers(KNS), Chinese learners of Korean as a second language(KSL) and Chinese learners of Korean as a foreign language(KFL). Methods For this purpose, data were collected through a written DCT from 30 KNSs, 30 Chinese KSLs, and 30 Chinese KFLs. The collected data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, chi-square tests, and binary logistic regression analysis. Results In terms of the choice to perform compliment speech act, the KNS group was influenced by social status, intimacy, and compliment topics, whereas the KSL and KFL groups were more influenced by intimacy. The KNS group showed a higher likelihood of performing compliment speech act when the social status was high and the compliment topic was 'appearance.' Regarding the choice of direct compliment strategies, the KNS group was more influenced by social status and compliment topics, while the KSL and KFL groups were significantly influenced by social status. All three groups tended to choose direct compliment strategies more frequently in situations that the social status was high. This result may be attributed to the fact that the participants in this study were limited to university students, suggesting that younger generations prefer direct expressions over indirect ones. Conclusions The KSL and KFL groups, unlike the KNS group, were less influenced by social status and compliment topics in their choice to perform compliment speech act. Additionally, it was revealed that the KSL and KFL groups, unlike the KNS group, were less influenced by compliment topics in their choice of direct compliment strategies, suggesting the need to pay attention to the patterns of strategy usage across different topics.