GRELINA OSMEÑA CHRISTIAN COLLEGE (GOCC)

HILONGOS, LEYTE

VERBAL COMPLIMENTS AND THEIR ASSOCIATED MEANINGS IN THE

GRELINA OSMEÑA CHRISTIAN COLLEGE
(GOCC) HILONGOS, LEYTE

MICAH JANNIE MARIE P. MARGATE

 VERBAL COMPLIMENTS AND THEIR ASSOCIATED MEANINGS IN THE
GRELINA OSMEÑA CHRISTIAN COLLEGE
(GOCC) HILONGOS, LEYTE

CHAPTER 1

INTRODUCTION

Nature and Importance of the Study

Language, the principal means used by human beings to communicate with one another,

is primarily spoken, although it can be transferred to other media, such as writing (Microsoft ®

Encarta ® 2009).

In the course of daily human interactions, verbal compliments about anything occur.

Zegarac (1998) pointed out that verbal compliments contribute to smooth flow of conversation.

Simply put, compliments and their associated meanings affect both the complimenter, the one

complimenting, and the complimentee, the receiver of the compliment, in such a manner that

conversations may either run effortlessly or breakdown depending on how a compliment is

interpreted.

Societies in general and Hilongos town in particular, accept complimenting not just a part

of a conversation but as a way of life. Subjects of verbal compliments used by the townsfolk

center on random matters such as clothing, hairstyle, makeup, perfumes, gaining or losing

weights and other varied areas of personal appearance. Added to the list are comments that

center on accomplishments, personality, talents and abilities, and even personal belongings.
 Though very common in usage in the context of communication functionality, verbal

compliments still carry subjects of interests as far as linguists or student of linguistics are

concerned. There are still questions that are yet to be taken in proper perspective and at the right

forum for better understanding of the subject matter. There is a need to understand the nearest

possible interpretation or meaning of a compliment as uttered by specific groups of

complimentee in a certain workplace, a particular gathering of friends and acquaintances, and at

a given particular setting.

Knowing these compliments will lead to proper understanding not only the compliments

spoken but more importantly the people who are involved in such interplay of communication

process.

Thus, this study.

Statement of the Problem

Despite the fact that verbal compliments are accepted as an important component

of the communication process, much of it is not understood well. The real, literal meaning of a

compliment is either taken for granted or simply understood as a joke if not an endearment. The

study therefore attempted to provide the nearest possible meaning of a compliment as verbalized

by the respondents.

Objectives of the Study

Generally, the study was aimed to describe different verbal compliments as uttered by the

respondents. Specifically, it sought the answer the following objectives:

1. Identify common verbal compliments used by respondents;

2. Group verbal compliments into specific categories;

3. Provide the nearest possible interpretation or meaning of verbal compliments

 CHAPTER 2

REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE

Verbal Compliment is a way of appreciating someone by giving them motivation or

driving them into the feeling of pleasure (Nelson, 2012). Even more than that, compliment is a

kind of speech that is given clearly to someone or to someone addressed who is capable of

responding to someone's questions, have solid talents, and characteristics. It is a two-way

communication in which it tests someone’s attitude in responding the speaker (Sari, 2009). It is

also believed that a compliment can be good way of starting a conversation because it is believed

that a compliment is the best way of starting a conversation as it is the way for a person to have a

good impression to that specific person, he/she is giving to which we call as the receiver (Pillet-

Shore, 2015). Responding to a compliment means that you are engaging into something that it

will turn into a possible good connection between that person. People who met for the first time

can build a relationship due to complimenting because they can have a subject that they can

connect to such as they will talk about cars, appearances, or even a hairdo (Holmes, 2015).

The verbal compliment is a strategy used by the teachers in terms of positive words to

improve the teaching-learning process. In a classroom where a teacher asks something about a

certain topic, and the student/s answer the teacher’s question, then the teacher will give that

student a compliment. These compliments include “good, “an excellent answer,” or “well done”,

“good job”, “very good”, and “very nice”. This particular activity corresponds with (Sutiyanto’s,

2018) statement that compliment is a transmission of knowledge. Since the student already has a

basic or stock knowledge in the question the teacher asked during the lecture hours, therefore a
compliment is given. A study by (Sahli et al., 2020) shows how verbal compliments is an

emotional support in the process of learning. A good teaching can be seen if how emotional

supported the student is. Another example by (Sari, 2009) and (Fatah, 2011) shows how they

investigated Indonesian students in reacting compliments. However, they investigated these

students in different way. As a result, to their investigation, they concluded that appreciation

token was the most given replies/reaction from these people.

Studies have shown that there are differences in how men and women will react in

receiving compliments, and how they also give compliments to others. First, is women gives

more compliments to other people than men. People also give more compliment to the gender

they belong to. For example, compliments between to women are given in places that are most

likely to have different strategies such as workplaces. A different approach, men rarely

compliment women, and most likely to not occur when two men are having a conversation

(Baruch College, 2023).

There are dos and don’ts in giving out compliments (Baruch College, 2023). These dos

and don’ts are what we call appropriate compliment and inappropriate compliment or known as

backhanded compliment. A backhanded compliment is a sensitive topic mostly Americans don’t

support and can be considered as an insult if ever you give one to other people. Example of

backhanded compliments are “you look skinnier today”, “you’re pretty on the inside”, and “I

love how you just don’t care what anyone thinks of you”. This topic can also be a way of giving

insults to other people without them not noticing. On the other hand, giving someone a

compliment can be hard to other people as different people approach this way due to different

gender, age, and culture they belong to such as stated from above that men and women have

different approach in verbal compliments.

 Major compliment topic falls under three main categories. First is the appearance or

possessions which is the most common compliment form that we usually hear or have heard. It

has two types which are the adjectival compliment, and the semantically positive verb. Common

Adjectival compliments use the word nice, pretty, great, or beautiful (Manes, & Wolfson, 1981).

On the other hand, Semantically positive verb use the word “admire” and “be impressed”, and

the word “like” or “love” 90% most of the time, for example “I like your car” (Wolfson, 1989).

The next main category is performance/skills/abilities, concise compliment falls under this main

category such as “Nice Shot!” given mostly by men. The third and last category is personality

trait. Such comments as "Good boy" and "You’re so sweet" are compliments on the addressee’s

personality traits. This category of compliments occurs less frequently than those on

appearance/possessions and performance/skills/abilities. There are also 9 ways in constructing a

sentence when complementing by (Manes, & Wolfson, 1981): NP = noun phrase, ADJ =

adjective, PRO = pronoun, V = verb, ADV = adverb, and this can be constructed in sentences

such as: (1) Your blouse is/looks (really) beautiful. (NP is/looks (really) ADJ), (2) I (really)

like/love your car. (I (really) like/love NP), (3) That’s a (really) nice wall hanging. (PRO is

(really) a ADJ NP), (4) You did a (really) good job. (You V a (really) ADV NP), (5) You really

handled that situation well. (You V (NP) (really) ADV), (6) You have such beautiful hair! (You

have (a) ADJ NP!), (7) What a lovely baby you have! (What (a) ADJ NP!), (8) Nice game! (ADJ

NP!), (9) Isn’t your ring beautiful! (Isn’t NP ADJ!)

Starting a conversation is one of the main reason people express their opinion in a

positive way to other people, but besides this reason there are also a lot of reasons as to why

people compliment other people. Several reasons could be to express appreciation or admiration

for someone's positive qualities, actions, or achievements. Compliments can make people feel
good about themselves and can boost their self-esteem and confidence. It can also build

relationships and establish rapport with others. Offering sincere praise can help to create a

positive atmosphere and foster trust and goodwill. Lastly, Compliments can also be used to

encourage or motivate someone. For example, if someone is feeling discouraged or unsure about

their abilities, a well-timed compliment can provide a much-needed confidence boost and help

them to persevere (Manes, 1983; Herbert, 1990).

Verbal compliments can have a significant positive impact on individuals, improving

their self-esteem, confidence, and overall well-being. By expressing admiration, appreciation,

and recognition through words, we can create a positive and supportive environment that fosters

healthy relationships, effective communication, and personal growth. However, it is important to

ensure that our compliments are genuine, specific, and appropriate, and that we consider cultural

and social factors that may influence the way our words are perceived. Ultimately, verbal

compliments can be a powerful tool for building and strengthening relationships, boosting

morale, and spreading positivity and kindness.

 CHAPTER 3

METHODOLOGY

A. Research Design

The research design for this review of related literature is a qualitative research,

because in qualitative research where it is a exploratory in nature and seeks to gain an in-

depth understanding of a phenomenon. It involves collecting the data through the results of

interviewing the students of GRELINA OSMEÑA CHRISTIAN COLLEGE (GOCC). Case

study method is applied in this research design because it involves an in-depth analysis of a

particular individual, group, or situation. It is a qualitative research approach that seeks to

understand the complexity of a specific phenomenon by examining it in detail.

A google form will be given to students where it includes questions base on this

specific topic given. The final results can be seen in google slides after all the target

population have answered.

B. Target Population

The target population for this particular study will be the students of GRELINA

OSMEÑA CHRISTIAN COLLEGE (GOCC) located in Hilongos, Leyte. The students will

be in the Senior High School department with the strands of Accountancy, Business and

Management (ABM), General Academic Strand (GAS), and the newest offered strands

which are the Humanities and Social Sciences (HUMSS), and Science, Technology,

Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) strand. The target ages will range from 16 years old
as the youngest and 19 as the oldest. This target population will be much easier for the

researcher to conduct since the overall population for the Senior High School department is

77 students only. The ages for this target population is a balanced age to have this research

study since this is the start of having a mature mindset which can be easy way for the

researcher of dealing the answers given by these people.

C. Method Sampling

The method sampling that will be used for this research study is a non-probability

sampling which is the availability sampling. Although availability sampling has its

limitations, there are a lot of reasons as to why this type of sampling is much helpful to get

my data. There are no complex procedures in reaching the desired data, and it allows

researchers to easily access the participants who are readily available in a specific location or

setting. Another reason why I choose this sampling because, it is much efficient to use since

most students are always busy so the ones only available can proceed to take the survey.

D. Respondents

The respondents for this study will be a total of 77 students from Senior High School

department studying in GOCC. The respondents will be selected in the four strands offered

by the school which are the ABM, GAS, STEM, AND HUMSS strands. This total of

respondents is a perfect way for the researcher to conduct a research study, because it will fit

the method of sampling used.

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