Compliment response strategies among undergraduate students in Malaysia

Abstract

This study investigates the compliment response strategies employed by undergraduate students in Malaysia, with particular attention to how social variables—especially status relationships between the compliment giver and receiver—influence the choice of response strategies. It also explores both cross-cultural and intra-cultural variations in these responses. A Discourse Completion Task (DCT) questionnaire was administered to 150 first-semester undergraduate students enrolled at a private university in Perak, Malaysia. The collected data were systematically categorized into 11 overarching response strategies, following established pragmatic analysis frameworks, and subsequently subjected to quantitative analysis. The findings reveal nuanced patterns in how Malaysian undergraduates respond to compliments, highlighting a general preference for acceptance strategies. However, notable variations emerged depending on whether the compliment was given by a peer or an authority figure, suggesting that status differentials play a critical role in shaping response behavior. These results deepen our understanding of pragmatic competence within the Malaysian higher education context and provide valuable implications for language educators, intercultural communication trainers, and curriculum developers aiming to enhance students’ sociolinguistic and pragmatic awareness in multicultural settings. Ultimately, the study contributes to broader discussions on politeness, face-saving strategies, and identity negotiation in multilingual, multiethnic societies.

Keywords: intercultural communication, compliment responses, pragmatic competence, speech acts