A Cross-Cultural Study of Objects of Complimenting in Western and Armenian Communities

Abstract

The speech act of complimenting in Western and in some Eastern speech communities has been an object of extensive comparative investigation. However, the study of complimenting in Trans-Caucasian speech communities, the Armenian community in particular, remains less-investigated. The aim of the paper is to indicate the objects of complimenting in Armenian community. The analysis shows that taken in general terms the objects of complimenting in Western and Armenian societies do not differ greatly, but the accents are fairly different which can be explained by the  mentality and perception of social values that each society displays. Whereas in Western societies the accent is on appearance and abilities, in Armenian community the greater part of compliments refers to the ability and performance, family members, especially children and hospitality. As far as appearance is concerned, the attention is focused mainly on new looks and new possessions (hairstyle, dress, earrings, etc.).