Factors Affecting the Development of Compliment Responses by Taiwanese Mandarin-Speaking Children

本研究旨在探討兒童讚美語回應的發展情形，同時也探討讚美者性別與社會地位和讚美主題對判斷以及回應讚美語的影響狀況。本研究方法包含看圖判斷讚美語實驗與看圖回應讚美語實驗。受試者由幼稚園中班、大班、小一、小二、小三以及大學生共一百四十四位學生所組成，依年齡分為六組，每組二十四人，男生女生人數各半。判斷讚美語實驗結果顯示，不論兒童或成人對於不同主題的讚美或來自不同性別、不同社會地位讚美者的讚美在判斷它們是否為讚美方面未達到顯著差異。然而，回應讚美語實驗的結果顯示，讚美者的性別與社會地位會影響受試者回應讚美語。受試者對於不同主題的回應雖未達到顯著差異，受試者對於較具體主題的讚美給予較多的回應。回應讚美語實驗也顯示，以中文為母語的兒童大約於五歲已能依讚美者性別和地位或讚美主題的不同使用不同的回應策略。然而，兒童在讚美語回應策略的使用能力仍不及成人。在八歲以前，幼童大多直接接受別人的讚美，八歲以上的受試者與成人較相似，開始使用較多間接接受的策略，並避免自我讚美。

關鍵字

讚美語回應；母語習得；華語；社會地位；性別；主題

並列摘要

The present study investigated the development of compliment responses by Mandarin-speaking children who were given a comprehension task and a production task. A total of 144 students participated in this study, including five-year-olds, six-year-olds, seven-year-olds, eight-year-olds, nine-year-olds, and undergraduates, with 24 subjects (12 males and 12 females) in each age group. The results showed that there were no significant differences in the subjects' perception of compliments concerning gender, status, or specific topics. However, the effect of the complimenter's gender and status can be seen in the production data, and it was found that the subjects gave more responses to compliments dealing with concrete concepts. Moreover, it was found that the responses from children as young as five years old already showed the influence of the gender and status of the complimenter as well as of the topic of the compliment. However, the subjects' changing use of compliment response strategies was found to be directly related to their ongoing development. Before the age of eight, our children mainly used the strategy of Direct Acceptance, while after eight they started to use the strategy of Indirect Acceptance more frequently to avoid praising themselves.

並列關鍵字

compliment response ； L1 acquisition ； Mandarin ； social status ； gender ； topic

參考文獻

Chen, Shu-hui Eileen(2003).Compliment response strategies in Mandarin Chinese: Politeness phenomenon revisited.Concentric: Studies in English Literature and Linguistics.29(2),157-184.

Wang, Yu-fang,Tsai, Pi-hua(2003).An empirical study on compliments and compliment responses in Taiwan Mandarin Conversation.Concentric: Studies in English Literature and Linguistics.29(2),118-156.

Piaget, Jean. 1932. The Moral Judgment of the Child. London: Free Press