Compliments and Responses to Compliments
“A Study of Social Values”
Yohannes Telaumbanua
English Department
Politeknik Negeri Padang
Padang – Sumatra Barat
Abstract
This study aims at investigating the utilization of compliments and compliment responses by the PNS, civil servants, in the governor office of the West Sumatra province. The observation method was applied to survey the compliments and responses to compliments. Besides, the technique of the data collection was to wiretap the compliments and compliment responses, which were paid by the PNS. The results indicated that the majority of the PNS in the governor office of the West Sumatra province responded to the compliments with complimentary forces of Appreciation Token, Scale Down and No-Acknowledgement. They enthusiastically expressed these three types of compliment responses for four reasons. Firstly, Alhammdullillah, tarimo kasih banyak, they strongly believed that the compliments were heartfelt appreciation and award which were based on their duties and responsibilities’ accomplishments. Secondly, it was “mo kasih” because they considered that the colleagues’ compliments truthfully came out to support and value at their struggles to accomplish the duties and responsibilities given. Thirdly, it was “iko masih nan dulu ma” because they mulled over that the compliments were overstated so that they modestly responded. Fourthly, it was “ndak ado tanggapan do dan hanyo mangamek sajo” because they assumed that the compliments were just about good manners to assemble a social contact with their colleagues in the office. Even though No-Acknowledgement responses of compliments were just about good manners, these compliments, including the Appreciation Token and Scale Down responses of compliments, have significantly better effects on their daily duties and responsibilities as well as constructing social values.
Keywords are compliment, compliment response, sociolinguistics, social Values and Pegawai Negeri Sipil (PNS)
I. Introduction
1.1. The Background of the Study
Compliments and responses to compliments have been significantly socializing and culturing. However, in a certain condition, compliments truthfully not only important admire for someone’s good possessions, appearance and performance but also more fundamentally awaken the energy and social values, which can brighten, motivate, inspire, esteem, make happy and thank. The most imperative aspect is to make people of different background, position and status to be more humanizing and stimulate the ethos of work of someone. In the context of humanizing human, and awakening the energy and social values, this study is going to thrash out social values that are related to compliments and responses to them. For that reason, the writer would like to provide two examples to which social values work on compliments.
The following was about a short conversation between a PNS and a beggar. This conversation presented the compliment towards a beggar because the PNS did not have small changes of rupiah to be given alms. This conversation was inaudibly taken when the writer conducted his preliminary research in the governor office of West Sumatra province.
A’s compliment: ndak ado piti kete saudaraku. Biar ambo tuka
sabanta ya. Tunggu siko ya.
(I did not have small changes my brother. Let me exchange
it first. Wait here please!)
B’s compliment response: …(diam, hanya tersenyum dan terharu)
…(Just kept silence, smiling and felt touched)
This compliment response was categorised non-agreement of “no acknowledgement” because the addressee seems unaware of the compliment and responds by giving either an irrelevant response or no response at all. To respond towards it, he (the person who responds toward compliment) just kept silence and smiling as a malleable answer.
Listening to the man’s expression, “I did not have small changes my brother. Let me exchange it first. Wait here please”, the countenance of the beggar was very bright and he acknowledged, “It did not matter sir”. I was very contented because you called me “your brother”. This is a great honour and compliment for me because I have been here for years to years and this is the fifth times I was called as “brother”.
In the context of giving compliment and responding to it, there is an astonishing thing found between two speakers above. It is about a PNS’s compliment to someone who bagged for small changes of rupiah in a bus and motorcycle parking lot in front of the Mosque in the governor office. The PNS, who passed by, directly stopped walking, and tried to rummage around his trouser and shirt pockets for coins, did have not small changes. The man was so heartbreaking and stated, “Please do not reprimand me, my brother. I did not have small changes”. Let me exchange it first. Please wait here. Observing this matter, in our right now condition, it is uncommon in a conversation where two speakers, which have had difference of position and status in society, called a beggar as his brother. This glorifying call emerged which mainly based on his compliment to humanize the beggar. Truthfully, this is a social value.
A’s compliments: Rancak bana hasil print outnya ma
(Great! It is a very good printout)
B’s compliment response: Apo manuruik uni mode itu?
(Do you really think so?)
This compliment response is categorised non-agreement of “questioning” because the addressee questions the sincerity or the appropriateness of the compliment.
As a fact of compliment and compliment response in the office of governor, a staff paid for a compliment to her office colleague for her excellent job. When she was complimented, she felt happy and proud of because the compliment paid was intentionally meant to increase her ethos of work though the response was to question the sincerity or the appropriateness of the compliment. The aim of compliment above was implicitly to arise or resurrect her office colleague’s spirit and ethos of work to work more meticulously because she in indeed realized that she is still learning to express herself throughout her job as a computer operator.
Every man has an elementary equality to wish for being respected, listened, recognized and even complimented for the shake of reaching for happiness and sincere award.
Nowadays, the need to be respected, listened, recognized and complimented is often forgotten accidentally. Many people who still deem that most people are purely motivated with millions of buck or rupiah. They put out of their mind or stop thinking about that millions of buck or rupiah barely hold out the money is used up to expend. This is in accordance with the theory of Herzberg, which states that money will never cause to bring satisfaction at all, but compliment is truthfully the brightest answer to convey contentment anyway.
A man is not only a physical creature but also spiritual one who needs for something more valuable. They need an awarding and the confession of the things they have or contribute. It is unnecessary for something costly or difficult to pay, this can be as simple as heartfelt compliment. A sincere compliment surely creates a good atmosphere in social life. However, paying compliment and responding towards it are not apparently as trouble-free as we assume. It is easier to criticize others.
Compliment is once more important. A colleague of mine ever expressed, ‘I did not intend to not to pay compliment to my staff because I did not really know what I paid for a compliment. His job was poorer. I returned to enquire, “Did you recognize why his job was poorer because you never paid compliment to him”.
As government staffs, the compliments are essentially needed to make some corrections, to improve and increase the ethos of work of the staffs themselves. The problems are whether the superiors and office colleagues have paid for compliments to each other or not.
Compliment, in fact, provides the extraordinary effect. Compliment can make people of different status and position happy, exciting and proud of. It can inspire, illuminate, motivate and encourage raising the spirit of life and the ethos of work. However, compliment is occasionally a double-edged knife. In one side, if someone is too thirsty for being complimented, s/he precisely will sink her/himself. Copious compliments will exactly intoxicate and make that person forgets everything. While another side, compliment is truthfully called for inspiring and motivating anyone to be much better.
Complimenting is a language function often used to encourage or reinforce desired behaviour. A compliment is often given to a person who has appearance or who shows performance pleasing the complimenter. Thus, a compliment is likely to be given to a person who is wearing a nice-looking dress, excellent working, or a person who has done a good job, for instance. Although people often like being complimented, how to give an appropriate response to a compliment may pose a problem to the recipient. This is because the recipient of the compliment may tend to minimize it due to the constraint that s/he has to show modesty (Ibrahim and Riyanto, 2000: 21).
According to Kasper and Zhang (1995:5) compliment is positive expression or evaluation, which is directed either explicitly or implicitly to someone for something valued positively by the speaker and hearer and even the whole speech community. Still, Lien (1993:196) compliment is an expression of admiration, approval or compliment can be defined as a favourable judgment, or opinion, saying something nice to another individual. Furthermore, a compliment is defined by Holmes (1988:446) in Thaib (1993) as “speech acts which explicitly or implicitly attributes credit to someone other than the speaker, usually the person addressed, for some good possessions, characteristics, and skills and so on which is positively valued by the speaker and the hearer”. By means of this statement, compliment is expressed for something good or for the ability s/he has or some other triggers that make the speaker admires him or her.
1.2. The Identification and the Limitation of the Problem
After thrashing out so far, the identification of the problem is compliments and compliment responses of the PNS in the governor office. In addition, the writer limits the problem of the research to the compliments and compliment responses of the PNS in the gubernatorial office of the West Sumatra province.
1.3. The Formulation of the Study
Since knowing the appropriate responses to compliments is useful to communicative competence, in this study, the writer, would like to find the answers to the following questions, “what compliment responses are often expressed by the PNS in the gubernatorial office of the West Sumatra province and what the effects of compliments paid for towards the spirit or ethos of PNS’s duties”.
1.4. The Purpose of the Study
This research aims at describing the utilization of compliments and compliment responses by the PNS and observing the effects of compliments paid for towards the spirit or ethos of PNS’s duties and responsibilities in the governor office of the West Sumatra province.
1.5. The Significance of the Study
The significance of the research is to document ways of PNS pay compliments and respond to compliments. Such information will be useful for cross-cultural communication and understanding. With this information, people from various different cultural backgrounds will recognize how Minangkabau civil servants in the governor office pay for compliments and respond to compliments.
1.6. The Definitions of the Key Terms
1.6.1. Compliment is speech acts, which explicitly or implicitly attributes credits to colleagues other than the speakers usually the persons addressed for some good possessions, characteristics, skills and so forth, which are positively valued by the speakers and the hearers (Holmes, 1988: 446).
1.6.2. Compliment Responses are PNS’s responses to the compliments (Holmes, 1988: 446).
1.6.3. Sociolinguistics is the study of language in relation to society, which is interested in language variation occurring in the society (Labov: 1972).
1.6.4. Social Values are values, which not only admire others for some good possessions, status, position, appearance, performance, skills, and competency but also humanize human because of differences of social and cultural background (writer’s definition).
1.6.5. Pegawai Negeri Sipil (PNS) is civil servants who work in the government offices (writer’s definition).
II. Literature Reviews
2.1. Sociolinguistics
Sociolinguistics is the study of the effect of all aspects of society, including cultural norms, expectations, and context, on the way language is used. Sociolinguistics overlaps to a considerable degree with pragmatics. It also studies how sociolects differ between groups separated by certain social variables, e.g., ethnicity, religion, status, gender, level of education, age, etc, and how creation and adherence to these rules is used to categorize individuals in social class or socio-economic classes. As the usage of a language varies from place to place (dialect), language usage varies among social classes, and it is these sociolects that sociolinguistics studies.
The social aspects of language were in the modern sense first studied by Indian and Japanese linguists in the 1930s, and also by Gauchat in Switzerland in the early 1900s, but none received much attention in the West until much later. The study of the social motivation of language change, on the other hand, has its foundation in the wave model of the late 19th century. Sociolinguistics in the west first appeared in the 1960s and was pioneered by linguists such as William Labov and in the US and Basil Bernstein in the UK (Labov: 1972).
This can be tied al together that sociolinguistics is the study of language in relation to society which is interested in language variation occurring in the society. It seeks to make clear why people speak in a different way in different social contexts, and attempt to make out the social functions of language and the ways it is used to put across social meaning. Thus, a sociolinguistic study is often concerned with the relationship between social factors such as age, sex, social status, ethnicity, education, etc. and language factors such as vocabulary, grammar, pronunciation, language function, etc (Holems: 1988).
2.2. Patterns
There are two patterns of compliments and complements responses. The patterns are semantic pattern and syntactic pattern. Here are two patterns short explanations as follows.
2.2.1. Semantic Pattern
It is obvious that since compliments are expression of positive evaluation every compliment must include at least one term which carried positive pattern; semantic and syntactic pattern. Something what is interesting is what while in semantic pattern, the overwhelming of compliments majority contain set of adjectives and verbs. Some typical features of compliments make use of verb some typical feature of compliments is the use of adjectives, beautiful, pretty and great of adjectival compliment. Another sides some compliments make use of verb to carry be positive semantic too (Thaib: 1993). The range of compliment use semantic pattern by using adjectives and verbs pattern to carry the positive semantic load do occur.
1. The use of Adjectival Compliments
F That’s such a pretty sweater
F You did a beautiful job of explaining that.
F That book you lent me was great. It was great. What an ending!
2. The use of Verbs Compliment
F I like your haircut.
F I love your glasses.
F I really enjoyed your class.
Syntax Pattern
There are some specific syntactic pattern occur in compliment. However some express who also focus on the compliments pattern try to investigate some analysis of syntax that occurs on compliment are also influenced by speaker’s to carry the semantic load do occur.
(1) NP BE (INT) ADJ e.g. That coat is really great.
(2) BE looking e.g. You’re looking terrific
(3) (INT) ADJ (NP) e.g. Really cool ear-rings
Other expert, Coulmas (1981) in Ishihara (1993) proposes his idea relates to the syntactic pattern. He also shows the pattern of compliment as follow:
(1) (2) is like
NP (really) Adj I (really) NP
Looks love
i.e. Your hair looks nice i.e. I love your hair
2.3. ompliments
A compliment is one form of speech acts and it can be defined as “an utterance containing a positive evaluation by the speaker to the addressee” (Liu, 2003). There is an infinite number of words that could be chosen to compliment, but the set of lexical items and grammatical patterns we use in our daily interaction when complimenting and have high frequency in our daily discourse are very restricted. According to Wolfson (1986), two-thirds of English compliments use the adjectives “nice, good, beautiful, pretty, great”, and 90% make use of just two verbs “like and love” (p.116). The lack of creativity in the form and content of English compliments is related to their function in discourse. Herbert (1986) demonstrates that compliments are used to “negotiate solidarity with the addressee” (p.76). Their aim is to make the addressee feel good and their formulaic nature minimizes the chance that they will be misinterpreted by the addressee.
On the surface level, there is very little difference between Indonesians and other countries cultures in the use of compliments. However, if we look at compliment responses, differences arise. When communicating with non-native speakers, for instance English, Indonesians may occasionally sound bizarre or offending. This is due to some differences in the way the two cultures use compliment responses. In the Indonesians society, it is a deeply-rooted religious belief that humility is a virtue. Even when accepting a compliment, Indonesians tend to return the compliment (which might sound insincere to Native Speakers -NSs-), or insist on offering the object of the compliment to the speaker (something that might be embarrassing to the NSs who did not expect this behaviour). Therefore, differences may result in serious communicative interference in cross Indonesian and other countries culture communication.
Manes and Wolfson (as cited in Wolfson 1986) classify a compliment into two categories: that which has to do with appearance and/or possessions, and that which deals with an ability or accomplishment. Compliments on appearance and possessions, according to them, appear to be more generally given than those on ability or accomplishment. Almost anyone in American society feels free to offer a compliment on an item of a hairstyle or a car, for example. However, when it comes to ability, apparently higher-status people are in a better position to offer compliments as a positive reinforcement to lower-status people.
Wolfson (as cited in Herbert 1990) who have studied compliments among middleclass Americans find out that women are frequent recipients of compliments, especially those having to do with appearance or possessions, regardless of their status. Males, on the other hand, especially those of higher status, rarely receive compliments related to ability or performance, and receive none on appearance. Pomerantz (as cited in Herbert 1990), in her study of compliment responses, states that “thank you,” is usually used when compliments cannot be exchanged because the referent is a belonging, attribute, or accomplishment of the addressee and the speaker has no equivalent object on which a compliment can be focussed. She also maintains that the status and the relationship between the addressor and the addressee are important factors in determining a response type. Thus, a self-praise avoidance response may be used when the condition of both the addressor and the addressee is symmetrical. However, in speech situations in which compliments are given by persons of higher status than the recipients, the most common response is “thank you”. Herbert (1990) in his study of compliment behaviour among Americans and South African English Speakers found that compliment acceptance is far less common among the former than the latter. The American speakers accepted only slightly more than one-third of the compliments offered (36%), but Acceptance was the dominant response among South African Speakers (76%). These findings lead to his conclusion that “American compliments are vehicles for the (re) negotiation of Solidarity ...” (p.220). On the other hand, the South African compliments serve to express admiration or praise.
According to Searle’s classification of speech act in Lien (1993:196) the complimenting speech act can be classified as expressive. When the speaker is complimenting, s/he expresses his or her opinion, or comment to someone about something, which is, in then speaker’s opinion, nice or good. According to Holmes (1988:486) in Lien (1993:197) compliment consists of two classifications. The first classification is direct compliment. Direct compliment is expressed to the person being complimented about his/her possession or ability, for example:
F “Mm, you’ve got a new jumper. It’s beautiful!”
The second is indirect compliment is clearly addressed to one person but actually compliment another party who is present, for example:
F “Your friend seems very nice, dear”
According to Manes and Wolfson in Lien (1993) states that compliment consists of two categories. The first is compliment on personal appearance. Compliment on personal appearance is compliments giving on someone’s features, clothes, and home, automobile and so on, for example:
F “Hey, that’s a nice jumper”
The second is compliment on work done: compliment on someone’s skill, talent, personal quality or taste, for example:
F Is that the chest you made?
F You really did a good job.
F This is really nice”
Furthermore, According to Lien (1993) that the structure of an utterance is used as compliment often consists of three elements, they are:
1. Pre-head is an expression preceding compliment
For example, “Mm, you have a new jumper”
2. Head act is compliment
For example, “It is beautiful”
3. Post head is expression following compliment
For example, “Keep practicing”
2.4. Compliment Responses Types
Herbert (1986) revised Pomerantz’s taxonomy by analyzing American English speakers’ compliment responses. He collected more than a thousand samples of compliment responses from American college students in a three-year period project. Surprisingly, only 36.35% compliment responses were accounted for by acceptance. Herbert ended up with a three-category, twelve-type taxonomy of compliment responses.
1. Appreciation Token
This refers to the acceptance of the compliment (e.g., “thanks” and “thank you”)
2. Comment Acceptance
Here the addressee accepts the complimentary force and offers a comment related to the topic (e.g., Yeah, it’s my favourite, too)
3. Praise Upgrade
Here the addressee accepts the compliment, but states that the complimentary force is not adequate (e.g., really brings out the blue in my eyes, does not is?)
4. Comment History
This type is like no. 2, Comment Acceptance. However, the difference is that the comments here are impersonal, shifting the force of the compliment from the addressee (e.g. I bought it for the trip to Arizona)
5. Reassignment
Here the addressee accepts the compliment but transfers the complimentary force to a third person (e.g., My brother gave it to me) or to the object complimented (e.g., It really knitted itself)
6. Return
Like in no. 5, the addressee here agrees with the compliment assertion, but returns the complimentary force to the speaker (e.g., So’s yours)
7. Scale Down
The addressee here does not agree with the compliment, pointing some flaw in the object complimented or stating that the praise is an overstatement (e.g., It is really quite old)
8. Questioning
The addressee here questions the sincerity or the appropriateness of the compliment (e.g., Do you really think so?)
9. Disagreement
The addressee here claims that the object is not worth complimenting (e.g., I hate it)
10. Qualification
Like in no. 9, the addressee here also shows disagreement, but it is weaker in that the recipient qualifies the addressor’s claim using though, but, well, etc. (e.g., It’s alright, but Len’s is nicer)
11. No Acknowledgement
Here the addressee seems unaware of the compliment and responds by giving either an irrelevant response or no response.
12. Request Interpretation
Here the addressee, deliberately or not, interprets the speech act not as a compliment but rather as a request (e.g., you want to borrow this one too?)
| Response Types | Examples |
| A. Agreement I. Acceptances 1. Appreciation Token 2. Comment Acceptance 3. Praise Upgrades II. Comment History III. Transfers 1. Reassignment 2. Return | Thanks; thank you; (Smile) Thanks; it’s my favourite, too Really brings out the blue in my eyes, doesn’t it? I bought it for the trip to Arizona. My brother gave it to me So’s yours |
| B. Non-agreement 1. Scale Down 2. Questioning 3. Non-Acceptances a. Disagreement b. Qualification IV. No Acknowledgment | It’s really quite old Do you really think so? I hate it It is all right, but Len’s is nicer. No response. (Keep silence) |
| C. Other Interpretations 1. Request | You want to borrow this one too? |
2.5. Function of Compliments
In the previous part has discussed the definition of compliment, compliment speech act and the pattern of compliment. The function of the compliment exchanges it was suggested that compliments serve a number of functions in interaction. It is positively affective speech acts as the most obvious function to oil the social wheels, paying attention to positive face one and thus increasing or consolidating solidarity between people. Additionally, it may serve as positive politeness strategies in the context of a face-threatening act (Holmes, 1988:462).
Complimenting is a tool for establishing friendship that creates ties of solidarity. It also is an important social strategy in that it functions as an opener for conversations and allow meaningful for social interaction to follow (Ishihara, 2003:3). The same idea stated by David (1999) he defines that compliments are primarily aimed at “maintaining, enhancing or supporting the addressee’s face”. The compliment giving and responding behaviour are used to negotiate social identities and relationship. Furthermore, as maintained by Wolfson (1986) in Lien (1993) compliment can serve different functions or replace other speech acts. The data of Lien’s study proved that compliment in both English and Vietnamese can be used as an encouragement or used to express or accompany gratitude.
III. Methodology
3.1. The Type of the Research
In this research, the writer uses a descriptive methodology. It is descriptive because it describes the data the ways things are (Airasian and Gay, 200:275-277).
3.2. The Source of the Data
The data were entirely taken from the every day informal conversations among the PNS in the governor office of the West Sumatra province. These, of course, conversations had to be correlating to the PNS’s compliments and their colleagues responses to compliments. The respondents are PNS in the governor office of the West Sumatra province. The total of the respondents is 50. Woman staffs are 25 and the rest of them, man, is 25.
3.3. Method and Technique Data Collection
Observation method applied to survey the data intended. In addition, the technique of the data collection was to wiretap quietly the compliments and compliment responses (Sudaryanto: 1993 and Zaim: 2002). Wiretapping technique is used to elicit the pure and the natural data from the employees. Eliciting the data from this research throughout “wiretapping” does not signify that the writer has another purpose to deteriorate the real condition in that office. The main reason is just to elicit the pure and natural data without manipulating them at all, for instance:
Here is an illustration of the situation:
The PNSs were at the office at about 8.00. They were having short conversation before, while or after working. Compliment paid for her/his colleague achievement to the duties given, for instance. After that, s/he responded to the compliment so forth. In the governor office, we have to realize that the compliments and compliment responses come out unintentionally. In such condition, the writer is going to wiretap the compliments and compliment responses paid by complimenters and the respondents.
A: ..........karajo dunsanak rancak bana hari ko..................
B: oya..., “Alhammdullillah, tarimo kasih banyak”,..............
A: ........uni, rancak bana jilbabnyo, dima uni bali ko..........?
B: ...............ndak juo do, “dima latak rancaknyo.................
In every situation, the writer was going to investigate the content of the conversations made whether this conversation related the compliments and compliment responses or not. If it relates to compliments and compliment responses, the writer will wiretap and write them into pieces of papers. Nevertheless, if it does not relate, the writer will ignore the compliments and compliment responses at all. Because the essence of the research is to investigate the PNS compliments and compliment responses in the governor office of the West Sumatra province.
The researcher has realized and reconsidered that interview and questionnaire procedures are as better as wiretapping. In a certain condition, wiretapping is appropriate technique in eliciting the most expected and untainted data from them. However, in applying this technique -wiretapping-, the researcher must absolutely avoid those aspects, which can inflict the personal interests of the staffs of the governor office of the West Sumatra province.
3.4. Method and Technique Data Analysis
In analyzing the data, the writer uses the modified version of Herbert's (1986) Twelve Types of Compliment Responses, which consist of Appreciation Token, Comment Acceptance, Praise Upgrade, Comment History, Reassignment, Return, Scale Down, Question, Disagreement, and Qualification, No Acknowledgment, and Request Interpretation. Utterances or expressions, which do not fit Herbert’s categories, will be categorized according to the nature of the data. The analysis is done by taking an utterance and then put it into categories according to Herbert's categories. The examples are as follows:
Baso Minangkabau Data Analysis Types
F Printer iko lah lamo, kini baru dipakai Scale Down
F Apokah sanak mangira baitu? Questioning
F Ambo indak terlalu suko Disagreement
F Baiklah, tapi nan punyo uni labiah manih lai. Qualification
F Ndak ada tanggpan. (hanya diam) No- Acknowledgment
…and so forth…
The first sentence of this utterance expresses disagreement because the object complimented that the praise is an overstatement; that is why, it is categorized into Scale Down. The second sentence shows the addressee questions the sincerity or the appropriateness of the compliment; therefore, the utterance falls into the category of Questioning. The third sentence claims that the object is not worth complimenting. Therefore, it is categorized into Disagreement. The fourth sentence shows disagreement, but it is weaker in that the recipient qualifies the addressor’s claim using “but” to contradict. Therefore, it is categorized into Qualification. In addition, the last sentence seems unaware of the compliment and responds by giving either an irrelevant response or no response. Therefore, it is categorized into No Acknowledgement. Based on these categories, the writer makes a table containing these types along with the number of occurrence used by both the staffs.
IV. Findings and Discussions
The analysis of the data is based on the Table of Compliment Responses and their frequencies. The table serves three functions. First, it shows the sub-parts of the compliment responses of used by the PNS in the governor office of West Sumatra province. Second, it reveals the frequency of each sub-part; and third, it points out the sub-part of Compliment Responses often used by them.
The following is a comparison between male and female respondents on the Types of compliment responses and their frequencies.
| Types of Compliment Responses | Minangkabau Language | Total | |
| Man | Woman | ||
| Appreciation Token | 5 | 19 | 50 |
| Comment Acceptance | - | 1 | |
| Praise Upgrade | - | - | |
| Comment History | - | 1 | |
| Reassignment | - | - | |
| Return | - | - | |
| Scale Down | 1 | 13 | |
| Questioning | - | - | |
| Disagreement | 1 | - | |
| Qualification | - | - | |
| No Acknowledgement | 7 | 2 | |
| Request Interpretation | - | - | |
| Total of responses | 14 | 36 | |
Appreciation Token
It is indicated that the use of Appreciation Token as a response to the compliment occurred 24 times among the PNSs where and 5 times among men and 19 times among women. The women respondents expressed gratitude such as “Alhammdullillah, tarimo kasih banyak” more often than the men. Moreover, it is also interesting to note that the occurrence of man and woman respondents using this type differed greatly, that is, 19 among women and 5 among men. Women had higher frequencies than man. This indicated that women at all times refer to the acceptance of the compliment paid by their colleagues.
Comment Acceptance
The example of this type is “ambo mancubo mamakai sadonyo pandapek ibu dan alhamdullillah ambo bisa mangarajoan elok-elok”; while an example of the man respondent was not found any responses. The writer knew why man did not have any response because none of their colleagues paid for compliments of the comment acceptance and it is quite different with their behavior. This type of Compliment Response occurred once among the 50 PNS which became respondents.
Comment History
This can be seen its indication that only one out of fifty respondents who responded to this type of the compliment. The only one compliment of the woman was about “iko dibali duo bulan yang lewat waktu dinas ke Jakarta”. The woman expressed the history of the ink of that printer, which produced good results. Men were hardly to use this type of the compliment response.
Scale Down
In Scale Down, it was women respondents dominating its use. They used it more than man respondents. An example of this type said by women were “iko masih nan dulu” and there is only one used by the man, that is, “ya, ambo ndak tau tentang itu”, instead of admitting that they deserve compliments, the women transferred the compliments from themselves or even downgrade them. They transferred the force of the compliments to another person or condition, making them deserves compliments. On the other hand, the men hardly ever made used of this type, may possibly be because they value at their achievements more than the women. For men, this response may be significant for others to recognize how well they have done; and the most essential of all is the fact that their achievements are due to their own efforts. Therefore, it may not take place to them to change the compliments from themselves, let alone downgrade them.
Disagreement
It is realized that women were uncommon to express their disagreement to the object is complimented rather than men. They will better respond with the acceptance of the compliment. In a different condition, men respond to it. The example of this type was “ambo ndak terlalu suka”.
No Acknowledgment
The example of this type is to keep silence and no responses, “ndak ado tanggapan do dan hanyo mangamek sajo”. This type of compliment response is used by both men and women. This type of compliment response indicated that the PNS complimented was unaware of being complimented. This is one of the Minangkabau persons pattern when one is going to pay compliments, they respond as the ways are things. We cannot firmly state that they are ignoring us while paying credits. No, no at all. This comes out because of his/her unawareness.
V. Conclusion
The findings indicated that women mostly responded to the compliments to rather than men. Both sides mostly used the same types of the compliment responses and the rests were very little. The types were Appreciation Token (5:19), Comment Acceptance (0:1), Comment History (0:1), Scale Down (1:13), Disagreement (1:0), and No Acknowledgement (7:2).
From all these types of the compliments, the respondents mostly used Appreciation Token. The high frequency of Appreciation Token Alhammdullillah, tarimo kasih banyak and mo kasih) may come about because it is considered the most appropriate response. Even when the addressee does not know how to respond to a compliment, ‘mo kasih’ can become a simple response. Moreover, by comparison, the women respondents had a higher frequency than the men. The second highest frequency of Compliment Responses is Scale Down. Subsequently, for a second time, the respondents from the women side here used it more than the men. On the contrary, this does not happen to No Acknowledgement which is led mostly by the respondents from men side. Then, the rest of types, Comment Acceptance, Comment History, and Disagreement showed no any significance. This means that the use of the three types were, if it can be truly stated, uncommon to the PNSs.
From this research finding, it indicated that there was significant end result towards the spirit and ethos of work of the civil servants in the governor office of West Sumatra province. Implicitly, the writer saw after being complimented by their colleagues, the respondents felt happy, exciting and stimulating to carry out and accomplish their duties responsibilities well. They were fully more energetic and vigorous for the job accounted to them. Therefore, the compliments have an effect on the civil servants’ duties and responsibilities.
VI. Suggestions
The writer suggests in order the compliments, as all parties expect it, have an effect on the civil servants’ duties and responsibilities, there are three ways to be reconsidered by the complimenters. Firstly, compliments have to be paid to the competent civil servants, for the right moment and with the correct way. Secondly, if a colleague of PNS pays for a heartfelt, properly and objective compliments, hence, undoubtedly, the compliments will be more be synchronized. And thirdly, we have to deeply realize that someone’s insider attitude and feeling to accept and respond to the compliments is truthfully different to each other. There are some who do not have any sympathy with the compliments; there are some who feel ashamed. But there are many who can respond towards the compliments proportionally. In this context, there are some differences between the typical mindset of Indonesia and social values based proportional compliments.
The typical mindset of Indonesian is firstly to consider that compliments are only platitude in a social association or building a social rapport. Secondly, the compliments have to be responded with modest manner (denying our role in our achievement complimented) in order we are not straightforwardly assessed to be an arrogant individual and impressed religious. On the other hand, we have to consider that social values based proportional compliments as a heartfelt appreciation and award. In addition, compliments have to be responded with a proportional attitude that is esteeming our and other struggle towards the duties and responsibilities trusted with “Alhammdullillah, tarimo kasih banyak” response, for instance. If someone can behave proportionally in responding the compliments, the spirit and the ethos of work to accomplish the duties and responsibilities will be better. Succeed will be easily gained.
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