The effect of social class on Persian EFL learners’ pragmatic performance of Speech act of compliment responses

Abstract

This study attempts to investigate how the participants’ social class affects types and frequency of EFL language learners’ compliment responses (CR).Data were collected from 60 Persian EFL Learners by using a DCT on various real life situations. The data were categorized and analyzed based onthe adapted version of CR categorization developed by Herbert (1989).The results indicated that both high and middle social class followed very similar patterns of CR.  The CR pattern doesnot seem to fluctuate according to the social class of the participants.The discrepancy in the strategies utilized by the participants in this study between the data achieved from the Persian and English questionnaires does not support L1 pragmalinguistic transfer in CR patterns for the middle social class participants.The findings of the research contribute to social, psychological and linguistic aspects of language learning in terms of examining the effect ofinteracting factors on the process of language learning in general and pragmatics in particular. Keywords: social class, compliment, compliment response, speech acts.