Abstract Compliments and compliment responses (CRs) are face threatening acts which may jeopardize the interlocutor’s positive and negative face. Compliment responses are especially challenging because of the need to balance accepting the compliment with saving face for not sounding arrogant. The use of humor in responding to a compliment can serve as a mitigating factor to respond to a compliment gracefully but with amusement to balance out the loss of face. The present study seeks to analyze humorous CRs in Spanish and English in order to establish cross-cultural comparisons. The results suggest some distinct cultural tendencies. American English speakers prefer self-denigrating humor whereas Peninsular Spanish use teasing and ironic upgrades. Spanish speakers also rely on a wider variety of linguistic resources to add humor to their CRs. Both language groups use humor as a tool to save face. Teasing among Peninsular Spanish is used to strengthen familiarity and closeness ties between interlocutors, a trait often associated with the positive politeness nature of Spanish culture. Self-denigrating humor in English CRs is described as ambiguous from a politeness perspective because it can preserve negative face by directing the humor to the speaker or it may be interpreted as an imposition to reiterate the compliment.

中文翻译：

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西班牙语和英语赞美回应中幽默的使用：跨文化分析

摘要 赞美和赞美回应 (CRs) 是面部威胁行为，可能会危及对话者的正面和负面面孔。赞美的回应尤其具有挑战性，因为需要在接受赞美与为不显得傲慢而保留面子之间取得平衡。在回应赞美时使用幽默可以作为缓解因素，以优雅地回应赞美，但可以通过娱乐来平衡失去面子。本研究旨在分析西班牙语和英语中的幽默 CR，以建立跨文化比较。结果表明了一些不同的文化倾向。说美国英语的人更喜欢自我贬低的幽默，而半岛西班牙语则使用挑逗和讽刺的升级。讲西班牙语的人还依靠更广泛的语言资源为他们的 CR 增添幽默感。这两个语言群体都使用幽默作为挽回面子的工具。半岛西班牙语之间的戏弄被用来加强对话者之间的熟悉和亲密关系，这种特征通常与西班牙文化的积极礼貌性质有关。从礼貌的角度来看，英语 CRs 中的自我贬低幽默被描述为模棱两可，因为它可以通过将幽默指向说话者来保留消极面子，或者它可能被解释为强加重申赞美。