| ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS | 第1-4页 |
| Abstract | 第4-7页 |
| 摘要 | 第7-9页 |
| Contents | 第9-11页 |
| List of tables | 第11-12页 |
| List of figures | 第12-13页 |
| List of abbreviations | 第13-14页 |
| Chapter One INTRODUCTION | 第14-24页 |
| ·Background to the study | 第14-18页 |
| ·Aims and Objectives | 第18-19页 |
| ·Significance of the study | 第19-21页 |
| ·Definitions | 第21-23页 |
| ·American Native English Speakers | 第21页 |
| ·ESL Learners in America | 第21-22页 |
| ·Chinese EFL Learners | 第22页 |
| ·Compliment | 第22页 |
| ·Compliment Response | 第22-23页 |
| ·Overview of the Thesis | 第23页 |
| ·Summary | 第23-24页 |
| Chapter Two LITERATURE REVIEW | 第24-34页 |
| ·Compliment | 第24-27页 |
| ·Compliment formulae | 第24-26页 |
| ·The distinctions between a compliment,a praise and a flattery | 第26-27页 |
| ·Compliment response | 第27-30页 |
| ·Pomerantz's Taxonomy of Compliment Response types | 第28-29页 |
| ·Herbert's Taxonomy of Compliment Responses | 第29-30页 |
| ·Du's classifications of Compliment Response types | 第30页 |
| ·Gender variable | 第30-32页 |
| ·Summary | 第32-34页 |
| Chapter Three RESEARCH METHODOLOGY | 第34-44页 |
| ·Research questions | 第34-35页 |
| ·Participants | 第35-36页 |
| ·Data collection method | 第36-39页 |
| ·The reasons for choosing discourse completion tasks | 第36-37页 |
| ·DCT | 第37-38页 |
| ·Situation design | 第38-39页 |
| ·Data Collecting Procedures | 第39-40页 |
| ·Data Analysis | 第40-43页 |
| ·Classifications for compliment | 第40-41页 |
| ·Classifications for compliment response | 第41-42页 |
| ·Data analysis method | 第42-43页 |
| ·Summary | 第43-44页 |
| Chapter Four RESULTS OF THE STUDY | 第44-62页 |
| ·Compliment Strategies | 第44-50页 |
| ·Frequency of compliment strategies | 第44-46页 |
| ·Differences in employing compliment strategies among three groups | 第46-50页 |
| ·Gender differences in applying compliment strategies | 第50-54页 |
| ·Frequency of compliment strategies of the two Genders | 第50-52页 |
| ·Gender differences in compliment strategies | 第52-54页 |
| ·Compliment Response Strategies | 第54-59页 |
| ·Frequency of compliment response strategies employed by the three groups | 第54-57页 |
| ·Differences in compliment response strategies among the three groups | 第57-59页 |
| ·Gender difference concerning compliment response strategies | 第59-61页 |
| ·Frequency of Gender in compliment response strategies | 第59-60页 |
| ·Gender difference in compliment response strategies | 第60-61页 |
| ·Summary | 第61-62页 |
| Chapter Five CONCLUSION | 第62-66页 |
| ·Major findings | 第62-63页 |
| ·Implications | 第63-64页 |
| ·Limitations and suggestions for further studies | 第64-66页 |
| References | 第66-69页 |
| Appendix | 第69-73页 |
| Compliment DCT(Ⅰ) | 第69-71页 |
| Compliment Response DCT(Ⅱ) | 第71-73页 |
