Date of Award

1-1-2018

Language

English

Document Type

Master's Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Arts (MA)

College/School/Department

Department of English

Program

Liberal Studies

Content Description

1 online resource (ii, ix, 79 pages) : illustrations (some color)

Dissertation/Thesis Chair

Charles Shepherdson

Committee Members

Monika Kirner-Ludwig, Hae In Park

Keywords

American-English, Chinese-Mandarin, formal and informal expression, South Korean, Thai, thanking expression, Gratitude, Phraseology, Expression, Grammar, Comparative and general, Representation (Philosophy), Pragmatics, English language, Mandarin dialects, Korean language, Thai language

Subject Categories

Asian Studies | Education | English Language and Literature

Abstract

Language can define people by the way they use it. This thesis investigates how four different languages – American-English, Chinese-Mandarin, South Korean, and Thai – use thanking expressions to one another. The content of this thesis is mainly collected from survey data and movie scripts. This study identifies how American-English, Chinese-Mandarin, South Korean, and Thai use formal and informal thanking expressions in various situations, e.g. people in different social status, and polite endings in thanking expressions. The author also focuses on cultural similarities and differences among the four languages in order to express thank to one another, e.g. Western and non-Western countries.

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