PRAGMATIC FUNCTIONS OF COMPLIMENT SPEECH ACTS IN ENGLISH AND UZBEK SOCIETIES

This thesis explores the pragmatic functions of compliment speech acts in English and Uzbek societies from linguistic and sociocultural perspectives. Compliments are examined as expressive speech acts that play a vital role in interpersonal communication and social interaction. The research focuses on the communicative purposes of compliments, their pragmatic features, and their contribution to politeness and social harmony.The study presents a comparative analysis of compliment speech acts in English and Uzbek communication. It identifies similarities and distinctions between the two cultures regarding compliment structures, usage, interpretation, and responses. English compliments are mainly characterized by directness, simplicity, and conversational politeness, whereas Uzbek compliments are more emotional, culturally rich, and strongly connected with traditional etiquette and modest behavior.The thesis also investigates the sociolinguistic and discourse-related features of compliments and explains how cultural values shape communicative behavior. Moreover, the research highlights the importance of pragmatic competence in intercultural communication and translation. The findings of the study contribute to the development of pragmatics, sociolinguistics, discourse analysis, and intercultural communication studies.