Lexical means of gratitude in different types of discourse

Ma Tongtong

There are various forms of polite expressions, including thank you, apology, greeting, modesty, and salutation. This chapter presents a detailed comparative study of Chinese and Japanese polite expressions, beginning with these forms of expression.Thank you is an expression of respect or gratitude. They can be divided into direct and indirect expressions of gratitude. A direct thank you is a phrase that specifically thanks someone. Indirect thank yous are words that do not contain a specific word of gratitude, but functionally serve as a thank you. Indirect gratitude has many peculiar language forms and rich word combinations, and can generally be divided into five categories: complimentary, in which gratitude is expressed in words of praise; promising, in which gratitude for a service rendered by another person is expressed in words of promise; concerned, in which gratitude is expressed in words of concern; apologetic, in which gratitude is expressed in words of slight apology; reproachful, in which gratitude is expressed in words of rebuke. Language to reflect one's gratitude.

Keywords:politeness, gratitude, vocabulary, discourse, expression.