Parentinguistic: A Form and Function of Compliment Expression

Abstract

This study sought to explain the patterns of compliment expression utilization in infant-directed speech by mother from parenting perspective. This phenomenon was issued because children’s perceptual, social, and linguistic developments are significantly influenced by the intensity and quality of infant-directed speech. This study was also intended to help parents understand the importance of compliment expression in early parenting. Pragmatics approach was used in a case study design. The data were utterances of compliment collected using observation from mother-infant interactions in the context of mother feeding her infant in Javanese family in Pucangan, Kartasura sub-district, Sukoharjo, Central Java. The data were analyzed using listening and note-taking technique. This research found that the most productive compliment utterances were specific-act ability with the function to express admiration. The mother tended to give compliment to express her admiration because her baby began to be able to be fed food. The findings on responses to compliments in this study indicate that baby girl respond positively by smiling to mother's compliments. Thus, the response from the baby represents the mother's success in maintaining a relationship with her baby utilizing specific compliment expression. The results of this study provide a contribution in terms of information in the form of usage pattern of compliment as a vital part of early parenting linguistic.