149 S.Afr.J.Afr.Lang.,2007, 4 Paying compliments in Xhosa: A favoured gender-based conversational strategy Monwabisi K. Ralarala Department of African Languages, University of Stellenbosch Private Bag X 1, Matieland, 7602 mrr@sun.ac.za Mawande Dlali Department of African Languages, University of Stellenbosch Private Bag X 1, Matieland, 7602 mdl@sun.ac.za The social changes in contemporary South Africa could be reflected in the ways in which people pay compliments to one another. In this article, the possibility of a shift from the traditional method of paying compliments by Xhosa men and women is investigated given the changes in the lifestyle and modernization of societies. The article further explores what communicative functions the speech act of expressing compliments intends to serve as well as how it does this. The findings of the study, which are provided through a statistical analysis of compliments, categorize compliments given by both males and females in the Kayamandi and Ikaya public schools and the Kayamandi Township in Stellenbosch. The categories of compliments entail those dealing with appearance, ability and possession. Introduction This article investigates the possible differences in compliment behaviour between men and women in the Xhosa communities. Its aim is to discover the differences that may exist in compliment behaviour between Xhosa speak- ing men and women in contemporary South Africa and to add this information to the sociolinguistic investigations done in America and elsewhere on sex-based differences when paying compliments in English (Herbert, 1990; Holmes, 1988). The study on how Xhosas pay compliments to one another was conducted among educators and senior learners at both the Kayamandi and Ikaya public schools as well as regular residents in the Kayamandi Township area in Stellenbosch. The article attempts to share various insights on compliments as positive politeness speech acts. From its quan- titative and qualitative analysis, it aims to close the gaps of knowledge regarding the linguistic understanding of gender-based complimenting in Xhosa. Very little research has been done on the differences in compliment behav- iour between Xhosa speaking men and women in contemporary South Africa. It may well be that paying compli- ments among men and women is undergoing a focus shift, especially with regard to certain topics associated with modern living, as opposed to a traditional lifestyle. This article approaches compliment behaviour from a linguistic perspective, analysing the language use of Xhosa speaking adults and teenagers who visualize themselves in a compliment situation. Theoretical assumptions Brown and Levinson (1987) introduce the concepts of positive and negative politeness, defining these as forms of ‘redressive action’ countering ‘the potential face damage’ of a face threatening act (FTA) (ibid.:74–75). Positive politeness is oriented towards the hearer’s positive self-image. Brown and Levinson (ibid.:75) state that it is: approach-based; it ‘anoints’ the face of the addressee by indicating that in some respects, S [Speaker] wants H [Hearer]’s wants (e.g. by treating him as a member of an in-group, a friend, a person whose wants and personality traits are known and liked) [explanations of abbreviations added – authors].