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Complaints in Travel Reality Shows: A Comparison Between Korean and Chinese Speakers

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Publicado en:Languages vol. 10, no. 7 (2025), p. 171-194
Autor principal: Zhu, Weihua
Publicado:
MDPI AG
Materias:
China
South Korea
Complaints
Education reform
Confucianism
Sociolinguistics
Verbal communication
Travel
Cultural contact
Pragmatics
Social values
Television programs
Cultural sensitivity
Intercultural communication
Reality
Linguistics
Reality programming
Chinese languages
Korean language
Contrastive analysis
Strategies
Intercultural interaction
East and West
Annoyance
Teasing
Languages
Acceso en línea:Citation/Abstract
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Resumen:This study compares complaints in Korean and Chinese, focusing on how they are expressed explicitly or implicitly. Complaints are potentially face-threatening, yet they frequently appear in conversations among native Korean and Chinese speakers who are characterized as upholding Neo-Confucian values and emphasizing social harmony. Although some contrastive studies have examined complaints across languages, none have specifically investigated the explicit and implicit strategies employed in Korean and Chinese complaint discourse. Given the growing intercultural contact between Korean and Chinese speakers, this gap calls for closer attention. To address this, the present study explores how native Korean and Chinese speakers articulate complaints in the Korean and Chinese versions of the travel reality show Sisters Over Flowers. Sixteen episodes were analyzed using interactional sociolinguistic methods, incorporating both qualitative and quantitative approaches. The analysis uncovered both explicit and implicit strategies (e.g., expressions of annoyance or disapproval, overt grievances, questions, advice, teasing, and hints). Notably, the Korean participants produced significantly fewer complaints than their Chinese counterparts. These findings offer theoretical and practical insights. Theoretically, the results challenge overly broad notions of East–West pragmatic distinctions by demonstrating meaningful variation within East Asian cultures. Practically, a better understanding of explicit and implicit complaint strategies in Korean and Chinese can enhance intercultural communication, promote culturally sensitive responses, and bridge misunderstandings in increasingly globalized settings.
ISSN:2226-471X
DOI:10.3390/languages10070171
Fuente:Linguistics Database