Religion and language : a sociopragmatic study of religious expressions in Algerian speakers' compliments and compliment responses

Abstract EN

Although previous studies have shown that religion and language are two cultural components that are tightly linked, there is hardly any pragmatic research on how religion influences the actual use of language.

The present study aimed at investigating the effect of Islam on the Algerian speakers' realization of two speech acts: complimenting and responding to compliments.

It sought to answer the following questions: What are the sociopragmatic functions of religious expressions used by Algerian speakers when performing compliments and responding to them? Is the use of these expressions religiously motivated? If yes, what are the religious motivations behind such use? To answer these questions, data were collected from 86 participants using role plays and interviews.

Findings showed that religious expressions were intensively used and they have a great importance in realizing the speech acts in focus.

Moreover, it was found that many religious beliefs and values stand behind such use.