**3. Method**

*Heritage*

*amiable."*

([25], p. 129) and indirect thanks, i.e., those occurring in the form of different

a.expressions that focus on the thanker (the beneficiary of the benevolent act): expressions of a specific feeling (gratitude, pleasure, joy) such as *"Je vous suis* 

appreciations of the addressee such as *"c'est très gentil à vous"* and *"vous êtes bien* 

b.expressions that focus on the thankee (the author of the benevolent act):

c. expressions indicating that there is/was no need to grant the favor: *"Il ne fal-*

d.expressions that focus on the benevolent act: appreciations of the act such as

A number of studies have been carried out in the past on gratitude expressions and responses to thanks in Cameroonian contexts. Investigations on the speech act of thanking include Dnzoutchep Nguewo's [25] comparative study of gratitude expressions in German and some languages spoken in the western region of Cameroon. The author illustrates the complex structure of the speech act of thanking, which he describes as a communicative act made up of several other speech acts, and supported by compliments, good wishes, address terms, etc. The complexity of gratitude expressions in the Cameroonian languages examined is viewed by the author as a reflection of sociocultural norms of many ethnic groups in the western region of Cameroon. Another investigation of the author yielded similar results (cf. [26]). Another analysis of thanking in Cameroonian context is Anchimbe's [27] study of thanking in written political discourse called "motions of support." These are letters read on the radio or TV or published in newspapers, addressed to the president thanking him for a political favor or action deemed beneficial to the group writing the motion. The study shows that thanking in "motions of support" appears as a communicative act made up of several other speech acts (cf. [27], p. 240). Also interesting is the conclusion that "the sociocultural interactional norms of indigenous Cameroonian cultures could be said to have influenced the structure and content of [Motions of Support] through their decorum and the extensive use of linguistic oratory in traditional hereditary systems" ([27],

The goal of the present study is to contribute to a better understanding of Cameroon French speakers' patterns in giving thanks. The approach used here operates on the premises of postcolonial pragmatics (cf. [27]), which takes into account the complex, multilingual, multiethnic, and multicultural postcolonial nature of the Cameroonian society, and thus considers giving thanks in Cameroon French (an ex-colonial language in a postcolonial space) as a postcolonial pragmatic behavior. Using this framework, the analysis reveals traces of indigenous cultural and communication patterns in the communicative act of giving thanks in Cameroon French. This impact could be noted in the use of nominal address terms by Cameroon French speakers as markers of group culture and in-group identity, on the one hand, and as expressions of deference and respect in formal situations, on the other hand. Also interesting here is the complexity of thanks utterances, which seems to be a reflection of indigenous sociocultural norms (see

speech acts. She identifies the following types of indirect thanks:

"*C'est superbe"* and *"c'est trop beau."* ([24], p. 129–130).

*reconnaissant"* and *"je suis ravi/touché."*

*lait"* and *"tu n'aurais pas dû."*

**140**

Section 5).

p. 240–241).
