浅析商务英语函电中的礼貌原则.docx

浅析商务英语函电中的礼貌原则.docx

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浅析商务英语函电中的礼貌原则

Per

（2014）届本科生毕业设计（论文）

题目ABriefAnalysisonthePolitenessPrincipleofBusinessEnglishCorrespondence（浅析商务英语函电中的礼貌原则）

专业商务英语

院系外国语学院

学号1004030906

姓名何翠

指导教师李久红讲师

2014年4月

浅析商务英语函电中的礼貌原则

学生姓名：

何翠

指导老师：

李久红

摘要：

随着中国国际贸易的不断发展，中国经济与国际经济的联系越来越紧密了。

商务英语函电作为商务活动中相互交流的一种重要方式在国际贸易中起着重要的作用。

随着商务英语函电的频繁使用，商务英语函电中的礼貌原则也显得日益重要。

贸易双方在函电交流中是否有礼貌，直接关系到双方贸易的成功与否。

本文基于语用学礼貌原则理论简单的介绍了礼貌原则的六大准则，从遣词造句的角度分析了这些准则与商务英语函电写作的融合。

旨在为商务英语函电撰写者提供关于使用礼貌原则的写作建议，从而提高贸易成功率。

关键词：

商务英语；函电；礼貌原则

ABriefAnalysisonthePolitenessPrincipleofBusinessEnglishCorrespondence

Undergraduate:

HeCui

Supervisor:

LiJiuhong

Abstract:

WiththeconstantdevelopmentofChineseinternationaltrade,therelationshipbetweenChineseeconomyandforeigneconomyisincreasinglycloser.BusinessEnglishcorrespondenceisaveryimportantwayinbusinesscommunicationwhichplaysafatalroleinthesetrades.AlongwiththefrequentusingofbusinessEnglishcorrespondence,thepolitenessprincipleofbusinesscorrespondenceisgettingmoreandmoreimportant.Whethertradingpartiesarepoliteornotincorrespondencecommunicationdirectlyaffectstheresultsoftrade.Basedonthetheoryofpragmaticspolitenessprinciple,thispapermakesasimpleintroductionofthesixrulesofpolitenessprinciple,andonthebasisofthephrasing,makesananalysisonhowtheseprinciplesintegrateintobusinessEnglishcorrespondence.ThispaperisintendedtoprovidebusinessEnglishcorrespondencewriterswithwritingsuggestionaboutusingpolitenessprincipletopromotetrading.

Keywords:

BusinessEnglish;Correspondence;PolitenessPrinciple

Contents

1.Introduction………………………………………………………………………....4

2.Previousresearchesonpolitenessprinciple………………………………………...4

3.AbriefanalysisonthepolitenessprincipleofbusinessEnglishcorrespondence….5

3.1Politenessprinciple…………………………………………………………….5

3.2TheApplicationofPolitenessPrincipleinBusinessEnglishCorrespondence...7

3.2.1Theuseofwords…………………………………………………………...7

3.2.1.1Personalpronouns……………………………………………………7

3.2.1.2Positivewords……………………………………………………….8

3.2.1.3Modalauxiliaryverbs……………………………………………......8

3.2.1.4Hedges……………………………………………………………….9

3.2.2Theuseofsentencepatterns………………………………………………10

3.2.2.1Interrogativesentences……………………………………………...10

3.2.2.2Compoundsentences………………………………………………..11

3.2.2.3Passivesentences……………………………………………………11

3.2.2.4Subjunctivesentences………………………………………………12

4.Conclusion…………………………………………………………………………12

Bibliography……………………………………………………………………….13

Acknowledgments…………………………………………………………………14

1.Introduction

WiththedevelopmentofChinesereformandopeningupandtheentryoftheWorldTradeOrganization,internationalbusinessinChinaisgettingbroaderanddeeper.Inordertocopeefficientlyininternationaltransactionsforbusinessmen,moreandmorelinguistsdevotethemselvesintostudyingbusinessEnglishcorrespondencewhichisplayingamoreandmoreimportantroleininternationalactivities.

Inbusinesscorrespondence,manyprinciplesshouldbepaidattentionto.Cooperativeprincipleandpolitenessprinciplearethemostimportant.Since1970s,linguistsbegantoresearchthefunctionofpolitenessprincipleinthecommunications.BusinessEnglishcorrespondenceisamaincommunicationwayoftradingexchangesandcooperation.Inaddition,itisanimportantmediumtocommunicate,conductbusiness,concludethetransactionandbuildfriendlycooperationrelationshipinbusinesspractices.Therefore,thecourtesyprincipleshouldbeobserved.

Politenessisusuallytakenasameasuretoachieveone’scertainaim,andtoenhanceormaintainparties’harmoniousrelationship.Politelanguagecouldnarrowthepsychologicalgapbetweenpartiesandmakethemknoweachothermoreandcreatecordialandfriendlyatmosphere.Ifpartiesarefromdifferentcountriesandculturalbackgrounds,politelanguageislubricantduringthecontactssoastotheassociationcouldgoonsmoothlyandpleasant.Politenessisthesoulofbusinesscorrespondence,soitisnecessarytoresearchonthecourtesyprincipleinbusinesscorrespondence.

Inthispaper,thefirstpartisaboutpreviousresearchesonpolitenessprinciple,mainlylistssomerepresentativeforeignlinguists’researchachievement.Thesecondpartconsistsofthreepoints:

asimpleintroductionofpolitenessprinciple;theuseofwords（personalpronouns,positivewords,modalauxiliaryverbs,hedges）embodiestheapplicationofpolitenessprincipleinbusinessEnglishcorrespondence;theuseofsentencepatterns（interrogativesentences,compoundsentences,passivesentences,subjunctivesentences）reflectstheapplicationofpolitenessprincipleinbusinessEnglishcorrespondence.Moreover,thesecondandthirdpointcontainingmanyexamplesentencesinbusinessEnglishcorrespondencetoillustratecorrespondingpolitenessprinciple.Thelastpartistheconclusion,bibliographyandacknowledgments.

2.Previousresearchesonpolitenessprinciple

BecauseoftheimportanceofpolitenessinbusinessEnglishcorrespondenceandthevitalroleofcorrespondenceinbusinesstrade,somanylanguageexpertshaveresearchedthepolitenessprincipleinbusinessEnglishcorrespondence.

ThepresentstudyaimstoexplorehowpolitenessareappliedinbusinessEnglishlettersandforwhatreasonstheyareapplied,soastoresearchtherelationshipbetweencourtesyprincipleandbusinessEnglishcorrespondenceandthusimprovethebusinesscorrespondencewritinglevelandpromotebusinessexchange.

Hudsonthinks"Weusuallytrytoavoidexposingotherpeople'sweaknessorraisingheatedcontroversy,unlesswearesurethatitwillnotaffecttheattitudeofotherstowardsusorweareindifferenttotheiropinion".（Hudson,1985:

115）Inotherwords,politenessisofimportanceinpromotinginterpersonalrelationshiptoachievebothindividualandgroupgoals.

AmericalinguistGeorgeLakoffarguesthatpolitenessisusedfor“reaffirmingandrelationships”in1973.Accordingtoher,“Politenessisasystemofstrengtheninginterpersonalrelationsdesignedtofacilitateinteractionbyminimizingthepotentialforconflictandconfrontationinherentinallhumaninterchange”.Sheproposesthreemaximsofpolitenessfromtheperspectiveofthespeaker:

Don’timpose;Giveoptions;Makehimfeelgood.

EnglishlinguistG.N.Leechpresentsthefamous“PolitenessPrinciple”fromthepointofrhetoricandlinguistics,basedonthe“CooperationPrinciple”in1983.Thecorecontentof“PolitenessPrinciple”is:

minimizecosttoother,maximizebenefittoother,soastotrytogaintheothers’favorableimpression.Theimportanceofthisprincipleisthatgivingotherstrustsonpositivemeaningwhileavoidingtooffensiveothersonnegativesignificance.（Leech,1974）

BrownandLevisonin1987putforwardthatpolitenessareformsofbehaviorthatallowscommunicationtotakeplacebetweenpotentiallyaggressivepartners.Theyproposesthe“FaceTheory”,thatisboththespeakerandthehearerhaveaninterestinmaintainingeachother’sface,butoftenhavetocommitface-threateningacts（FTAs）.

3.AbriefanalysisonthepolitenessprincipleofbusinessEnglishcorrespondence

Politenessisnecessaryforasuccessbusiness.Acorrespondencewithoutpolitenesscouldleadtodisappearanceofabusinessthatshouldbesuccessful.Inthecorrespondence,businessmenmustshowtheirsincere,sothatthebusinesscouldbeclosetosuccess.Inviewofthis,thesuccessofbusinessnotonlyneedsbusinessmen’soutstandingpersonalqualityandmorality,butalsoneedsgoodfaithandpolitemannerinbusinesscorrespondence.Thewordingshouldbeappropriate,notrudeorrigid.Anditshouldalsorespectother’sopinion.Evenifotherpartieshaveabsurdoroffensivewords,weshouldkeepcalm,beneitherhumblenorhaughty,andkeepgoodmannersandnoblemind.

3.1Politenessprinciple

AccordingtoGeoffreyLeech,thereisapolitenessprinciplewithconversationalmaximssimilartothoseformulatedbyPaulGrice.Helistssixmaxims:

tact,generosity,approbation,modesty,agreement,andsympathy.Thefirstandthesecondformapair,asdothethirdandthefourth.Thesemaximsgivegreatinstructiontosomanybusinesscorrespondencewritersinsomanyyears.

1.TheTactMaxim

TheTactMaximstates:

Minimizetheexpressionofbeliefswhichimplycosttoother;maximizetheexpressionofbeliefswhichimplybenefittoother.ThefirstpartofthismaximfitsinwithBrownandLevinson'snegativepolitenessstrategyofminimizingtheimposition,andthesecondpartreflectsthepositivepolitenessstrategyofattendingtothehearer'sinterests,wants,andneeds.Leechthinksthatthismaximisfirstimportantwhichisauniversalmaximtoguidepeoplemakeasuccessfulconversation.

Usinglanguagetactfullymeanstouseitpolitely.（HeZi’ran,1998）Businesslettersshould,accordingtocircumstances,adoptsuitablelanguage,neitherbeingoffensivenoroverpolite,andmakesurethebusinesscommunicationtocontinueinaharmoniousatmosphere.

2.TheGenerosityMaxim

Leech'sGenerosityMaximstates:

Minimizetheexpressionofbeliefsthatexpressorimplybenefittoself;maximizetheexpressionofbeliefsthatexpressorimplycosttoself.ThismaximwhichmanifestsinbusinessEnglishisthatadoptingmore“otherattitude”andless“selfattitude”.UnliketheTactMaxim,themaximofgenerosityfocusesonthespeaker,andsaysthatothersshouldbeputfirstinsteadoftheself.

3.TheApprobationMaxim

TheApprobationMaximstates:

Minimizetheexpressionofbeliefswhichexpressdispraiseofother;maximizetheexpressionofbeliefswhichexpressapprovalofother.Itispreferr