商务英语信函中模糊用语的语用分析.docx

商务英语信函中模糊用语的语用分析.docx

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商务英语信函中模糊用语的语用分析

商务信函中的模糊用语分析和翻译技巧

THEVAGUELANGUAGEANDTRANSLATIONSKILLINBUSINESSCORRESPONDENCE

摘  要

本文首先结合模糊语言的国内外研究实际探讨了它的起源和发展，指出它在语言中不可缺少的地位；然后阐述了商务英语的定义及其特点，并说明了模糊语言在商务英语信函中所起到的积极作用，如使商务英语信函中的商务语言表达的更加灵活，从而加强了礼貌性。

中外商务英语信函中模糊用语的使用情况进行分析比较，并对今后如何更加恰当的使用模糊语言提出建议。

在译文中如出现谬误,势必导致双方误解从而贻误商机。

而质量上乘的译文则能取得“双赢”的效果。

关键词：

模糊用语；商务英语信函；礼貌原则翻译技巧

ABSTRACT

Thispaperfirstexplorestheoriginanddevelopmentofvaguelanguagecombinedwiththeresearchathomeandabroadandpointsoutitsindispensibleplace.ItthenelaboratesthedefinitionandcharacteristicsofBusinessEnglishandshowsthepositiveroleofusingvaguelanguageinbusinesscorrespondence.Thatis,makingbusinessexpressionmoreflexible,therebyenhancingthecourtesy.Tobemorespecific，itnotonlymakesthedeliveryofbusinessmessagemoreaccuratebutalsobroadenshuman’simagination.Asaresult,thelistenerisgoingtoaccepttheinformationeasilyandthepermissivechancewillbeincreased.Atlast,theanalysisandcomparisonofusingvaguelanguageinbusinesscorrespondenceathomeandabroadwillbegivenandthefeasibleadvicewillbepresent.

Keywords：

VagueLanguage;BusinessCorrespondence;PolitenessPrinciple

Contents

1．Introduction  1

1.1Necessityandsignificanceofthestudy  1

1.2Outlineofthethesis  1

2.Vaguelanguageathomeandabroad  3

2.1Originanddefinitionofvaguelanguage  3

2.2Clarificationofsometerms  6

2.3Summary  8

3.DefinitionandcharacteristicsofBusinessEnglish  8

3.1PrinciplesofBusinessEnglish  9

3.2Necessityofusingvaguelanguageinbusinesscorrespondence  10

4.TheEffectofvaguelanguageinbusinesscorrespondence  12

4.1Improvingpoliteness  13

4.2Enhancingtheexpression  15

5.TranslateSkill  12

5.1Wordspolite,tactfultone  13

5.2MrSmooth,comsistentstyle  15

6．Conclusion  17

References  18

1．Introduction

Languageiscommonlyassumedtobeclearandprecise.Therefore,vaguenessandambiguityaredefecttobeavoidedwheneverpossible.However,nomatterhowofficialthesituationis,wecannotavoidusingvaguelanguagesinceitexistshereandthere.Sometimesusingvaguelanguageappropriatelycanenhancethecommunicativeeffects.EspeciallyinBusinessEnglish,vaguelanguagehasbeenusedasacommunicativestrategythatcreatescertainpragmaticeffectsandhelpsaddresserachievecertaincommunicativeintention.Thevaguenesscanpromotethebusinesscommunicationandcontributetofulfillthecommunicativepurposes.Itisinthissensethattheideashapesupintheauthor.

1.1Necessityandsignificanceofthestudy

Sincevaguenesshasbeenfoundtorichlanguageusing,skillfuluseofitcantakespecialeffectsincorrespondence.However,theimportanceofitdoesnotgainenoughattention.MostChinesestillfocusongrammarandprecisionofexpression.AlthoughmanyresearchershaveworkedonthestudyofdailyEnglish,literatureandlanguageteaching,thestudyofvaguelanguagehasseldombeenassociatedwithBusinessEnglish,letalonebusinesscorrespondence.

Actually,vaguenessinbusinesscorrespondenceisaverypotentialstudy.Thepresentstudymayhelpreadersuseitbetterandmorespecifically.Itmayleadreaderstohaveabetterunderstandingofrealizingthedifferentintentionvaguelanguage.

1.2Outlineofthethesis

Thisthesisconsistsofsixchapters.Chapteronepresentsageneralpictureofthethesis,tellingusthenecessityandsignificationofstudy.Chaptertworeviewstherelatedstudiesofvaguelanguage.Theperspectiveadoptedbythepresentresearchisillustrated,andtheresearchesathomeorabroadaretalkedabout.ChapterthreeintroducestheprinciplesandcharacteristicsofBusinessEnglishandtheinevitablerelationbetweenvaguenessandbusinesscorrespondence.Chapterfourprobesintovaguenessfromtheperspectiveofpragmatics.Taketwobusinesseslettersfromcollecteddataforexample,Chapterfiveanalysesthedifferencesbetweenusingvaguelanguageinbusinesscorrespondenceathomeandabroad.Chaptersixisaconcludingremarkwhichsummarizesthemajorfindingsofthepresentstudy.Atthesametime,thelimitationsarealsodisplayedandsomesuggestionsareprovidedforfurtherlearningandresearchonvaguelanguage.

2.Vaguelanguageathomeandabroad

2.1Originanddefinitionofvaguelanguage

Vaguelinguisticsisanewdevelopingsubjectinlinguisticresearch.Sincethemid-1960s,manyforeignscholarswhohaveconductedtheirstudiesfromvariousaspectsandlayershavedoneresearchesonvaguelanguage.Inchina,alotofresearchesonthissubjectfromtheanglesofsemantics,pragmatics,lexicology,syntax,psychology,etchavebeenundertaken.

AccordingtoRussell,vagueness,thoughitappliesprimarilytowhatiscognitive,isaconceptionapplicabletoeverykindofrepresentation[1]3.Avaguebeliefhasamuchbetterchanceofbeingtruethanapreciseone,becausetherearemorepossiblefactsthatwouldverifyit[1]7.EversinceZadeh（1965）propose“fuzzyset”,thismathematicalconcepthasbeenusedwidely.Fuzzylinguistics,thisnewly-immergeddiscipline,isoneamongthem.GermanlinguistAntonMarty,inhisworkUntersuchungenzurGrundlegungderAllgemeinenGrammticundSpachphilosophie,gaveaprofoundunderstandingofthevaguenessoflanguagebysaying,“vaguenessissuchakindofphenomenon,thatis,thefieldofapplicationofcertainnamesisnotstrictlyoutlined”[2]14.InAmericanlinguisticIsraelScheffler’sfamouswork,BeyondtheLetter:

AphilosophicalInquiryintoAmbiguity,VaguenessandMetaphorinlanguage,hepointedout,”…vaguenessisauniversalfeatureofdescriptivewords”[3]3.Thereviewhereisintendedonlytolocateourapproachtovaguelanguageamongcurrentapproaches.Meanwhile,theconfusedandconnectedterms“fuzziness”,“vagueness”,“generality”,“ambiguity”willbepresentedandelucidated.

2.1.1Researchonvaguelanguageabroad

RussellinhisarticleVaguenessilluminatesthat“vaguenessandprecisionalikearecharacteristicswhichcanonlybelongtoarepresentation.”[1]16Withoutrepresentation,nomatteritiscognitiveormechanical,vaguenessandprecisionwon’tbeexisted.Onesystemoftermsrelatedinvariouswaysisanaccuraterepresentationofanothersystemoftermsrelatedinvariousotherwaysifthereisaone-onerelationofthetermsoftheonetothetermsoftheother,andlikewiseaone-onerelationoftherelationsoftheonetotherelationsoftheother,suchthat,“whentwoormoretermsintheonesystemhavearelationbelongingtothatsystem,thecorrespondingtermsoftheothersystemhavethecorrespondingrelationbelongingtothat.”[1]8-9Tasks,missions,assignment,duty,etc.allbelongtothisrangeofdefinitioninsofarastheyareaccurate.Thatis,arepresentationisvaguewhentherelationoftherepresentingsystemmayhavemorethanoneexplanationtorepresentedsystem.Forinstance,anamesuchas“Blair”whichissoextensivethatitmightequallyrepresenttheboywitharedhatorthegirlinawhitedressisvague.Ashortstoryisusuallyvaguerthanalongerstory,becauseitdoesnotshowalltheplotanddetailsofthecharacters,etc.Vagueness,clearly,isamatterofdegree,dependingupontheextentofthepossibledifferencesbetweendifferentsystemsrepresentedbythesamerepresentation.Thereisnotonedefinitefactnecessaryandsufficientforitstruth,butacertainregionofpossiblefacts,anyoneofwhichwouldmakeittrue.“Accuracy,onthecontrary,isanideallimit.”[1]16     

Channel providesthefollowingfunctionsinamorenatureway“givingtherightamountofinformation,deliberatelywithholdinginformation，usinglanguagePersuasivelyandself-protection”[4]194.Accordingtoher,ordinarylanguageleavesroomforpeopletobevaguetoavoidprecisionandthecommunicationassociatedwithit.Sheshowsthatvaguenessasshedefinesitisaubiquitousphenomenoninourlanguagedeservingoflinguists’seriousattention.Shealsocategorizesthreekindsofpragmaticvagueness:

1）vagueadditivesthatis,awordorphraseisaddedtowhatwouldotherwisebeaprecisestatement,toresultinavaguereading,suchasnear/about[4]120-122;2）vaguenessbychoiceofvaguewords,wordswhicharealwaysvague,suchaswhereisit[4]122-123,3）vaguenessbyimplication,whichissuchacasewhereanapparentlyprecisesentencecanbeusedandunderstoodtohaveavaguemeaning,orwhereaccurateutterancesconveysomeimplicitmeanings[3]123-125.ItisdeservetobementionedthattheconclusionofChannelisnotbasedonthetheoreticalstudybutrealisticdate. 

Lakoffsuggeststhat“someofthemostinterestingquestionsareraisedbythestudyofwordswhosemeaningimplicitlyinvolvesfuzziness，wordswhosejobsaretomakethingsfuzzierorlessfuzzy”[5]3.He,aswellasMcCauley,appliesZadeh’sfuzzysettheorytothestudyofmeaning.Hepointsoutthatthereissomevaguenessintheboundariesofmeaning.Ifwetakefishasanexample,itseemsthatsalmonisamember,asitbelongstofishcompletely.However,crabhardlybelongstofish.Thus,abetterwayofexplainingthemeaningoffish,especiallythereferentialmeaningofit,istorankrelevantmembersastothedegreeoftheirfish-likeness:

thedegreetowhichtheirappearancesaremoresimilartothecorememberoffish.Sothesentence“Asalmonisafish”soundsmoretruethanthesentence“Acrabisafish”.

2.1.2Researchonvaguelanguageathome

ThedevotiontovaguenessinChinaisgenerousandalotofresearcheshavebeendoneonthevaguenessofnaturallanguage.Untilnow,variousregisterssuchasnewsreportandadvertisementhaveallbeendealtwithalready.

WuTie