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