毕业设计论文外语系从关联理论角度分析商务信函模糊语.docx

毕业设计论文外语系从关联理论角度分析商务信函模糊语.docx

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毕业设计论文外语系从关联理论角度分析商务信函模糊语

从关联理论角度分析商务信函模糊语

摘要

模糊是语言的基本属性之一，它广泛存在于人类的语言交际中。

关联理论认为，语言交际是个明示推理过程，发话人应该提供尽可能关联的信息，使听话人能够以最小的努力去理解发话人的含义，达到最佳的语境效果。

本文从关联理论角度探析外贸英文信函中的模糊语现象，运用关联理论首先解释了商务英语信函中的语言模糊现象，然后以真实的商务信函为例子，探讨了写信人如何使用模糊语言明示话语信息，实现最佳关联，以准确表达交际意图，达到交际目的，使贸易双方之间达成互明，实现成功交际的目的。

第一章为文献综述，主要介绍了有关模糊语言的理论研究和商务信函特征，包括什么是商务信函以及商务信函的特征有哪些，第二章为探讨关联理论以及关联理论有哪些原则，第三章为从关联理论角度分析商务信函中的模糊语言。

利用关联理论分析了商务信函模糊语言的功能。

第四章主要总结了本篇论文的局限性以及意义。

此篇论文旨在使商务交际中的贸易双更好的交际与理解对方，使得交际双方更好的使用模糊与建立良好的商务关系。

关键词：

商务英语信函；模糊语；关联理论

AnalysisofVaguenessinBusinessCorrespondenceLanguagefromthePerspectiveofRelevance-theoreticApproach

Abstract

Vaguenessisoneofthebasicattributesoflanguage,itwidelyexistsinhumanlanguagecommunication.RelevanceTheoryproposesthatcommunicationisanostensive-inferentialprocessandthecommunicatorshouldprovidethemostrelevantinformationsothattheaudiencecanunderstandthecommunicator’sintentionwiththeleasteffort.Usingarelevance-theoreticalframework，thepaperfirstelaboratestheapplicationofvaguenessinbusinesscorrespondencesandthenexploreshowvagueexpressionsallowawritertoconveythecommunicativeintentionspreciselybyprocessingcorrectlytheoptimalrelevanceintherealbusinesscorrespondences.Thuswecanachievesuccessfulcommunication.Thefirstchapterisliteraturereviewwhichreviewspreviousstudiesonvaguenessanddeterminesthedefinitionandthefeaturesofbusinesscorrespondence.Thesecondchapterisaboutrelevancetheoryandprinciplesofrelevancetheory.Thethirdchapterisanalysisofvaguelanguageofbusinesscorrespondenceinrelevantapproach,explainingthefunctionofvaguelanguagefromtheperspectiveofrelevanttheory.Thefourthchapteristhesignificancesandlimitations,Inthischapter,theauthorpointedoutthelimitationsofthestudyandsuggestedfurtherresearchpossibilities.Theaimofthepaperistoachievebettercommunicationwitheachotherinbusinesscommunication.

Keywords:

businesscorrespondence;vagueness;relevanttheory

Contents

Introduction1

ChapterOneLiteratureReview2

1.1Englishbusinesscorrespondence2

1.2Vagueness3

ChapterTwoIntroductionofRelevanceTheory6

2.1Overviewofrelevancetheory6

2.2Principlesofrelevancetheory7

ChapterThreeAnalysisofVaguenessinBusinessCorrespondenceLanguagefromthePerspectiveofRelevance-theoreticApproach6

3.1TheinterpretationofrelevancetheorytothevaguelanguageinEnglishbusinesscorrespondence9

3.2ThewaysforsenderusingvaguelanguagetoexpressexplicitinformationtorecipientinEnglishbusinesscorrespondence11

ChapterFourTheSignificancesandLimitations15

4.1Significances15

4.2Limitations15

Conclusion16

Bibliography16

Introduction

Domesticandforeignscholarshavehadprofounddiscussionsaboutthevaguenessinlanguage.Inforeigncountries,theEnglishfamousphoneticianD.Jonesrealizedthevagueattributeoflanguageearlyin1957.In1965,professorZadehintheUniversityofCaliforniamostearlyproposedthevaguetheoryinhisessaycalled“FuzzySet”publishedinthemagazinenamedInformationandControlandstartedthenewdisciplineofvaguenesslanguage.InChina,professorWuinBeijingNormalUniversityfirstresearchedthevagueattributeoflanguageusingvaguetheoriesinhisthesiscalled“ThePrimaryResearchofVagueLanguagein1979andwrotethebookofVagueLinguistics,thushestartedthefuzzylinguisticsofChina,whichsymbolizethebirthofvaguelinguisticsinChina.

Nowadays,vaguenessiswidelyusedinallareassuchaslaw,economy,andteaching.Businesscorrespondencecharacterizedbythecorrectnessoflanguage,theclearnessandorderlinessoflogicofthinking,theprecisenessofstructurearenoexception.Vaguelanguagetransmitsinformationusingvaguenessinitself,theuncertaintyofwhichisoftenexpressedbythewayofimplicitness,objectivity,preciseness,andpoliteness,thesefeaturescanimprovethecommunicativeeffect.Tosomeextent,vaguenessplaysanirreplaceableroleinEnglishbusinesscorrespondence.Theappropriateuseofthelanguagepolicytoolsorskillscanhelpustoachievetheoptimalrelevance.Usingtheframeworkofrelevanttheory,thispapertrestodiscussthephenomenonofvaguenessinEnglishbusinesscorrespondence.Basedontherealcorrespondence,thepaperalsoanalyzeshowthesendersselectandusevaguelanguagetoachieveoptimalrelevance,inordertoachievesuccessfulcommunicationpurpose.

ChapterOneLiteratureReview

Inthischapter,theauthorfirstlyhaveabriefintroductionofbusinessEnglishcorrespondence.Andthenanoverviewofvaguenessaswellasitspragmaticanalysis.

1.1Englishbusinesscorrespondence

1.1.1DefinitionofEnglishbusinesscorrespondence

Correspondenceistheactofexchanginglettersortheletterswhichpassbetweencorrespondents.Businesscorrespondentscanbedefinedasthecorrespondenceusedinbusinesstransaction,inwhichtheparticipantsarecommonlyregardastheaddresserandtheaddressee.Inbusinesscommunication,businesscorrespondenceisusedtosellproductsorservices,requestmaterialorinformation,answercustomerinquiries,maintaingoodpublicrelations,andserveavarietyofotherbusinessfunctions（Channel1994:

20）.

1.1.2FeaturesofEnglishbusinesscorrespondence

Englishbusinesscorrespondenceisaneffectivewaytoexpressandkeepinformationinbusinesscontacts,whichcanberoughlydividedintothefollowingparts:

Lettertoestablishbusinessrelations,Informationadvisoryletter,Valuationandquotationletter,Letterfotorder,Processingbusinessletter,Claimsandcomplaintsletterafterbusinesstransactions.Businesslettersatemoreformalofficialdocumentswithcorrectwordsandsuccinctwritingstyle.BusinesscorrespondencegenerallyfollowsthewritingprinciplesofbusinessEnglish,thatis,“7cs”principle:

Correctness,Conciseness,Clearness,Completeness,Concreteness,Courtesy,Consideration（Sperber&Wilson1986:

40）.BusinessEnglishmustbeexpressedaccuratelyandclearlytoconveyinformationandbecarefulofusingmetaphor,hyperboleandsoon.Itshouldtrytoavoidusinguncertainwords,inordertoavoidunnecessarydisputes,becausebusinesslettersareusuallyusedtobethebasisofdeterminingtherightsandobligationsoftheparties.

1.2Vagueness

1.2.1Overviewofvagueness

Thestudyonvaguenesshasbeenalongtime.Butthereisn’tanuniformdefinitionuptonow.AsthefamousphilosopherPiercefirstpointedoutin1902,“Apropositionisvaguewheretherearepossiblestatesofthingsconcerningwhichitisintrinsicallyuncertainwhether,hadtheybeencontemplatedbythespeaker,hewouldhaveregardedthemasexcludedorallowedbytheproposition”（Pierce,1902:

749）.CrystalandDavyfromtheperspectiveofAppliedLinguistic,pointedoutfourreasonsthatlanguageusersusevaguelanguage.Thereasonsarethelackofmemory,lackofaccurateandappropriatewords,inaccuratetopic,intentexpressionforspecificmeaningoravoidingstatementingaccurateinformation.Channell（1994:

20）proposedthreekindsofvagueness:

（1）additionalvaguewords,referstothewordswhichareaddedbeforeorafterthewords,inordertomakestatementsbecomeblurred.Like,around,some,kindof,nearlyandsoon.

（2）vaguewords,referstothemeaningofwordsthatarevagueinitself.Like,thingummy,whatsit,loads,heapsofandsoon.（3）vagueimplication,referstoaccurateexpressionthatcontainsfuzzyimplication.Like,Odessahasapopulationofonemillion.Theonemillionisanaccuratenumberwhichdoesn’tmeanthepopulationofthecityisreallyonemillion.

Withthefurtherstudyofvagueness,peoplegraduallyrealizetheimportantanduniquepragmaticfeaturesinlanguagecommunication.Suchas,itcanmakelanguagemorepersuasiveandpolite,orthespeakerforself-protectiondeliberatelyusesvaguelanguagetocoverspecificinformation.Therefore,vaguenessisnotonlyalinguisticphenomenon,butalsoalanguagestrategy.Nowadays,internationaltradeisincreasinglyfrequent,businessEnglishlettershavebecomeanimportantmeansofcommunicationintheeconomicfield.

1.2.2Pragmaticanalysisofvaguenessinbusinesscorrespondence

Beingpolite.Languagecommunicationisanecessarymeanstoexchangefeelings.Infrontofthefeelingsofthings,vaguenesscanharmonizetherelationship.TheprimarybasisofEnglishbusinesscorrespondenceisappropriateandpolitelanguage,theuseofvaguewordscanmakewordseuphemisticandgentle.Especiallyforsomesensitivetopics,suchas,theinterestsofbothsides,thefocusofconflict.Vaguenesscanavoidconflictsandmakediversionaryeffect.Sometimesforthemoderateandcourtesyconsideration,theuseofvaguenessisgoodforbothpartiesoftrade.

Example1:

Ifpossible,pleasealsosendmesamplesofthegoodsyouareinterestedinselling（LiLi,2008:

231-233）.

Thewriterreallyhopesthatthereadercansendhimthesamplesheisinterestedinassoonaspossible.Butthedirectexpressionwillmakewordscrude,leavinganuncomfortablefeelingforthereader.Using“ifpossible”herecanmakewordsmoreeuphemisticandgentle.

Beingpersuasive.Oneofthebasicrequirementsofbusinessletteristrueandcorrect.Basedonthissituation,usingvaguenesscanbemorelikelytoarousethereader’sinterestorpersuadethemtoaccepthisviews.

Example2:

Weareverywellconnectedwithallthemajordealershereofindustrialproducts（YuGuixia,2007:

12）.

Additionalvaguelanguage”verywell”makestherelationshipbetweenthewriterandthereadercloser,thisrelationshiphasmadeagoodfoundationforbilateralcooperation.Thevaguenessheremakesthewholestatementmorepersuasive.