商務(wù)信函中的禮貌原則【畢業(yè)論文】

1、<p><b>　　（20_ _屆）</b></p><p><b>　　本科畢業(yè)設(shè)計(jì)</b></p><p><b>　　英語(yǔ)</b></p><p>　　商務(wù)信函中的禮貌原則</p><p>　　Politeness Principal in English Co

2、rrespondence</p><p><b>　　內(nèi)容摘要</b></p><p>　　在經(jīng)濟(jì)全球化的今天，中國(guó)與世界各國(guó)的貿(mào)易往來(lái)也日益頻繁。商務(wù)函電成為了中外企業(yè)進(jìn)行溝通的主要工具，是貿(mào)易雙方保持密切聯(lián)系的一座橋梁。禮貌原則作為商務(wù)函電重的主要語(yǔ)言特點(diǎn)，是促成雙方合作的催化劑和潤(rùn)滑劑。因而準(zhǔn)確合理的使用禮貌原將在商務(wù)溝通中發(fā)揮巨大作用。本文旨在通過(guò)分析相關(guān)的實(shí)

3、用性策略，研究提高商務(wù)信函寫(xiě)作技能。</p><p>　　關(guān)鍵詞：商務(wù)信函；禮貌原則；對(duì)方立場(chǎng)；模糊語(yǔ) </p><p><b>　　Abstract</b></p><p>　　In the economic globalization, the trade between China and other countries around t

4、he world become more and more frequently. Business correspondence has become the major tool in the communication of Chinese and foreign enterprises and also act as a bridge serving to keep the mutual close contact. As an

5、 important characteristic of business correspondence language, politeness principal is the catalyst or lubricant to facilitate the mutual cooperation .Therefore, accurate and right use of politenes</p><p>　　

6、Key words：Business correspondence ；politeness principal；You-attitude ；Vagueness</p><p><b>　　Contents</b></p><p>　　Abstract............................................................

7、...............................................................…....2</p><p>　　Introduction………………………………………………………………………….…4</p><p>　　2. Business correspondence…………………………………….………………………...4</p&g

8、t;<p>　　2.1 What is business correspondence ...........................................................................…...5</p><p>　　2.2 The importance of politeness in business communication…………..……

9、……….….5</p><p>　　Politeness…………………………………………………………………..….….…......6</p><p>　　Politeness principal…………………………………………………….…….…....…7</p><p>　　Analysis of politeness principa…………………………………

10、…………………….7</p><p>　　Tact maxim……………………………………………………….…..….....9</p><p>　　Generosity maxim…………………………………………………..….......9</p><p>　　Approbation maxim………………………………………………….…….11</p>

11、<p>　　Modest maxim………………………………………………………...…...11</p><p>　　Agreement maxim……………………………………………………........11</p><p>　　Sympathy maxim……………………………………………………….….12</p><p>　　Strategies o

12、f realizing the politeness principle in business correspondence writing………………………………………………………………….…….…….….…13</p><p>　　4.1You attitude in Business Correspondence……………………………………………..…13</p><p>　　4.

13、2 Vagueness in Business Correspondence………………………………………………...15</p><p>　　5. Conclusion…………………………………………………………………….... 16</p><p>　　6. Bibliography....................................................

14、.............................................................…...17</p><p>　　1. Introduction</p><p>　　Business correspondence plays an central role in business communication .It serves as a brid

15、ge between the exporters and importers ，through which business can be done more efficiently and effectively and also and reach a fair and mutually satisfactory deal. It is used as in some certain purpose，such as enquiry

16、, quotation, shipping advice, complain, compensation, and so on. In order to give the receiver a good impression with the sender or his company, and deal with the problem. While business l</p><p>　　Business

17、correspondence </p><p>　　“We have probably taken a course in compositions in which we wrote themes to show that we knew how to use sentences and paragraphs, proper grammar, and other mechanics of writing. Bu

18、t when we take a job, we will be developing information on our own and we will be transmitting it to a reader who has a genuine need for it and who will take action in response to what we are communicating. The reader wi

19、ll use the information for specific purposes—to decide what actions to take. Purposes of communica</p><p>　　2.1What is business correspondence</p><p>　　Business correspondence or business letter

20、 is a written communication between two parties. A means through which views are expressed and ideas or information is communicated in writing in the process of business activities. Means it is a partnership of two parti

21、es to improve their letter.[1]</p><p>　　2.2 The importance of politeness in business communication</p><p>　　Telephones and Internet meetings have become increasingly popular now; however, the fo

22、rm of writing, including correspondence on paper or email, still occupied a great share of communication between firms and organizations. That is because it is more practical and efficient. </p><p>　　First,

23、for example, the large expense caused by a trunk call, is one disadvantage of telephone conversation. While it is cheaper to write to the foreign customers than to phone and wait for an answer, because there is the jet l

24、ag between the countries. We can also save time, for the telephone may not be available at the moment and may have to be sent by mail anyway. Besides, we often write circular letters instead of having circular visits o

25、r trunk calls, because it is more economical to write</p><p>　　Second, it is often unwelcome to interrupt a customer by telephoning to express appreciation for an order or to inform the date when the goods w

26、ill arrive. In determining the most efficient means of communicating, we must consider both ourselves and the convenience of the customers, and their convenience means efficiency of communication. Therefore, business cor

27、respondence provides opportunities to give the recipient a favorable impression about the increase good will by creating in the mind of </p><p>　　Moreover, when the written information becomes a part of the

28、record, it is official for it serves as a permanent record for future reference and also valuable evidence in the event of legal disputes. </p><p>　　3. Politeness</p><p>　　Politeness plays an

29、important role both in business communication and daily life.</p><p>　　Politeness is an observation of social phenomenon. In business correspondence, we always employ the polite way to communicate in order t

30、o give a good impression on one another. </p><p>　　Politeness can also be understood as a means to achieve the goal in terms of means-and-result analysis. The most ordinary example is that when we need someo

31、ne’s help .we usually has to ask for help in a polite manner. In other words, we tend to be polite in order to show our willingness to start a friendly relation with someone, or to maintain the good relation, or to impro

32、ve it if there are some unpleasant things between each other.</p><p>　　Politeness strategies, in fact, are some kinds of social norms imposed by the conversations of the community of which we are belong to.

33、Sometimes we feel that we have to be polite in order to show we are polite and cultivated to some an extent that we know what to do to live up to the conventionally recognized social standards so that we will not be accu

34、sed of being rude or ill-mannered. In order to be polite, we have to be tolerant. Under certain circumstances, to meet certain standards, we hav</p><p>　　Therefore, politeness is not always easy. It is conne

35、cted with language conventions, social values and the conversation participants’ psychological state. Politeness is also related to morality. Especially in cross-cultural communication, a non-native speaker sometimes is

36、considered as being impolite by a native-speaker. Politeness is a complicated social phenomenon in language. That is why many scholars still keep on studying it.</p><p>　　3.1 Politeness principal</p>

37、<p>　　There is no doubt that people violate the Cooperative Principle when communicating with each other, in many cases, functions as an effective way to continue the conversation. But why do people violate the Coop

38、erative Principle? Why do they adopt the indirect way ，but not the direct way to express themselves? Grice made a speech about Cooperative Principle at Harvard University explicit many communicative phenomena. However,

39、as mentioned above, this principle can not fully interpret all phenomen</p><p>　　When mentioning “Politeness Principle”, the first one come up in people’s mind may be Lakoff . Lakoff is of the idea that in s

40、ome kinds of communication, the politeness factor can affect the success of communication. Later, the Politeness Principle is established by British linguist G. N. Leech as a further development of Cooperative Principle

41、which aroused great reactions in the field of linguistics. Regarding politeness, the relations between the sender and reader do affect the understanding t</p><p>　　3.3Analysis of Politeness Principle</p&g

42、t;<p>　　Leech analyses politeness by the use of maxims. Each maxim has two sides of a problem: one is other-centered and the other is self-centered .The six maxims are often used in interpersonal communication. Wi

43、thin these six maxims, tact maxim is the most basic maxim .It is used most widely. On the other hand, other five maxims are also very important .The approbation maxim: minimizing dispraise of other, maximizing praise of

44、other influences the way we structure representatives. Broad speaking, the </p><p>　　Leech observed that the higher the cost for the receiver in a directive, or the greater the potential for dispraising the

45、receiver in a representative, the more likely it is for the writer to be indirect. However, the social distance between the writer and the receiver can also influence the degree of directness used. </p><p>　

46、　Politeness is a term we use to describe the relationship between how something is said and the addressee’s judgment on how something should be said. In cross-cultural communication, the conversation between a native spe

47、aker and a non-native speaker sometimes may break down because of different perception about politeness. Every community has its own politeness language, which is not at random. It is constrained by the principle of poli

48、teness of the community. However, Politeness Principle of cul</p><p>　　As the economy develops and the exchanges between nations increase, people from different cultures can communicate easily. The inappropr

49、iate use of such expressions without considering the social context is not regarded to be polite. </p><p>　　The Politeness Principle of a culture is not absolute. It is observed to a certain degree. The actu

50、al politeness realization is constrained by the speech activity type. We have said that westerners value Quality Maxim to a higher level than Modesty Maxim, but it does not mean that Westerners are conceited. In some act

51、ivities they also value Modesty Maxim. [11]</p><p>　　Social distance can be seen as another composite of psychological factors which together determine the overall respectfulness within a context. In other w

52、ords, if you feel close to a person, because the person is related to you or you know him/her well or you two are similar in terms of age, social class, occupation, sex, etc. Then you feel less needed to employ politenes

53、s strategy in making a request than you would if you were making the same request to a complete stranger. </p><p>　　The appropriateness of language partly means the appropriateness of the Politeness Principl

54、e. The application of the Politeness Principle should be in line with the circumstances to define the polite level and way to express according to various relationship and occasion. </p><p>　　3.2.1 Tact Maxi

55、m</p><p>　　Tact maxim means to minimize cost to other and maximize benefit to other. It also means what methods the writer uses to reach his goal during writing communication. Leech thinks that this maxim is

56、 first important, and is a universal maxim to lead people to make a successful conversation.</p><p>　　Tact maxim is often widely used in business English correspondence .it's very important to know how t

57、o be proficient in tact maxim well during business activity and communication. To make the language polite, we must take social factors into consideration. Sometimes, it is polite in this circumstance, but it may be not

58、in another circumstance. </p><p>　　A. Should you desire, we would be pleased to send you catalogs together with export prices and estimated shipping costs for these items.</p><p>　　B. We should

59、be obliged if you would let us have some names and addresses of likely importers of good standing from your customers, together with brief credit reports on them. </p><p>　　Finally, according to the above me

60、ntioned, tact maxim actually can be summarized as: Minimize the cost to other; maximize the benefit to other.</p><p>　　Using language tactfully means to use it politely. Business letters should, depend on ci

61、rcumstances, adopt appropriate language, neither being offensive nor artificial, and keeps business communication going on in a harmonious atmosphere.</p><p>　　3.2.2 Generosity Maxim</p><p>　　Th

62、e main content of Generosity maxim is minimizing benefits to self and maximizing cost to self. In business English, this maxim is manifested by adopting more "other attitude" and less "self attitude".

63、 Many westerners pay much attention to the attitudes of writers. So, we must put the receiver into our heart when writing a letter. We must consider his hope, difficulty, background, feeling and possible response to the

64、letter, etc. Then we deal with the things and expand the other's interest as m</p><p>　　e.g.: We are sending the samples to you by Air Express.</p><p>　　This sentence is correct and the rece

65、iver can accept. While if we changed it as this: We are rushing the samples to you by Air Express. Although we only have changed one word, the writer has obviously considered the other party's interest and expanded o

66、urselves' cost. </p><p>　　e.g.: Call me in the evening between 8 and 10. </p><p>　　This sentence is completely tend to consider the own benefit. Its meaning is that "I am not free in ot

67、her time, if you want to phone me, only between 8 and 10 in the evening. If it's changed into like this: I'm so pleased to have called me in the evening between 8 and 10. In this way, we can not only express our

68、idea, but also greatly reduces the cost of self.</p><p>　　e.g.:” We have many different kinds of high-heel shoe at the China's Autumn Export Commodities Fair."</p><p>　　There is no mist

69、ake from the point of grammar, and also it brings a good fact. But the only defect is that it emphasizes more on himself but not on the receiver. If we change it into another way, which likes that "You can have a wi

70、de choice of a very good selection of winter clothes at the China's Autumn Export Commodities Fair. " That not only emphasizes that the exporter have a variety of winter clothes, so that the importer will have w

71、ide choice, but also the interest of the receiver. Meanwhi</p><p>　　From the above examples, we can safely say, "other attitude" is better than "self attitude ". It always takes other'

72、;s benefit into consideration first, and meanwhile can also deliver its idea clearly.</p><p>　　3.2.3 Approbation Maxim</p><p>　　Approbation maxim refers to minimize dispraise of other and maximi

73、ze praise of other. In other words, when someone states or advocates a certain thing or opinion, we should not give the opposite one, that’s called "approbation". This is also a maxim we need pay great attentio

74、n to in letter writing. </p><p>　　Approbation maxim always considers others prior to self. And it is usually seen at the preparation of establishing the business relationship and discussing the details.</

75、p><p>　　e.g.: there is no doubt that we very much appreciate the support you have extended us in the past. </p><p>　　By using the phrase "There is no doubt" to exaggerate the appreciate o

76、f the receiver emphasize the significance of approbation.</p><p>　　3.2.4 Modesty Maxim</p><p>　　Modesty maxim is similar with approbation maxim. Generally, it means to minimize praise to self an

77、d maximize dispraise to self. Being modest when talking to other people is another maxim which can help developing business in letter writing.</p><p>　　e.g.:” Much as we would like to cooperate with you in,

78、we are afraid your quotation may much higher than other company.</p><p>　　In this sentence，the beginning is showing the writer’s modest. And the phrase “We are afraid “also shows the writer’s requirement, th

79、at he hope the price can be cut, </p><p>　　In an indirect way</p><p>　　3.2.5 Agreement Maxim</p><p>　　Agreement maxim means to minimize disagreement between self and other and maxim

80、ize agreement between self and other .If we can stick to this maxim, our communication will continue smoothly. </p><p>　　Agreement maxim is used in assertive. When the two parties hold different opinions

81、 or need to deal with foreign trade disputes, applying this maxim can reduce the differences and achieve the other's approval. Thus the communication can continue to develop smoothly.</p><p>　　e.g.: We d

82、o not deny that the quality of CiXi bearing is slightly better, but the difference in price should, in no case, be as big as 10%.</p><p>　　This example proves obviously the fact that, the writer firstly expr

83、esses the acknowledgement of the quality of the seller's product, before the writer points out the receiver's unreasonable price. It expands the two parties' agreement. And its purpose wants to remove the obs

84、tacles in the communication as possibly as you can.</p><p>　　3.2.6 Sympathy Maxim</p><p>　　On one hand, Sympathy maxim means the listener or the receiver minimizes antipathy between self and oth

85、er, on the other hand, he always maximizes sympathy between self and other. Therefore, that can make the conversation harmonious.</p><p>　　Sympathy maxim like agreement maxim is also used in assertive. In bu

86、siness communication this maxim is often used to comfort the party, which is suffering lost, or hope to give the other party some help. And its function is reflected when replying to a party's complaints and claims.&

87、lt;/p><p>　　e.g.: We are most willing to compensate you for the shortage in quality as you required in your letter of May 4, by offering you an allowance of 10 percent.</p><p>　　In order to express

88、 the potential meaning of sympathy as possibly as you can ,using the phrase "be most wiling to " emphasizes the expect of compensating the other party hurriedly.</p><p>　　Leech analyses politeness

89、by the use of maxims. Each maxim has two sides of a problem: one is other-centered and the other is self-centered .The six maxims are often used in interpersonal communication. Within these six maxims, tact maxim is the

90、most basic maxim .It is used most widely. On the other hand, other five maxims are also very important .The approbation maxim: minimizing dispraise of other, maximizing praise of other influences the way we structure rep

91、resentatives. Broad speaking, the </p><p>　　4. Strategies of realizing the politeness principle in business correspondence writing</p><p>　　4.1 You attitude</p><p>　　In elementary t

92、erms, you-attitude involves the use of pronouns that do not project the writer, but focus on the reader. Avoid first person pronouns such as I, we and our; prefer the second person, and use you and your liberally.</p&

93、gt;<p>　　In a broader sense, the term you-attitude signifies a style of writing in which the communication is reader-centered. The writer has these questions in mind: Who are my readers? How did this transaction b

94、egin? What do they expect to gain from it? In other words, what’s in it for them? What questions will they want to rise? Audience awareness, as it is called, is one of the keys to successful communication.</p><

95、;p>　　An aphorism ascribed to former West German chancellor Willy Brandt says: “You may buy from me in your own language, but sell to me in mine.” This saying encapsulates a central principle in communication—the selle

96、r must put himself in the shoes of the buyer; the writer must see through the reader’s eyes. In communication studies, this is known as you-attitude. </p><p>　　The key is to maximize the benefit of the reade

97、r or show the care for the benefit of the reader so as to convey messages efficiently and promote transactions. However, because of the discrepancies among different kinds, “you attitude” is used with different skills. I

98、n the following four points, the difference will be discussed at lexis, syntax and passage levels.</p><p>　　The competitive correspondence focuses much on persuading the reader to act according to the writer

99、’s intentions. Therefore, when writing this kind of letters, writers should keep the needs of the reader in mind and try to persuade the reader with the benefits he/she can get. The tone should be natural, friendly and n

100、ice. </p><p>　　(1) Use second person pronoun “you” and highlight the benefits the reader can obtain.</p><p>　　E.g. we have been quite kind of your past-due account and must demand paymen