礼貌策略在商务信函中的运用.docx

礼貌策略在商务信函中的运用.docx

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礼貌策略在商务信函中的运用

毕业论文（设计）

论文（设计）题目：

礼貌策略在商务信函中的运用

（英文）TheApplicationofPolitenessStrategiesinBusinessCorrespondence

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Abstract

Politeness,asoneofmebasicneedsthatensuresuccessfulhumaninteraction,hasbeenenjoyinggreatpopularitywithsomefamousscholars.Englishbusinesscorrespondenceisoneofthebasicwaysofbusinesscommunication,whichfunctionsasnotonlyausefulmeanstoexchangeinformationbutalsoanimportanttooltobuildandenhancebusinessrelations,thusrequiresahighdegreeofpo1iteness.

ThispaperanalyzestherealizationandapplicationofpolitenessstrategiesinEnglishbusinesscorrespondences.BaseduponthetheoreticalframeworkofBrownandLevinson,thispaperstudieshowpolitenessstrategiesareappliedindifferenttypesofletters.Thestudypresentsananalysisoflexicon,tense,voice,andsyntax,etc.inEnglishbusinesslettersandemphasisonthemostfrequentlyusedpositiveandnegativestrategies.

Thispaperishelpfulforpeopletobetterusepolitenessstrategiesinbusinesscommunicationandimprovetheirwritingability.

Keywords：

businesscorrespondencepositivestrategynegativestrategy

摘要

礼貌现象作为确保人类成功交际的基本手段之一，引起了各大学者的广泛关注。

英文商务信函是商务交流的一种重要方式，不仅具有传递信息的功能，还担负着建立、加强业务联系重任，因此，对礼貌具有较高要求。

本文旨在分析英语商务信函中礼貌及其策略的实现和使用，在布朗和列文森的礼貌策略理论的框架下本文就英语商务信函的礼貌策略进行了研究，从词、时态、语态和句法等语言角度，分析了使用最为频繁的积极礼貌策略和消极礼貌策略。

并希望该研究对于礼貌理论应用于书面文体的语用研究有所帮助。

本文有助于人们在商务沟通中更好的理解和运用礼貌策略来实现自己的意图，指导人们提高商务信函的写作能力。

关键词：

商业信函积极策略消极策略

Contents

2.1Anoverviewofpoliteness2

2.1.1Lakoff’sviewonpoliteness2

2.1.2Leech’spolitenessprinciple2

2.2.1Definitionofbusinesscorrespondence3

2.2.2ClassificationofEnglishbusinesscorrespondence4

.III.TheApplicationofPolitenessStrategiesinBusinessCorrespondence5

3.1Positivepolitenessstrategies5

3.1.1Theapplicationofpositivepolitenessstrategiesinbusinessletters6

3.2Negativepolitenessstrategies9

I.Introduction

Eventhoughpolitenessisprevalentinourdailylife,itisstillhardtodefineinthelinguisticfield.Infact,politenessisnotonlyawaytoconveyinformation,butalsoanimportantmeanstobuildandmaintainsocialrelationshipsincommunication.

Lakoffthinksthatpolitenessisusedfor“reaffirmingandstrengtheningrelationships”.AccordingtoLakoff,“Politenessisasystemofinterpersonalrelationsdesignedtofacilitateinteractionbyminimizingthepotentialforpolitenessandconfrontationinherentinallhumaninterchange”（Lakoff:

ThelogicofPoliteness1973,P39）.Leechdefinespolitenessfromtheperspectivesidesandproposesthatitisusedtocreateandmaintainharmoniousinteractions.BrownandLevinsonconsiderpolitenessastheformofbehaviorthatallowscommunicationtotakeplaceamongpotentiallyaggressivepartners.Alltheabovedefinitionscontributetoexplaintheessenceofpoliteness.Simplyspeaking,politenessisasetofpatternstoshowtheconsiderationforothersandtoachieveharmonyincommunication.

Businesscorrespondence,asabasicmeansofbusinesscommunication,playsavitalroleineconomicactivities.Itisaneffectivewaytoexchangeinformationsoastobuildupandmaintainharmoniousbusinessrelationships.Withoutbusinesscorrespondence,businessactivitiescannotgoonsmoothly.Withtheglobalizationofworldeconomy,andthepopularityoftheInternet,Englishbusinesscorrespondencesincludenotonlytraditionallettersbutalsoemailsandfacsimileswhichiswidelyused.

Theapplicationofpolitenessstrategiesisgoingtobeanalyzed,mainlybasedonthePolitenessPrincipleofLeechandtheFaceofTheoryofBrown&LevinsoninEnglishbusinesscorrespondence.

II.AnoverviewofpolitenessandEnglishbusinesscorrespondence

2.1Anoverviewofpoliteness

2.1.1Lakoff’sviewonpoliteness

LakoffisconsideredbyFraserasthefirsttoapplyGrice'sCooperativePrincipletotheexplanationofpolitenessfromconversational-maximpointofview.Lakoffviewedpolitenessasadevicewhichwasusedtoreduceoravoidfrictionimpersonalinteraction,andlaterreformulatestherulesofpolitenessasfollows：

①Formality：

keepaloof

②Deference：

giveoptions

③Camaraderie：

showsympathy

AccordingtoLakoff,thedegreeofpolitenessdependsonthespeaker'sassessmentofcertainsituations.Onformaloccasions，thespeakershouldavoidputtinganyimpositiononthereaderandshouldbeinaccordancewithsocialnorminhisbehaviortomaintaintheformalatmosphere.Lakoffviewspolitenessasavoidanceofoffenseandalubricatorincommunicationtokeepharmoniousrelationsbetweenthewriterandthereader.Herrulesofpolitenessareagreatleapinpolitenessresearch.

2.1.2Leech’spolitenessprinciple

Leechmakesgreatcontributionstotheresearchonpoliteness.Basedonthespeech-acttheoryofAustinandScarleandthetheoryofconversationalimplicatureofGrice，LeechproposedaseriesofmaximsunderPolitenessPrinciple：

（1）TactMaxim：

Minimizecosttootherandmaximizebenefittoother

（2）GenerosityMaxim：

Minimizebenefittoself

（3）ModestyMaxim：

Minimizepraiseofselfandmaximizedispraiseofself

（4）ApprobationMaxim：

Minimizedispraiseofotherandmaximizepraiseofother

（5）AgreementMaxim：

minimizedisagreementbetweenselfandotherandmaximizedispraiseofself

（6）sympathyMaxim：

Minimizeantipathybetweenselfandotherandmaximizesympathybetweenselfandother.

2.1.3BrownandLevinson’sviewonpoliteness

BrownandLevinson（1987）areshowingthatindividual'sself-esteem（face）motivatesstrategiesofpoliteness.Theybelievetheconceptofuniversalsignificanceasthefaceofsocialself-image.Thefaceisinordertomeetthesocialinteractionofideasandhope.Facesofdifferentrequirementsofbothsidesofcommunicationaredividedintopositivefaceandnegativeface.Thepositivefaceisthewanttomakeone’spublicself-imageaccepted,appreciated,understood,andratifiedbyothers,beingthoughtofasanormal,contributingmemberofsociety.Astoanegativeface,eachone’sself-imageisexpectedtobefreefromimpositionanddistraction,unimpededbyothersandthewantofindependenceandfreedomofactionistobeguaranteedwithinone’sownterritory.Thefaceisextremelyfragile,andisoftensubjecttocertainactsofinfringement.Essentiallyagainstthefaceofthespeechact,BrownandLevinsoncalledthethreattofacebehavior（face-threateningacts,referredtoasFTAs）.Therefore,itisincommunicationinordertopreservetheirfacewhichwillstrive,toshowconsiderationforothersface-savingmeansofpolitenessstrategiesbyBrownandLevinson,PolitenessStrategiesforthecorrectionofactsofthreatsfaceisdividedintofive:

（1）baldonrecord

（2）positivepolitenessstrategy（3）negativepolitestrategies（4）off-record（5）（notdoingtheFTAs）,bothsideswanttoachievethegoalofcommunicationwitheachotherconstantlyvaluationoftheriskoflosingfaceaccordingtothesizeofthepotentialriskofagainsteachother’sfacetoselecttheappropriatepolitenessstrategies.

2.2.1Definitionofbusinesscorrespondence

Businesscorrespondenceistheactofexchangingletters.Generallyspeaking,businesscorrespondencecanbedefinedasthecorrespondenceusedinbusinesstransaction.Asoneofthemostpopularmeansofcommunicationinbusinessactivities,businesscorrespondenceplaysanirreplaceableroleinthefulfillmentofbusinesstransaction.

2.2.2ClassificationofEnglishbusinesscorrespondence

Therearemanyclassificationsofbusinesscorrespondence,whichmaycatertodifferentpurposeandaims.Here,somecommonwaysofclassificationarepresentedasfollows:

1.Classificationaccordingtothecontentoftheletter:

requestletters,lettersreplyingtorequests,lettersforclaimandcomplaint,creditenquiryletters,salesletters,applicationletters,employmentlettersandsocialbusinessletters,etc.

2.Classificationaccordingtodifferentfunctionsintheprocessofabusinesstransaction:

lettersforestablishmentofbusinessrelations,lettersfortheenquiry,lettersforcounter-offer,orderingletters,lettersforpaymentandL／C,shipmentandinsuranceletters,lettersforconclusionofadeal,acknowledginggoodsreceiptletters,claimletters,etc.

3.Leech’sstatementsonillocutionaryactsareusedasthebasisfortheclassificationofbusinessletters.AsLeechsuggestedthatillocutionaryactsaredividedintofourcategories:

competitive,convivial,collaborative,andconflictive.

2.3Therelationshipbetweenpolitenessstrategiesandbusinesscorrespondence

Inwritingbusinessletters,politenessstrategiesandcourteouslanguagecountalotforeffectivebusinesstransactions.Itprovestobeusefultoensureeffectiveexchangeofinformationandsuccessfulestablishmentormaintenanceofsocialrelationshipinthebusinesscircle.Awriterofbusinesscorrespondenceusuallywritesondefinitepurposeandtothespecificreader.Toreachanintendedgoal,thewritershouldbearthereader'sneedsandexpectationsinmindandwriteinapoliteway.Actually,areaderwhoneedsexpectationsmaybeignoredtocooperate,ortothinkfavorablyofthewriteraswellasthecompanyororganizationheorsherepresents.Asaresult,thewritingofthebusinessletterwilldefinitelyturnouttobeafailure.Thestrategieswhichusedtoavoidimpolitenessshouldbeahighlypriorityinbusinesscorrespondences.

Eventhoughthereisnoreasontoassumethatbusinesscommunicationismorepolitethananyothercommunications,thegoal-orientednatureofthiscommunicationsuggeststhattheavoidanceofimpolitenessshouldbeahighprioritytobusinesscorrespondence.Thepurposeofapplyingpoli