英语本科毕业论文-On the Politeness Principle in the Communication of Business English.doc

ba dissertationon the politeness principle in the communication of business english ba candidate: supervisor: west anhui university april, 2012 acknowledgmentshere i avail myself of this opportunity to express my heartfelt gratitude to all those who have helped me in the course of writing this paper.first, i would like to thank my dear supervisor, mr. li, for his constant encouragement and guidance. he has walked me through all the stages of the writing of this dissertation. he has offered me valuable ideas, suggestions and criticism with the profound knowledge in his research experience. without his consistent and illuminating instruction, this dissertation would never come to its present form. second, i would like to express my heartfelt gratitude to all the teachers who educated and cultivated me to be a qualified teacher in the future in the past four years.finally, my thanks would go to my beloved family for their loving considerations and great confidence in me all through these years. i also owe my sincere gratitude to my friends and my fellow classmates who gave me their help and time in listening to me and helping me work out my problems during the difficult course of the thesis.abstract this thesis aims to make a comprehensive analysis toward the politeness principle in business english based on its definition, culture, examples and so on. with the development of global economy, the international business between different countries becomes extremely common. at the same time, we have to deal with all kinds of situations during our process of transactions with foreign countries. among those matters, communicating and behaving well play an indispensable part. so, if we want to bring a brighter future to our foreign trade situation and make our relationships with other countries go well, we have to pay attention to the politeness principles of business english. when communicating with others, politeness principle should be used to restrict behavior. in the same way, politeness plays an important role in communicating and dealing with foreign people between different countries. if the politeness can be well-used, it means we have succeeded half. this paper, i also would like to talk about some details on the politeness principles in business english communication and pick up some abstract reasons which truly influence it. on one hand, some specific examples must be given out. for instance, how to behave properly when having dinner; what to say for the first time before meeting; how to send a business card to the person talking with you; and what to do when get gifts from other people. on the other hand, reasons also should be listed out, i will analyze them from culture perspective which includes language, education, religion, value. all in all, the most important goal to write this paper is to help people understand the importance of politeness principle in business communication better, to use it much suitably, and lastly to make our international commercial develop healthier and better smoothly.key words: business english； politeness principle； influential factor 摘要 本篇论文旨在基于对商务英语中的礼貌原则的定义说明，文化背景分析和实例阐述等相关方面做出的具有综合概括性的分析论文。随着国际经济的发展，不同国家间的国际贸易变得异常频繁。而与此同时，我们不得不着手处理在国际贸易发生过程中的各种相关事务。在那些事务之中，在贸易过程与外国友人交流好和举止行为占据了不可小觑的一部分。因此，我们要想发展好我国的对外国际贸易并同不同国家间保持良好的国际关系，我们就不得不在商务英语中的礼貌原则上多加注意。当和别人交谈的时候，礼貌是用来限制我们的行为和约束我们的举止的。它在同外国人交流和行为举止上起着很重要的作用。如果我们在与外国友人相处过程中足够礼貌且行为举止非常得体，那么可以说我们在国际贸易中已经成功了一半。在这篇论文当中，我想谈论一些在商务英语交往中的有关礼貌原则的具体细节并指出影响它们的具体的原因。一方面，一些具体的实例必须要被提出,比如说，在吃饭的时候怎么样举止得当；怎么样正确的递交名片给和你交流的人；当收到礼物的时候又该做什么样的反应。另一方面，那些影响这些东西的因素也不得不提出来。我不光光会从国内和国外来分析，更会从文化这个大的方面来分析。其中，分化层面就包括了诸如语言，宗教，教育，价值观这些方面。总而言之，写这篇论文最重要的目的还是为了帮助人们更好地理解礼貌原则在商务英语交往中的重要性，并且更加得当得运用，以便最终促使我们的国际贸易更加健康和顺利地发展。关键词：商务英语；礼貌原则；具体事例；影响因素contentsacknowledgments.iiabstract (english version).iiiabstract (chinese version).vcontents viichapter i introduction1chapter ii a general study of business english为何题目还是和内容不符？22.1 two theories on politeness principle 3 2.1.1 grices cooperative principle 3 2.1.2 leechs theory of pp42.2 illustrations of the two theories 4 2.2.1 illustrations of cp 5 2.2.2 illustrations of pp 6chapter iii 到底是要谈礼貌原则的差异，还是谈如何在商务交际中合理运用礼貌原则？the root reason for different politeness principal8 3.1 definition of culture83.2 language 93.3 education113.4 religion 133.5 value 14chapter iv example and tacts on politeness principle 164.1 examples of politeness principles164.1 some specific tacts in using 18chapter v conclusion 22bibliography 23chapter i introductionwith the development of global economy, international business has become much more and more important than before. especially today, a country without international trade means no competition at all. while, a terrific image in the first time will make it half done.through reviewing the whole scene of the whole world, it tells us how important to behave well and politely. how to behave politely and suitably is essential for everyone involved in international business. now that english is an international language, it as a basic tool of communication for us to exchange information in business affairs is quite important for us. also，politeness principle in inter-communication plays a very important role in developing relationships, cooperating with partners, and dealing with trading affairs. so, to pay much more attention to politeness principle is necessary and urgent. this paper which by searching for the definition, popular theory put forward by some scholars and some specific examples, males us have a general image toward to the politeness principle of business english. and under which, we can also have a better understanding of the root reason of the different politeness in different countries. chapter ii a general study of business english xxi politeness is an universal phenomenon in human society. and business english is a kind of international matter happened in every country. first, it is english; second, it is such a kind of english that is used in business affairs. the above sentence is the simplest and most traditional way to explain it. however, it is a very complicated thing in many aspects. it should be related with trade and commerce between different countries for it is used in business. as we all know that politic, economy and military are the the most important parts in a countrys development. in other words, economy is fatal to a countrys further development, while, in which the international business can not be ignored. for a country, efforts must be done to promote economy both inside and outside country, among which includes setting of tariffs, developing friendly relationships with other countries, improving international business environment, strengthening trade and investment policy, developing markets in foreign countries and some other things. through the above text, we have an understanding on international business. now, what we should do is to focus on the politeness principles. for every person, one has his own background in terms of culture. so, foreigners from other countries must also mean some different things for us. person-to-person communication and contact will help us do much better if we try hard in understanding politeness principles better. after having a general study of business english, now, i will introduce something from theoretical perspective. they are grices cooperative principle and leechs theory of pp respectively. 2.1 two theories on politeness principle 2.1.1 grices cooperative principle american linguist h. paul. grice gives us the definition of cooperative principle, which is makes your conversational contribution such as is require, at the stage at which it occurs, but the accepted purpose of direction of the talk exchange in which you are engaged. grice gives out four conversational maxims: the maxim of quantity: make your contribution as formative as required; do not make your contribution more than required. the maxim of quality: do not say what you believe to be false; do not say that for which you lack of evidence the maxim of relevance: make your contribution relevant the maxim of manner: be perspicuous, and specifically: i) avoid ambiguity ii) avoid obscurity iii) be brief iv) be orderly. ( grice, 1975, cited in celce-murcia & olshtain, 2000-22-23). 2.1.2 leechs theory of pp leech elaborates politeness in his book principles of pragmatics from grices cooperative principle. he claims that the cp is insufficient to explain the indirectness in conversation, and the pp can be seen not just as another principle to be added to the cp, but as its necessary complement, which rescue the cp. in pp theory, there are six parts in all, they are respectively: tact maxim, generosity maxim, approbation maxim, modesty maxim, agreement maxim and sympathy maxim. tact maximminimize the expression of beliefs which imply cost to other, maximize the expression of beliefs which imply benefit to other. generosity maximminimize the expression of benefit to self, maximize the expression of cost to self. approbation maximminimize the expression of benefits which express dispraise of other, maximize the expression of beliefs which express approval other. other may not be the person directly addressed, but someone or something dear to him or her. modesty maximminimize the expression of praise self, maximize the expression of dispraise of self agreement maximminimize the expression of disagreement between self and other, maximize the expression of agreement between self and other. sympathy maxim.minimize the expression of detest of other, maximize the expression of sympathy of other. by learning the two theories, we can know a little about the meaning of politeness principle based on the theoretical and pragmatical perspective. now, i will give some examples related with politeness principle in business english communication. 2.2 illustrations of the two theories 2.2.1 illustrations of cp here are two examples: (1) micheal: where is tom?bob: he has gone to supermarket. he said when he left. in this conversation, the first part of the answer is enough to the question, but more information is provided by adding the second part. so, it violates the quantity maxim and maybe hint that he is not quite sure whether tom has gone to the supermarket. (2) a: did you have dinner? b: i am going to school. in this conversation, we can easily get that bs answer is irrelevant to as question. it violates the relation maxim. if somebody ask one whether he or she has dinner or not, the replier should tell the asker the specific and related information. 2.2.2 illustrations of pplets have a look at the following conversations:(1) mike: hey, tom, do you like the drink i picked out for you ? tom: a. not really b. its french, isnt it ? c. yes, i do in this conversation, there are three answers to the question. but the third answer is the most polite one. because the second one dont answer the speakers topic which is the drinks taste rather than its place. however it is more polite than the first one. because not really is a kind of direct negative answer. so, usually we will use the third answer, and it reflects the approbation maxim in pp. (2) jake: lilys dress are very beautiful. atrist: a. yes, it is. b. no, i dont think so. c. it is just ok, not very beautiful. in this conversation, the first answer reflects atrist agree jakes opinion for the most. the third one just agree for part of it. and the second one disagree totally. minimize the expression of disagreement between self and other, maximize the expression of agreement between self and other. influenced by leechs pp, we should use the first answeryes, it is. chapter iii the root reason of different politeness principle- culture 3.1 definition of culture culture as we know existed in every nation. it gives an individual an anchoring point, an identity, as well as codes of conduct. some define it as communicable knowledge, and some as the sum of historical achievements produced by mans social life. some divide culture into three aspects which are high culture, common culture and deep culture respectively. among them, the high culture means philosophy, literature, art, religion, and so on; the common culture means those customs and lifestyles formed in long-term social interaction; the deep culture means peoples value, aesthetic taste, way of thinking, morality and so on. while, all these definitions have some common elements: culture is learned, shared, and transmitted from one generation to another generation. culture is primarily passed from parents to children but also transmitted by social organizations, special interest groups, the government, the school, and churches. all in all, culture can be definitely defined as an integrated system of learned behavior patterns that are characteristic of the members of any given society. it included everything that a group thinks, says, does,and makes-its customs, language, material artifacts, and shared systems of attitudes and feelings. every person is turned into a particular culture, learning the right way of doing things. so, when we refer international business, multicultural problems must occur. because one person en-cultured in one culture has to adjust to another one. the process of adjusting and adapting to a specific culture other than ones own is the key to success in international business. now, i will analysis three smaller reasons which influence and reflect culture. 3.2 language language has been described as the mirror of culture. at the same time, language itself is multidimensional by nature. this is true not only of the spoken word but also of what can be called the nonverbal language of international business. messages are conveyed by the words , by how the words are spoken, and through nonverbal means such as gestures, body position, and eye contact. different countries may have different understanding toward the same phrase, such as: yellow book. usually, in china, almost everybody will think of the pornographic book, in fact, the western country have a common book named yellow book which is just a kind of scheduled book or some important report. people call it yellow book for its cover is yellow. or some other cases, for example, when we heard blue in some dialogues, it means the speaker is quite disappointed. rather than just a kind of description of color. in china, the words expressing relatives can ranged from one class to another class, and it is different for male and female, as well as young and old, all of these are originated from chinese feudal patriarchal system and chinese popular culture concept of family. however, many vague appellation used in english just reflect such a kind of phenomenon that englands equal treatment of kinship. there always are some inner links between language and culture for it is treated as the carrier of culture. for example, there are many words reflecting complexity and professional; the words related with plants and animals are usually familiar with by many people in primitive society. except for the above examples, there are also some other examples. as the above mentioned, nonverbal language includes many forms: gesture, body position, and eye contact and so on. different people living in different districts own different customs. some even are just the opposite meaning. for example, arabs and latin americans like to stand close to people when they talk. if an american, who may not be comfortable at such close range, backs away from an arab, this might be understood as a kind of unfriendly reaction. northern europeans are quite reserved in using their hands and maintaining a good amount of personal space, whereas southern european involves their bodies to a far greater degree in making a point. language can reflects some kind of perception and awareness a culture reflects to the whole world, looking through language, we can see a nations colorful culture. language is marked with nations characteristics and becomes the most classical symbol of a nation. 3.3 education education, no matter formal or informal, it always plays a major role in the passing on and sharing of culture. educational levels of a culture can be assessed by literacy ates, enrollment in secondary education, or enrollment in higher education available from secondary data sources. in international business, it is also important. for instance, international firms need to know about the qualitative aspects of education, namely, varying emphases on particular skills and the overall level of the education provided. for example, japan and south korea, emphasize the sciences, especially engineering, to a greater degree than do western countries. different education experience one accepts decide different reflection toward the same thing or situation. usually, in china, we shake hands every time when we meet some important female for the firs