关于合作原则在商务英语中的应用 英文

1、唐 山 学 院毕 业 论 文论文题目：从礼貌原则视角谈被动语态在商务信函中的运用 系 别： 外语系 班 级： 07英本(2)班 姓 名： 王杨 指 导 教 师： 罗莎 2011年6月a study on the application of passive voice in business correspondence from the perspective of politeness principlestudent: wang yangsupervisor: luo shadepartment of foreign languagestangshan collegejune, 2011

2、从礼貌原则视角谈被动语态在商务信函中的运用 摘 要随着经济全球化的进一步发展，商务信函对于促进各国之间的经济交流与合作发挥着越来越重要的作用。因此，越来越多的学者和企业家对商务信函中使用的各种原则及策略的研究也不断深入。本论文主要从礼貌原则视角分析研究被动语态在英语商务信函中的运用，基于商务信函写作中所使用的各种礼貌策略，通过对商务信函具体案例的分析，探讨被动语态对商务信函中各方实现谈判目标所起到的重要作用。谈判者能够通过在商务信函中运用被动语态实现其谈判的目的，获得更多的利益。因此，在商务信函中，各方应充分、正确地运用礼貌原则指导下的被动语态。本论文通过从礼貌原则视角分析被动语态在英语商务信

3、函中的应用，旨在丰富商务信函谈判中礼貌策略的研究，对礼貌原则指导下被动语态在商务信函中的实际应用具有重要的指导作用，因此，具有重要的理论和实践意义。关键词：商务信函 礼貌原则 策略 a study on the application of passive voice in business correspondence from the perspective of politeness principleabstractwith the further development of economic globalization, business correspondence has pl

4、ayed a more and more important role in promoting economic communication and cooperation of all countries. thus more and more profound study of all kinds of principles and strategies used in business correspondence has been made by more and more scholars and businessmen.this thesis mainly analyzes an

5、d studies the application of passive voice in english business correspondence from the perspective of politeness principle. based on different strategies of politeness in business correspondence, it studies the important functions of passive voice in helping negotiating parties achieve their goals t

6、hrough the concrete case analysis in business correspondence. negotiators can, by applying passive voice under the guidance of politeness principle in business correspondence, realize the negotiating goals and obtain more benefits. thus, negotiating parties should make full and concrete use of passi

7、ve voice under the guidance of politeness principle in business correspondence.through analyzing the application of passive voice in english business correspondence from the perspective of politeness principle, this thesis aims at enriching the study of different strategies used in business correspo

8、ndence and has a guiding function for the actual use of passive voice under the guidance of leechs six maxims in business correspondence. so this thesis has a theoretical and practical significance for business correspondence.key words: business correspondence; politeness principle; strategiesconten

9、tsintroduction.1part i a brief introduction to business correspondence21.1 writing principles of business correspondence .21.2 classification of business correspondence.4part ii an overview of politeness principle .62.1 definition of politeness.62.2 the development of politeness principle.62.3 the s

10、ix maxims of politeness principle.72.4 strategies of realizing politeness .8part iii application of politeness principle within passive voice in business correspondence.103.1 application of tact maxim.103.2 application of generosity maxim.113.3 application of approbation maxim.113.4 application of m

11、odest maxim123.5 application of agreement maxim133.6 application of sympathy maxim.13conclusion.15acknowledgements.16notes.17bibliography.18唐 山 学 院 毕 业 论 文introductionin recent years, with the development of economy, business correspondence has become more and more important, and more and more peopl

12、e begin to realize its importance. business correspondence, as a basic means of business communication, plays a vital role in economic activities. it is an effective way to exchange information, build up and maintain harmonious business relationships. without business correspondence, business activi

13、ties cannot go smoothly. with the globalization of world economy, the popularity of the internet, english business correspondence, including not only traditional letters but also emails and facsimiles, is widely used. consequently, how to write different kinds of business correspondence appropriatel

14、y and tactfully and which politeness strategy is to be adopted in business correspondence so as to realize the maximization of profit and achieve other preplanned goals have been arresting the interest of scholars both at home and abroad.among all the politeness strategies studied in writing busines

15、s correspondence, passive voice is one of the most important one, which is proved to be very useful and effective for the construction of friendly, harmonious and comfortable business relationships.this thesis is divided into three parts. the first part presents a general introduction to business co

16、rrespondence, the second part is a brief review of the politeness principle and introduces some strategies of realizing politeness, the third part, with the help of six vivid examples, further studies the application of passive voice in business correspondence from the perspective of politeness prin

17、ciple so as to set valuable examples, and at the same time, offer some profitable suggestions for both parties.part i a brief introduction to business correspondenceas this world is becoming closely integrated, communication between all countries has been more and more frequent especially economic c

18、ommunication. with the development of economy and the prosperity of trade, business correspondence, as a means of economic negotiation, has become more and more important, and more and more people begin to realize its importance. so how to write business correspondence appropriately and tactfully ap

19、pears extremely vital.1.1 writing principles of business correspondencebusiness correspondence is the written communication between two parties, a means through which views are expressed and ideas or information is communicated in written form in the process of business activities. the principles of

20、 business writing are summarized by eight cs: consideration, conciseness, correctness, courtesy, clarity, completeness, concreteness and credibility.a. considerationconsideration focuses on the reader instead of the writer, and it conveys the information that the most important person in the corresp

21、ondence is the reader. you-centered writing is the key to successful business. effective writers can make the reader believe that the reader plays the most important role in the business correspondence-in the business relationship.in most business situations, the reader and writer have something to

22、gain and lose. focusing on the readers benefit shows that the writer has considered the situation from the readers point of view. the reader feels less threatened and responds better if they feel that the writer understands their needs.b. concisenessconciseness means ommiting unnecessary words and e

23、xpressions so that the correspondence gets to the main point directly and effectively, which can save a lot of time for both the writer and the reader. a concise message saves a lot of time and expense for both the sender and the receiver. avoiding wordiness means using the fewest number of words po

24、ssible to express the writers ideas. the benefits of avoiding wordiness are: the reader can see the writers ideas easily and the main point stands out. conciseness contributes to emphasis by eliminating unnecessary words.c. correctnesscorrectness means giving accurate facts and figures and using the

25、 correct level of language, using acceptable writing mechanics and applying to correct all other c qualities.correctness is achieved by using formal language for scholar works, top level government documents and legal documents and by using informal language for letters, reports, and other business

26、communication. bear in mind that “informal” does not mean slang. the idea is to use everyday, natural speech. avoid using words that will insult the reader. the key is to communicate clearly, not to make the reader think the writer is clever and smart.d. courtesycourtesy means being sincerely tactfu

27、l, thoughtful and appreciative, omitting expressions that irritate, hurt, or belittle the reader.a truly courteous person who sincerely respects people is thoughtful of their feelings, and honestly tries to help them. in his/her writing, he/she is tactful instead of being abrupt or blunt.avoid quest

28、ionable humor, especially when it is sarcastic. never put the reader down with belittling statements and omit irritating expressions.e. clarityclarity means being clear by choosing short and conversational language, constructing effective sentences and paragraphs and being straight-forward. the writ

29、er had better avoid using jargon and buzz words so as to achieve appropriate readability.f. completenesscompleteness means answering all questions asked so that the writer accomplishes his/her goal in one letter without needing following letter. it also means giving all necessary information. when t

30、he message is complete, it first contains all facts the reader needs. to complete massages are more likely to bring the desired responds without the expense of additional messages. second, it can do good to build goodwill. third, it can help avoid costly lawsuits that may result if important informa

31、tion is missingg. concretenessconcreteness means using specific facts and figures. there are many ways to achieve concreteness, such as using specific facts and figures, using specific words, using strong verbs, choosing vivid, image-building words and so on.h. credibilityand credibility means being

32、 honest and fair in all business dealings. it means being ethical and honest, avoiding exaggeration, giving credit, avoiding euphemisms that cause doubt and confusion, avoiding withholding facts the reader needs to accomplish his/her goals, being fair and balanced by presenting pros and cons, and ke

33、eping confidential matters private and not spreading gossip.apparently, as a tool for communication, business correspondence conveys the writers views and ideas and plays an important role in business activities. keeping the eight cs in mind is of great help to the successful writing of business cor

34、respondence.1.2 classification of business correspondencebusiness correspondence may be classified from various perspectives. the most commonly used ways of classification are as follows:according to the contents of the letter, the business correspondence can be classified into request letters, lett

35、ers answering requests, claim and adjustment letters, credit inquiry and collection letters, sales letters, employment letters, social business letters and so on.according to the functions in the process of a business traction of the letter, business correspondence can be grouped into quotation lett

36、ers, negotiating letters, ordering letters, confirming ordering letters, payment letters, shipment and insurance letters, claim letters, adjustment letters and so on.according to the nature of the information given, business correspondence can be divided into good news letters, neutral news letters,

37、 bad news letters and persuasive letters.according to leechs categorizations of illocutionary acts, business letters are classified into four categories, competitive letters, convivial letters, collaborative letters and conflictive letters. 1competitive letters includes persuasive letters, such as l

38、etters of request, collection and sales, which aims at persuading the reader to do something accordingly. so in fact, it is impolite. however, this impoliteness can be shifted into politeness if the persuading skills are available. generally speaking, letters of approval, appreciation and invitation

39、 belong to convivial letters which aim at establishing favorable business relationships with the counter party through exchanging beneficial information.collaborative letters refer to letters of inquiry, offer, confirmation, notification, recommendation, instruction and directions. the messages thes

40、e letters deliver are usually neutral news. and conflictive letters conclude letters of refusal, claims, adjustments, counter-offer and so on, which, if not written skillfully, may lead to a conflict or even ruin the bilateral cooperative relationships.when dealing with different types of business c

41、orrespondence, the writer needs to consider which it belongs to and then adopts relevant methods and strategies so that he/she can realize his/her goals.part ii an overview of politeness principlepoliteness which is best expressed as the practical application of good manners or etiquette is a techni

42、que of communication. and the goal of politeness is to make all of the parties relaxed and comfortable with one another. since people are living in different cultures, the understandings of politeness are different.2.1 definition of politenessthe concept of politeness is very important in verbal com

43、munication. on many occasions, our friendly relationship is established and maintained through polite use of language, and so are our daily affairs, including business activities. as for the definition of politeness, different linguists have different understandings.according to lakoff, politeness i

44、s a form of behavior developed in societies to reduce friction in personal interaction in society, and it is a universal phenomena. according to leech, politeness is a form of behavior to create and maintain harmonious interactions. according to brown and levinson, politeness is a form which allows

45、communication to take place between potentially aggressive partners. pan, y. says in 2000, politeness is the ideology of how human relationships are perceived and how an individual is related to others in a certain context.all in all, politeness is a quality of making peace with others, paying respe

46、ct to others and living friendly and harmoniously with others. in this highly competitive world, knowing what politeness is will not only help restrict our impolite behaviors in the business activities and tell us which words sound polite and could be used in business correspondence writing, but als

47、o help us better understand politeness principle.2.2 the development of politeness principleas a kind of communication skills, politeness plays an important role in peoples daily communication. it shows your attention to others face in a social interaction. long time ago, many linguists have propose

48、d their theories about politeness, among which leechs politeness principle is considered the most important.in 1983, based on brown and levinsons face-saving theory, j. leech proposed his politeness principle in the book “principles of pragmatics” which accounts for certain conversational behavior t

49、hat grices cooperative principle does not satisfactorily explain. in order to formulate the principle, leech made a very careful observation of peoples linguistic interaction. he finds that although in our interaction with others, we normally wish it to be conflict-free to satisfy one anothers needs

50、 and interests, we are very often faced with situations in which one has to lose, however minimally, for the other to win. in such cases, there is the danger of insult, and consequently, there may be a breakdown of communication, and good social relations will be difficult to establish and maintain,

51、 not to say, develop. leech suggests that while the cooperative principle regulates what we say, politeness principle maintains the social equilibrium and friendly relations, which enables us to assume that our speakers are being cooperative.this is especially true in business correspondence writing

52、. we are usually faced with bargaining, claim and failure. under those circumstances, if parties adopt the politeness principle, a lot of loss would be saved. therefore, here comes the necessity of politeness principle as the guidance of business correspondence writing. in order to make the politene

53、ss principle more concrete, leech also holds that it is possible to specify a number of general principles for being polite in social interaction within a particular culture.2.3 the six maxims of politeness principleaccording to geoffrey leech, there is a politeness principle with conversational max

54、ims similar to those formulated by paul grice. in 1983, leech brought forward six maxims: tact, generosity, approbation, modesty, agreement, and sympathy. the first and the second form a pair, so do the third and the forth. they are explained as follows:a. tact maximthe tact maxim states: minimize t

55、he expression of beliefs which imply cost to other; maximize the expression of beliefs which imply benefit to other. 2b. generosity maximleechs generosity maxim states: minimize the expression of beliefs that express or imply benefit to self; maximize the expression of beliefs that express or imply

56、cost to self. 3 unlike the tact maxim, the maxim of generosity focuses on the speaker, and says that others should be put first instead of the self.c. approbation maximthe approbation maxim states: minimize the expression of beliefs that express dispraise of other; maximize the expression of beliefs which express approval of other. 4 it is preferred to praise others and if this is impossible, to sidestep the issue, to give some sort of minimal response( possibly through the use of euphemisms), or to remain silent. the first part of the maxim avoids disagreement; the second part in