商务信函的文体特征

1、商务信函的文体特征 Stylistic Features of Business English Correspondence Abstract With the development of economic globalization, international trade has progressed rapidly in the whole world. The communication and contact of international trade between companies are becoming more and more frequent. Business

2、 letters, an actively operative means of communication used in international trade greatly, are acknowledged as a vital part of international business. It plays an important role in effective business communication. Therefore, the writer takes the “business letters” as the main topic, analyzing the

3、parts, format and roles of business letters and hoping to explore this subject from a business communication perspective, with particular emphasis on their stylistic features. This thesis consists of five chapters. Chapter one is the introduction to the thesis. In Chapter two, the writer expounds th

4、e basic theories on business letters, including the essentials of the business letter, covering its definition, parts, format, and roles. Chapter three presents a comprehensive stylistic analysis of business letters illustrated and supported by a great number of examples. This chapter probes into no

5、t only the general features, but also the lexical, syntactic and paragraphical features of business letters. Chapter Four informs the readers of the principles of business letter writing. The last chapter is conclusion. Key words: Business activity, Business Letters, Stylistic Features I Stylistic F

6、eatures of Business English Correspondence 摘要 随着经济全球化的快速发展, 国际商务贸易在全球范围内也进一步扩大，企业 间的贸易交流和沟通也越来越频繁。为了国际贸易的顺利进行和保证商务交流的高 效性，商务英语信函作为商务沟通和交流的一种手段，现已成为商务活动中重要的 组成部分，起着重要的作用。 因此, 本文选定 “商务英语信函”作为研究对象, 分析了其构成要素、格式、 作用等, 并着重从商务英语信函的文体特点来进行分析,使商务英语信函能够更加 有效的达到其交流和沟通的目的。 本文主要分成五个章节。第一章是引言部分，第二章简要的介绍了商务英语信 函的概

7、念、构成、 格式、作用等知识。第三章是本文论述重点。本章通过大量的 例子对商务英语信函的文体特点进行全面而细致的分析, 包括其商务英语信函的 词法特点、句法特点及段落特点。第四章主要论述了商务英语信函的整体写作原则 及礼貌委婉语气的准确把握。第五章是结论部分。 关键词：商务活动 商务信函 文体特点 II Stylistic Features of Business English Correspondence Contents Chapter 1 Introduction ? 1 Chapter 2 An Overview of Business Letters ? 2 2.1 Definit

8、ion of business letters ?2 2.2 Roles of business letters?2 2.3 Parts of business letters?3 2.4 Format of business letters ?6 Chapter 3 Stylistic Features of Business Letters? 7 3.1 General views on style?7 3.2 General stylistic features of business letters ?7 Lexical feature ?8 .1 Extensive use of f

9、amiliar words ?8 .2 Heavy use of abbreviations ?8 .3 Economy of words ?10 .4 Choosing positive words instead of negative words ? 11 Syntactical features ?13 .1 Sentence variety and sentence flow?13 .1.1 Sentence variety ?13 .1.1 Sentence flow?14 .2 Use of the active voice ?14 .3 Proper arrangement o

10、f a sentence?15 Paragraphical features?17 .1 Paragraph unity ?17 .2 Paragraph coherence ?17 Chapter 4 The Principles of Business Letter Writing ? 19 Chapter5 Conclusion ? 22 References? 23 Acknowledgements ? 24 III Stylistic Features of Business English Correspondence Chapter 1 Introduction With the

11、 continuous development and the integral progress of the global economy, the economic cooperation and exchanges in the whole world are also increasing continuously. Each letter we have sent to trading partners, stands for the image of our own company, and shows the level and the actual strength of t

12、he company. A good business letter can help promote and develop the relationship between our customers and us, therefore when we write business letters, we should obey strictly and use flexibility about the stylistic features in business letters, which are a generalization of writing stylistic featu

13、res in business letter. They are very crucial for writing a good letter. As we know, in the business activities, time and efficiency should be paid much attention to by all the businesspeople; with the purpose of improving the efficiency in our business contract. The direct purpose of writing the bu

14、siness letter well is to carry out effective communications and exchanges. Therefore, business letter writing always takes the “efficiency” and its conciseness and clarity as the major points, on the first position. Therefore in order to achieve business goals, the writer should learn and understand

15、 the stylistics of business letters, and it is very important for business activity. 1 Stylistic Features of Business English Correspondence Chapter 2 An Overview of Business Letters 2.1 Definition of business letters In economic society, every company must deal with business and communicate with va

16、riety of the publics such as sellers, buyers, suppliers, dealers, manufacturers, and customers. Considering different types of written communication, business letters are used as the basic means of business communication. For instance, business letters are written for information exchange and bridge

17、 over the desires between buyers and sellers; they deliver their companies images to the public. In the business operation, business letters are used frequently in many aspects. Thus, business letters may be defined as a media or means through which views are expressed and ideas or information is co

18、mmunicated in writing in the process of business activities. 曹菱 2 2.2 Roles of business letters In the modern society, business correspondence is still a basic activity involved in trade, and remains a very important form of communication. Business letters are vital in business activities and play a

19、n indispensable and essential role in a companys correspondence with others. If the companies want to expand their business and enhance sales, they must use business letters. With the development of electronics, however, people tend to use other tools instead of writing letters for the purpose of co

20、mmunication. Therefore, someone seems thinking that the significant role of business letters has been decreased. Nevertheless, according to the fact and the statistics, the business letter not only retains its importance on account of its unique role, but also is re-born in the form of e-mail and fa

21、x or some other forms. It can help the dealers maintain the harmonious relationships, create and maintain goodwill, expand their business. It is also considered as a useful record and effectively and strongly legal evidence; especially it is inexpensive and convenient. As a result, business letters,

22、 whatever form they may take, are still written greatly in international business and play a vital role in the development of goodwill and friendly trade relationships. 2 Stylistic Features of Business English Correspondence 2.3 Parts of business letters Business letters have basic parts, which have

23、 fitted regulation to let the writers obey. These parts are listed according to their order that they appear in business letters: letterhead, inside address, date line, salutation, body, complimentary close, and signature block. In business letters, the basic parts of business letters are very impor

24、tant parts. In general, an English business letter contains several basic parts 廖英24-26 : Letterhead This part usually contains certain information about the company that sent the letter. Such information may include: Trademarks and/or the name of the company, address post box , telephone No., Fax N

25、o., E-mail address etc. e.g. Chiwan Petroleum Supply base Chiwan, Shenzhen,China Tel: 678904 Oil Patch Tel: 453321 Fax : 5677 686004 Email: CUTTERSOHU Inside address The inside address of a letter is the recipients address. Usually this part will also include the recipients name, title or position,

26、department, and the name and the address of the company. e.g. Men&Co. 3 Stylistic Features of Business English Correspondence 234Eastcheap London, . Date Usually the date in a letter is the time that this letter was finished or sent . There are several ways to write the date in a letter. For example

27、: March 22, 2002 American Style 22 March 2002 British Style Avoid typing dates in figures -2-2002 , since it should easily be confusing. Because English form follows the order of day, month and year ，while the U.S. practice is to write in the order of month, day and year. So 10-2-2002 could be taken

28、 as either October 2, 2002 or February 10, 2002. Salutation In this part, if you know the name of the recipient, you may use her/his last name in the salutation. Sometimes, in order to show respect, you can add the persons position or title before the last name. If you dont exactly know the recipien

29、ts name, it is best to use one of the followings: Dear Sir or Madam Dear Sir Dear Sirs Dear Madam Ladies and Gentlemen And if you know the receiver pretty well, you may use the persons first name like: Dear John / Dear Samantha 4 Stylistic Features of Business English Correspondence Body of the lett

30、er The most important part should be stated clarity. Sometimes a letter might contain a couple of sentences while others might be more complicated with several paragraph or even pages. Closing The closings of a letter will depend on the relation between you and the receiver, or the importance of the

31、 letter. For example, if you are writing a formal letter, you may use: Yours sincerely, / Sincerely yours, Yours truly, / Truly yours, Yours faithfully, / Faithfully yours, On the other hand, if this is a personal letter, you may use: Best regards, / Regards, Best wishes, Signature A signature immed

32、iately follows a complimentary closing. In order to leave some spaces to let the individual sign his/ her name personally, a blank of at least three- lines should be left between the closing and the typed full name. The position or title of the person should be typed just below the typed full name.

33、For example: Yours sincerely, Johnny Lee signature Johnny Lee Manager 5 Stylistic Features of Business English Correspondence In addition to the basic parts of the business letter, there are some parts used less frequently. Some letters have additional parts, which are optional, which include an att

34、ention line, a subject line, identifying initials, an enclosure notation, a copy notation, and a postscript. Whether it is used, it depends on the situation and the personal favor. 2.4 Format of business letters The format of business letters is not unique. There are some formats of business letters

35、. As to which formats to be used; it depends on the companys policy and the personal preference. Today, four major letter formats are commonly used. 程同春 2-3 : ? Full-block style Full block is a style in which every part is typed at the left margin. It is convenient to be typed with a typewriter but the layout is not so beautiful. The full-block style is the most popularly used in business letters. ?Modified block