禮貌原則下的商務(wù)信函寫作

摘要: 禮貌原則是人類行為的基本原則之一，是人類交際的一個重要特點(diǎn)。商務(wù)信函寫作當(dāng)然也要遵循這一原則。本文分析了禮貌原則和禮貌理論在國際商務(wù)信函中的運(yùn)用和表現(xiàn)，探討了商務(wù)信函的語言特點(diǎn)與禮貌原則的關(guān)系。

關(guān)鍵詞:禮貌原則 商務(wù)交流 商務(wù)信函寫作

Abstract: Politeness is generally accepted as an important feature in human communication. Writing of business correspondence should also observe this guideline. This paper analyzes the substantial use of politeness in business correspondence. One should employ politeness tactics appropriately to achieve the purpose of more efficient business communication.

Key Words: Politeness Principle Business Correspondence Writing

1.Introduction

Politeness is the core of both Chinese and English culture. A lot of linguist had researched the relation between politeness and language. Among them， G.N. Leech is outstanding who once introduced the Politeness Principle. Politeness Principle includes six maxims(Leech， 1983): Tact Maxim (Minimise cost to other， Maximise benefit to other); Generosity Maxim (Minimise benefit to self， Maximise cost to self); Approbation Maxim (Minimise dispraise of other， Maximise dispraise of self); Modesty Maxim (Minimise praise of self， Maximise dispraise of self); Agreement Maxim(Minimise disagreement， Maximise agreement); Sympathy Maxim(Minimise antipathy， Maximise sympathy ). Leech thinks in communication， speaker and listener should maximize the expression of polite belief and minimize the expression of impolite belief (Leech， 1983). Although the research is on the base of dialog， it is also suitable for writing language.

The Politeness Principle is very important for the writing of business correspondence. And everyone wants to do a good job in writing business correspondence. A polite correspondence must respect the other side’s views， rights and needs as well as let the reader feel pleasure. Then， the writer should pay attention to politeness principle in business correspondence..

2. Application of the Politeness Principle in business correspondence writing

2.1 Tact maxim (Minimise cost to other， Maximise benefit to other) and Generosity maxim (Minimise benefit to self， Maximise cost to self)

In the writing of business letter， Tact Maxim is usually used in orders and promises. Meanwhile， Generosity Maxim is used in requiring price and negotiating conditions. In the practice of the writing， they are almost used in the same way. For instance:

(1)We assure you that any further enquiries from you will receive our prompt attention. In this example， “assure” strengthens the mood. In the objective clause， the writer made “any further enquires from you” the subject， putting the opposite side’s benefit in the first place. This sentence embodied the Tact Maxim and followed Politeness Principle.

(2) We sincerely advise you to accept our proposal as our stocks are getting lower and lower day and day，and we are afraid we shall be unable to meet your requirements if you fail to let us have your confirmation by return

In this sentence， the word “advise” was used improperly. The word “advise” may lead to a commending meaning. It may suggest that they must accept your advice. If not， the result would be very bad. But actually the choice right is in their hands but not yours. So， we should change “advise” into “recommend”.

(3) We reject your order No.85 for 1000，000 yards of Cotton Prints Art No.1002.

This sentence may have made the reader unhappy. Because the word “reject” was too direct. We could change the sentence into “Unfortunately， we have been unable to accept your order No.85 for 1000，000 yards of Cotton Prints Art No.1002”. The pattern “Unfortunately….” could save the reader’s face. And the whole sentence becomes indirect and more tactful.

2.2 Approbation Maxim (Minimise dispraise of other， Maximise dispraise of self) and Modesty Maxim (Minimise praise of self， Maximise dispraise of self)

The Approbation Maxim and Modesty Maxim are also used similarly. The difference is their object. The former one is used from the other opposite’s perspective. And the latter one is from our own perspective. In business letter writing， they are most used in preparation stage. For instance:

(1). It goes without saying that we very much appreciate the support you have extended us in the past.

In this example， the pattern “it goes without saying” exaggerate the writer’s gratitude to the reader as well as express the meaning of approbation to the reader. Having this good beginning， further negotiation may become very easy.

(2) Much as we would like to cooperate with you in expanding sales， we are regretful that we just cannot see our way clear to entertain your counter-offer， as the price we quote is quite realistic.

In this example， “much”， “just”， “see our way to” strengthen the effect of self-debasing. The word “realistic” is much better than “l(fā)ow” or “good”.

2.3 Agreement Maxim (Minimise disagreement， Maximise agreement)

When the two sides in the business meet transaction disputes， using Agreement Maxim can reduced differences and making negotiation continue smoothly. For instance:

(1) We do not deny that the quality of Chinese kernels is slightly better， but the difference in price should， in no case， be as big as ten percent.

In this example， the writer firstly recognized the quality of the goods， and then pointed out the price was unreasonable. The purpose is to find out point of agreement of both sides， reducing difficulty of negotiation.

(2) There are some discrepancies existing between the N／C stipulations and the terms of contract. For smooth effectuation of shipment，we shall appreciate your amending the N／C as follows:...

In this example， “for smooth effectuation of shipment” and “appreciate your amending” both play the rule of eliminating conflicts and making the negotiation goes well.

(3) While we appreciate your efforts in pushing the sale of our products， we very much regret that we are not in a position to offer you the desired quality， owing to excessive demand.

In this sentence， before talk about the regret， the writer thanks for the reader’s effort to sell foods， giving a face to the reader.

(4) We have no wish to embarrass you and if you can replace the materials we are prepared to allow the extension of delivery time.

In this example， the writer used some words to repair the might damage to the reader’s feeling.

2.4 Sympathy Maxim (Minimise antipathy， Maximise sympathy)

In the business communication， this maxim is usually used to show one’s sympathy to the loss side. And its function also reflected in complaints against each other， such as claims of a negative response on the content of messages. For instance:

(1)We are most anxious to compensate you for the shortage in weight mentioned in your letter of June 4， by offering you an allowance of 10 percent.

In this sentence， in order to express sympathy， the writer used “be anxious to” to emphasize the willing to compensate to the other side.

In the above six maxims， the Tact Maxim is the basic maxim. If we enlarge the definition of “cost” and “benefit”， besides the order or promise， the agreement and sympathy and conflict and disgust all can be seen the expression of “l(fā)ost” or “benefit”. Then， the Tact Maxim can summarize them.So the application of Politeness Principle in business correspondence writing can be seen the application of Tact Maxim.

3. Conclusion

As the globalization of business， foreign trade is more important to companies. Business correspondence writing plays an important role in communication with business partners. All in all， the correspondence writing is not considered as a kind of routine but a face to face communication. So in the procedure of writing business correspondence， the writer should try his best to follow the Politeness Principle on the base of considering all factors which influence the effect. Only doing this， a favorable relationship between partners can be established.

References:

[1]. Leech， G. N. Principles of Pragmatics ， London：Longman， 1983

[2]. Gu Yueguo， Politeness and Culture [J]， English and Research， 1992

[3]. Ashley A .A， Hand Book of Commercial Correspondence [M]， Oxford: OUP， 1992

（責(zé)任編輯：郭偉）