解析商务英语中模糊语言的语用分析

ChapterOneIntroductionThebasicattributesofhumanlanguageareambiguityandprecision.Generallyspeaking,whenpeoplehearambiguityandprecision,theyonlyfeelthatthetwowordsarecontradictory,butonthecontrary,theambiguityandprecisionoflanguageareconditionsforeachother,whichcanhelplanguageexpressionmorerigorousandvivid.Inthelanguagesystem,weneedthetwopropertiesoflanguageprecisionandambiguity.Vaguelanguageisaveryaccuratewayofexpressingthingsthathavenoboundarieswhenpeoplewanttoexpressambiguity.Theambiguityoflanguagedoesnothinderourcommunication,onthecontrary,itcanhelpusachievemoresmoothcommunication.Withtherapiddevelopmentofglobaleconomicintegrationandinternationalbusinessexchanges,BusinessEnglishhasbecomeanimportantwayforbusinesscommunication,informationexchangeandbusinesscontactsbetweenthetwosidesintradeactivities.SincebusinessEnglishisthelanguageusedinbusinessactivitiesandinvolvesthecommercialinterestsofbothparties,thebasicrequirementsforbusinesslanguageareaccurateandrigorous.Thelanguagestrivestobeclear,specificandaccurate,whichshouldavoidambiguouslanguagecausingfinanciallossestobothpartiestothecommunication,orcausingmisunderstandingsothatcauseinconveniencetobusinessactivities.Therefore,mostpeopleagreethatbusinessEnglishshouldtrynottousevaguelanguage.However,vaguelanguage,asoneofthebasicattributesofhumanlanguage,alsohasastronglinguisticideogram,andthereasonableandappropriateusageofvaguelanguagecannotonlymakelanguageexpressionsmoothandnatural,butalsoeffectivelyconveycontentinformation.Sincevaguelanguageiscommonlyusedinlife,itcanalsoplayitsroleinbusinessEnglish.Alargenumberofpracticesininternationalcommunicationalsoprovethatbusinesslanguagerequiresprecisionandrigor,butitdoesnotexcludeambiguouslanguage.Theproperuseofambiguouslanguagemakesbusinesslanguagemorerigorous,accurate,politeandappropriate.Inspecificbusinesscommunication,bothpartiescanoftenexpressthoughtsandemotionswiththehelpofvaguelanguagetoachievespecificgoals.Vaguelanguagemayseemsuperficiallyvague,butitreflectstheaccuracy,euphemismandflexibilityofthelanguage.Tosomeextent,ambiguouslanguageplaysaveryimportantandevenirreplaceableroleinbusinessEnglishactivitiessuchasbusinessEnglishletters,businessEnglishadvertisements,andbusinessEnglishcontracts.Therefore,theappropriateandeffectiveuseofambiguouslanguageisessentialtoimprovebusinessEnglishlanguagecommunicationskillsandsuccessfullyhandlebusinesscommunication.

ChapterTwoTheBackgroundoftheLanguageIntheobjectiveworld,ambiguouslanguageexistsinlargequantities.Vaguelanguageisaformofexpressionthatalsoreferstolinguisticunitswithambiguity,suchasvaguewordsandvaguestructures.Inthissection,wefocusonthedefinitionofambiguouslanguageandtheambiguousmanifestations.2.1DefinitionandCharacteristicsofVagueLanguageAsoneofthebasicattributesofhumanlanguage,vaguelanguageitselfhasacertaindegreeofelasticity,anditisalsoanewtypeofexpressionwithunclearextensionandindefiniteconnotation.Vaguelanguageisanimportantfieldinthestudyoflinguistics,andthedomesticresearchonvaguelanguagebeganwithProfessorWuTieping,whosays:“‘Vague’referstoanuncertainty,whichmeansthatthecentralmeaningofwordsexpressedinlanguageisclear,buttheboundaryofthescopeofwordsisuncertain.”Thisuncertaintyorambiguityisdeterminedbytheambiguityoftheobjectivethingitselfandtheuncertaintyofpeople'sunderstandingoftheobjectiveworld,anditusuallycannotorneedsnotbeexcludedthroughthecontext.Vaguelanguageisalsoalinguisticmeansrichinimageandhelpstoincreasethebeautyoflanguage.Vaguelanguagesaremoregeneralizedandflexiblethanpreciselanguages.Expressionclearlyandcorrectlyisthebasicprincipleoftraditionallanguage,butvaguelanguagehasitsinevitableexistence.Thecharacteristicsofvaguelanguagearethatitisclearinnatureandvagueinappearance.2.2ManifestationsofVagueLanguage2.2.1VagueQualifiersTheambiguityoflanguagemainlyreferstotheuncertaintyoflanguageuse.“Intheviewofsomescholars,vaguequalifiersareacentralelementofvaguelanguage”.Theauthorhasapositiveattitudetowardsthis.“Theuseofvaguelanguagecaneffectivelysolvethearbitraryandabsoluteproblemsexpressedbyaccurateprophecy”.Variantvaguelimiters,directdefensivevaguequalifiersandindirectconciliatoryvaguequalifiersarethemaincontentsofvaguerestrictors.Forexample,“Weregrettocomplainofcertaingravedefectsintheplasticbuttondispatchedtousonthe2ndJuly.WewouldsuggestthatthisclaimshouldbesettledinaccordancewiththearbitrationrulesoftheInternationalChamberofCommerce.”theusageofthevaguequalifiers“Weregret”and“Wewouldsuggest”couldmakethestatementappearmediumandeuphemistic.Thiscaneffectivelyavoidproblemsthathurteachother’sface.2.2.2VagueWordsVaguewordsarealsoaformoflanguagethatpeopleoftenuseintheirdailycommunication.“Commercialadvertisingisanimportantareaofapplicationforvagueadjectives”.Theelasticityofthistypeofvocabularycaneffectivelyincreasetheattractivenessofadvertisingtoconsumers.Avagueverbisawordthatprejudgesthelikelihoodofsomething.Inthefieldofcommercialadvertising,itcaneffectivelyrendertheroleofgoodsorservices,andtheuseofsomesensoryverbscanblurthefeelingsthatthingsbringtoconsumers,sothattheadvertisingaudiencecanhavearichimaginationofadvertisingproductsafterseeingtheadvertisement.VaguepronounsarefrequentlyutilizedinbusinessEnglish,includingpersonalpronounslike"we"and"you"andpossessivepronounslike"our"and"ours."Thesewordsarecommonlyappliedinbusinesssettings.Utilizingvaguepronounsinabusinesscontextcanservecommunicativepurposesbyenhancingtheflexibilityoflanguagecommunication.2.2.3VagueImplications“Vagueimplicitistheprocessofgivingfullplaytothestaticmeaningofwordsandsentencesthemselves,andexertingtheirimpliedmeaninginaspecificcontext”.Thephenomenaof“wordsinwords”and“voiceover”intheChinesecontextareacommonmanifestationofvagueimplications.InthecontextofBusinessEnglish,theexpressionofvaguemeaningusingprecisenumbersandexaggeratedmodificationusingprecisenumberscontainingvaguemeaningsaretwomanifestationsofambiguity.Diversificationisthemainfeatureofthemanifestationsofvaguelanguage.Theuseofthesubjunctivemoodisamanifestationofvagueimplications.Forexample,“Wearealwayswillingtocooperatewithyouandifnecessary,makesomeconcessions.”Inasentence,thespeakeradoptsavirtualhypothesis,andthisvagueexpressionallowsthelistenertounderstandthepossibilityofconcessionsbytheotherparty.Withthein-depthstudyofvaguelanguage,peoplegraduallyrealizethatvaguelanguageisnotonlyawayofdailycommunication,butalsoanimportantbusinesscommunicationskillthatbusinesspeoplemustmaster.Therefore,vaguelanguageisnotonlyalinguisticphenomenon,butalsoacommunicativestrategy.ChapterThreeTheApplicationofVagueLanguageinBusinessEnglishInternationalbusinesscommunicationisaspecialkindofverbalcommunication,andambiguouslanguagealsoexistsinalargenumberofthem.Andvaguelanguagehasauniquepragmaticfunctionhere.Fromtheabove,weinitiallyknowthemeaningofvaguelanguageanditsmanifestations,andthenexplorethepragmaticfunctionofvaguelanguagethroughsomelanguageexamplescommonlyfoundinbusinesscommunication.3.1ApplicationofVagueLanguageinBusinessCorrespondenceBusinessletteristhemainwaytocommunicateinformationinwritinginbusinessactivities,andisanimportantmeansforenterprisestopublicizetheirrelationswiththeoutsideworld,whichisofgreatsignificancetothecompanytoestablishagoodimage.Businesslettersarewidelyused,suchasestablishingbusinessrelationships,inquiry,offer,counteroffer,rejection,acceptance,etc.Accordingtotheconvention,inordertoavoidobstaclesormisleadingbusinessletters,theygenerallyusedefinitelanguageandfollowthebasicprinciplesofforeigntradecorrespondence,thatis,the“7C”principle:Correctness,Conciseness,Clearness,Completeness,Concreteness,Courtesy,Consideration.However,whetheritiswritingpositiveinformationbusinessletterssuchassalesornegativeinformationbusinessletterssuchascomplaintsandclaims,buyersandsellersoftenusevaguelanguagetoblurtheinformationandputthemselvesinafavorablepositiontoachievecommunicationpurposes.3.1.1ExpressingtheWriter'sPositionandPointofViewthroughVagueLanguageDisagreementsareinevitableininternationaltransactions.Whendealingwiththeseissues,theappropriateuseofvaguelanguagecanimplicitlyexpressourviewsorattitudeswhiletakingintoaccountthefaceofbothparties,sothatbusinessactivitiescanbecarriedoutsmoothly.Forexample:(1)“Becauseanothersupplierisofferingusthehigherqualityatasameprice,somaybewearenotabletoplaceanorderwithyou.”Inthissentence,thespeakerdoesnotclearlyindicatethatthequalityoftheotherparty’sgoodsisnothigh.Usethethreevaguewords“anothersupplier”,“higherquality”and“sameprice”toindicateyourattitudewhileusing“maybe”toweakenyourwillandputitforwardinapolitemanner,soastomakeitmoreacceptabletotheotherparty.(2)“Tobehonest,welikeyourproductraincoats,butyourpricesseemtobeonthehighsidecomparedtootherbrandsofumbrellas.Itisunderstoodthatacceptingyourquotedpriceswillresultinaverysmallprofitmarginonoursales.Asyouknow,Kuwaitisadevelopingcountry;itsmaindemandisitemsinthemiddlepricerange.”Theabovepassageistakenfromareturnletter.Alotofvaguelanguageisusedinthetext,especiallytheunderlinedwords,andtheambiguityisveryobvious.“Yourpricesseemtobeonthehighsidecomparedtootherbrandsofumbrellas”whichbothindicatesourattitudetowardsthepriceandexplainsthereasonforthecounteroffer,andthenuses“leaveuslittleornomarginofprofitonourSales”and“inthemediumpricerange”caneffectivelyenablesellerstoaccepttheirowncounter-offer,andalsoleaveroomforfuturenegotiations.Therefore,inbusinesscorrespondence,thecorrectandeffectiveuseofvaguelanguagecanmakethelanguageexpressionmorepolite,tactfulandflexible,soastosuccessfullyachievetheintendedpurpose.3.1.2ConveyingtheLetterWriter'sMessagethroughVagueLanguageTheeffectiveuseofvaguelanguagecannotonlyimprovetheexpressioneffectoflanguage,meettheneedsofnegotiationwork,helptheorderlyprogressofnegotiationactivities,butalsoconveytheinformationoftheletterwriter.HerearetwoBusinessEnglishsentencestoillustratetheuseofvaguelanguage:Forexample:(1)“Youpromisedthatourorderwasalmostreadyfortransport.Nearly15dayshaspassedsincethan,yetwehaveheardnothingfromyouabouttheconsignment.”Thisisabuyer'scomplaintagainstthesellerforlatedelivery.Inthissentence,thebuyerusedvaguewordssuchas“almost”and“nearly”,reflectingthatwhenthebuyercomplainedabouttheotherparty,hetriedtobetactfulandpolite,anddidnotsayittooabsolutely,leavingtheotherpartywithaffection.Thiswillnaturallynotcausedisgustfromtheotherparty.Throughthesevaguewords,theinformationisblurred,andwhilecomplainingabouttheseller'sdelayindelivery,itdoesnotforgettoleaveroomfortheotherpartyandurgethesellertodealwithitinatactfulway.(2)“Itisbelievedthatourclaimwillhaveyourinstantattention,andonceyousolvetheproblem，weshallreturnthegoodstoyouatyourexpense.”Inthissentence,“instant”and“once”implythestrategicnatureofambiguity.Whenthebuyercouldnotdeterminethespecifictimewhenthesellerwouldsolvetheproblem,itusedvaguewordssuchas“instant”and“once”totactfullyurgethesellertoresolvethecompensationissueassoonaspossible.Inaddition,“atyourexpense”alsohidesambiguity.Thespecificcostofcompensationwasnotstated,butratherindicatedthatthebuyerreturnedthegoodsattheseller'sexpense,leavingthesellerwithroomfornegotiation.Intheaboveexamples,thebuyerusesvaguelanguageappropriately,notonlywillnotlosehisowngrace,butalsocanarousetheseller'sgoodwill,soastoattachimportancetothehandlingofhiscomplaintsandclaims,andalsolayagoodfoundationforfurthertransactionsinthefuture.Thus,themoderateuseofvaguelanguagecanmakebusinesscorrespondencemorediplomaticandstrategic.3.2ApplicationofVagueLanguageinBusinessAdvertisingAsanimportantmarketingmethod,commercialadvertisinghaspenetratedintoallaspectsofsociallife.Commercialadvertisingisinformationthatwidelyinformsthepublicaboutacertaingoodorservice,anditsultimatepurposeistopromotethegoodsorservice.TheAdvertisingLawrequiresthatadvertisingtermsmusttrulyexpresstheappearanceofthegoodsthemselves,sothatpeoplecanunderstandtheircharacteristicsandusesataglance,buttherearestillvaguelanguagesinmanyadvertisementsinreallife.Vaguelanguagehasawidesemanticextension,containsalargeamountofinformation,highexpressionefficiency,andmeetstheneedsofadvertisinglanguageexpression,sovaguelanguagehasuniqueadvantagesforadvertising.Properuseofvaguelanguageinbusinessadvertisingtoconveyasmuchinformationaspossibleinlimitedwordscanattractmoreconsumersandprovidemoreopportunitiesforbusinesses.3.2.1ExpressingVagueMeaningsthroughQuantityWordsNumberwordscanmeanbothexactandapproximatenumbers.Inadditiontothefunctionofcalculation,“number”alsohasalinguisticfunction.Whenanumberdoesnotrepresentarealnumberinasentence,itreferstotheconceptofanimaginarynumber.Thisisavaguemeaningofnumbers,andatthesametimeithasacertainfigurativemeaning.Forexample:The60－secondbreakfastfromDole.(DoleFoods)The“60-second”ofthetabletimeintheexampleof“60-secondbreakfastfromDole”istheconceptofimaginarynumbers,whichonlyexpressestheapproximatetime,whichmeansthatthetimeisshort,although“60-second”canbeaccuratelymeasured,butitisimpossibletoaccuratelymeasurethetimespenteachbreakfastexactlyto“60-second”.Thisseeminglypreciseformcontainsavaguemeaningthattheimageofgoodsconveyedtoconsumersisfastandsimple.InTaipei...1+1+1+1=ONE.ThisexampleisanadvertisementfortheTaipeiWorldBusinessCenter.Asweallknow,TaipeiBusinessCenterconsistsoffourparts:comprehensiveexhibitioncenterfacilities,conferencecenter,internationalofficebuildingandluxuryhotel.Thesumoffour“1s”shouldequalfour,buttheansweris“ONE”.Theuseofthesespecificfiguresalsoexpressesavaguemeaning,inordertoarousethecuriosityofreadersandachievethepublicityeffectofadvertising.3.2.2ExpressingVagueMeaningsthroughAdjectivesAsweallknow,advertisinglanguageshoulddescribeproductsandservicesappropriately,andifitisexaggerated,itissuspectedofdeceivingconsumers.Ontheonehand,thedesignofadvertisinglanguageshouldhighlighttheadvantagesoftheproductandmakeconsumersacceptitgladly;Ontheotherhand,itisalsonecessarytoavoidsayingtheadvantagesoftheproducttooabsolutely,sothatconsumerscanquestiontheauthenticityoftheadvertisement.Iftheadvertisementdiffersfromtheefficacyoftheproduct,theadvertiser'scredibilitywillbegreatlyreduced.Suchas:“Plusgivesyoufluorideprotectionandfreshensbreath.Cleaner，whiter，healthier-lookingteeth——sexyteeththat’swhatyougetfromNewCloseUpTartarControlPaste.”Inthistoothpasteadvertisement,thethreevagueadjectives“cleaner”,“whiter”,and“healthier”arerelativelydifferentbecausethereisnoexactcomparisonstandard,whichnotonlyexplainsthefunctionoftheproductwell,butalsoreflectsthevagueartisticconceptionoftheadvertisement,avoidingtheabsolutizationofproductadvantages.Itcanbeseenthattheappropriateuseofvaguelanguagecannotonlymaintainacertaindegreeofcredibilityandacceptanceofconsumers,butalsoleaveroomforadvertiserstoexplainbetweentheircommitmentandnon-responsibility.Especiallywhenitcomestosomesensitiveandtabootopics,duetothevaguelanguageextensionandambiguity,ithasstronginclusivenessandflexibility,andthemeaningofwordsismoreflexible.Forexample,theadvertisementforMaxwellCoffee,“GoodtotheLastDrop”.“Good”isavagueword,hereitisagoodexpressionofthetasteofcoffee,humanbeingsareasuperiorsensoryanimal,complexandabstract,whereisgood,howgood,itisindeeddifficulttoexpressinpreciselanguage.Ifveryprecisewordsareused,thespaceforimaginationwillbelost,andthebeautyconveyedbyadvertisingwillalsobelost.Theadvertisementdesignedinthiswayinvolvesalotofthepsychologicalworldthattheadvertiserwantstoexpress,heonlyneedstoreflectthetastethattheviewerwantstofeel,andhehasindeedrealizedthisideaverywell.Fromtheaboveanalysis,togiveadifferentexample,“when“it”strikestrustAlways’amazingLeakGuardprotectiontoadjusttounexpectedchangesinflow.Noleadingultraabsorbsfaster.”“It”meansalot,andasapronoun,itcanrepresentalotofthings.Suchasanitarynapkinadvertisementthatcombinesslogansandillustrations.Advertiserscleverlyavoidmoreobscureformalwords,andchooseITimplicitexpression,thustakingintoaccountthepsychologicalworldoffemalereaders,notstraightforwardlanguage,puttingthemselvesintheshoesofwomen,theadvertisingweseenowislikethis.ComparativeEnglishvocabularyiscommonplaceinadvertising,andadvertisersprefersuchlanguageforspecificcommunicativepurposessuchas:“Glidepro-healthforSensitiveGumsisthesoftestglideever.Itslideseasilyintotightspacesforamoregentlyflossingexperience.”Thisfirstemphasizesthecomfortablesoftnessofsanitarynapkins,andsoftestperfectlyembodiesthesoftestfeeling.Thenthedescriptionoftheuseoftheproductgivesaconcretefeeling,itcanbeeasilytransferredtothenarrowestplaces,anditcanbecleanedverysoftly.Andmoregentlysuchacomparisonlevel,inthecontext,thereisnothingtocompare,sowhatproductdoesitcomparewith?Thiskindofvaguelanguageonadvertisingwillmakeyouwonder,areyoucomparingtotheproductonthemarket,ortotheoriginalappearanceoftheproduct?Itturnsoutthatassoonasthereaderhasonequestionoranother,theadvertiser’spurposehasbeenachieved.Atthesametime,becauseadvertisingisstrictlyprohibitedinmanyregionsandcountriestodegradeotherstoincreasetheirownvalue,soadvertiserssuchvaguewordsnotonlypraisetheirownproducts,butalsoavoidunnecessarytroublesandrisks.3.3ApplicationofVagueLanguageinBusinessContractsBusinesscontractEnglishisastylisticformformedwiththecontinuousdevelopmentofcommodityproductionandtheincreasingfrequencyoftradeexchanges,andisawrittenlanguagewidelyusedinbusinesscontracts,contracts,agreements,agreements,guarantees,andtenders.Businesscontractsarelegallybindingdocumentsthataresignedduringbusinessactivities.Assuch,theypossessboththetraitsofbusinessEnglishandlegalEnglish,thatis,theuseofaccurate,formal,rigorouswordsandpairsofsynonymsandjuxtaposedrelatedwords.Whileaccuracyisthesoulofinternationalbusinesscontractlanguage,inordertoachievespecificpragmaticfunctionsandintentions,itisnecessarytousevaguelanguageconditionallyandwithlimits.Theuseofvaguelanguageispurposefulandmotivated,particularlyinthecontextofacontract.Thismotivationisnottypicallyintendedtoenhancethelanguage'sappealortobeviewedaspolite,butrathertoprovideoneselfwithflexibilityandameansofretreat,sothattheotherpartybearssomeresponsibilityforthepossibleconsequencesofpragmaticambiguity.3.3.1ClarifyingtheTermsoftheContractwithVagueRestrictionsVaguelanguagealsoexistsincommercialcontracts,andinordertomoreaccuratelyexpresstherightsorobligationsofthepartiestothecontractwhenconcludingacontract,theprovisionsoftheclausesshouldbetightenedtothegreatestextentpossibleandcoverawiderscopetopreventloopholes.Forexample:“PartyAagreestohelpJointVenturetoinviteandrecruitChineseexperts,technicians,workersandotherpersonnelandPartyBagreestohelpJointVenturetoinviteandrecruitforeignexperts.”Theterm“otherpersonnel”usedhereisavagueword.Afterlistingthemainpersonneltoberecruited(suchasexperts,technicians,workers),andaddingvaguewordssuchas“otherpersonnel”,theprovisionsofthisclausehaveacertaingenerality,makingtheexpressionmorerigorous,andthusincludingthepersonnelthatPartyAneedstorecruittoagreaterextent.Ifvaguewordsareomittedorreplacedwithexactterms,thiswilldeprivetheformulationoftheclauseofitsrigorofexpressionandinclusivenessofitscontent.Suchas:Ifthereisanydifferenceinpagenumber,numberofcopiesandrequirementsinprintingandbindingasdefinedabove,itisnecessarytorefertotherelativeitemsinthecontractandmakecorrespondingchanges.Inthisclause,thevagueexpressionof“anydifference”includesalluncertaintiesregardingthenumberofpages,thenumberofcopies,theprintingprocessandthespecificationsspecifiedinthecontract.Ifweusepreciselanguagetolistalluncertaintiesonebyone,theclausewilllosetherigorofexpressionandtheinclusivenessofthecontent,andthecontracttermswillbelessthoroughandcomplete.Anotherexample:“Accordingtothecontract,thebuyeristospecifytheshape,sizeorothercharacteristicsofthegoods,buthefailstomakesuchspecificationonthespecifieddateorwithinareasonabletimeafterreceivingtheseller'srequest,thenwithoutprejudicetoanyotherrightshemayhave,thesellercanformulateitsownspecificationsaccordingtothebuyer'srequirementsitknows.”Therearethreevaguewordingshere,andafterlistingthetwocriteriaofshapeandsize,togetherwithvaguelanguagesuchasotherfeatures,thisprovisionhasacertaingeneralization,thusmakingthemeaningmorerigorous.Thereisnoclearoruniformboundarybetweenwhatotherrightsrefertoandhowlongareasonabletimemeans,andtheyareusedappropriately,reflectingtheforesightandapplicabilityofthecontractterms.3.3.2CompactingtheContractLanguagethroughVagueLanguageBecausevaguelanguagehasnoclearboundaries,theextensionisverybroad,andtheexpressionisoftenmoreconcise,butitcontainsalargeamountofinformation.Theappropriateuseofvaguelanguageincommercialcontractscansummarizethemaximuminformationexchangewiththeminimumformalvalue,sothatthecontracttermsaremoreconcise,themeaningisclearer,anditiseasierforthecontractingpartiestounderstandandaccept.Suchas:“Areplytoanyoffer,whichpurportstobeanacceptancebutcontainsadditions,limitationsorothermodificationsisarejectionoftheofferandconstitutesacounteroffer.”Herethetwoconditionsofadditionandrestrictionarecitedandaddedtothevaguelanguagesuchasothermodifications,whichgivesthisclauseacertaingenerality,simplerexpression,butmorerigorousexpression,sothatthecontractingpartiescanseeataglance.Becauseofwidegeneralizationanddescriptionofvaguelanguage,properusingthemcanleadtotheeffectofnicetyandprominentcrucialfactor.Takethefollowingforcemajeureforexample:IfonepartyispreventedfromperforminganyofitsobligationsunderthisAgreementduetoaneventofforcemajeure,thetimeforperformingtheobligationsunderthisAgreementspecificallypreventedfromperformancebysucheventofforcemajeureshallbeextendedbyaperiodequaltotheperiodofdelaycausedbysucheventofforcemajeure.(如果一方因不可抗力事件而不能履行在本协议项下的任何义务，受不可抗力事件影响的本协议项下的义务的履行时间应予延长，延长的时间相当于不可抗力事件所导致的延误时间。)Aneventofforcemajeurereferstoonethatcangenerallybeneitheranticipatednorbroughtundercontrol.Certainnaturaldisastersandsocialdisturbancesareconsideredforcemajeure.Ifpossible,specificeventsshouldbeclearlyagreeduponandlistedincontracttoavoidanydisputeifaspecificeventshouldbeconsideredforcemajeure,butmanytimesitisimpossibletolistalleventsofforcemajeureotherwisemorealterationofcontractandlawsuitwouldarise.Sounderthismentalcircumstance,inthisclausethevagueexpressionforcemajeureisusedtocoveruncertainfactorsandthelanguageissimplified.Thismakesthefollowingsayingshallbeextendedbyaperiodequaltotheperiodprominent.Ifnotso,themostimportantinformationislostinthelongandwordysentence.Intheprocessofusingvaguelanguage,theambiguityofitsownlanguagecanbefullyutilized,anditsowninaccuratefactorscangreatlyimprovetheeffectofcommunicationinimplicit,rigorousandobjectiveways.Lookingattheactualsituation,wewillfindthatthereisacertaindegreeofrealinformationintheseambiguouslanguages,andwecananalyzeitaccordingtothecontextandthespecificcontextofthepreambleandtheafterwordintheprocessofunderstanding,sothatwecanbetterexperienceandcomprehendtheexistenceofthisrealinformationindetail.ChapterFourPragmaticFunctionsofVagueLanguageinBusinessEnglishInternationalbusinessEnglishnotonlyhastwolanguages,accurateandambiguous,butalsofullydisplaysthepragmaticfunctionsofambiguouslanguageduetotheneedsofdifferentcontexts.InternationalbusinessEnglishrequiresspecificity,clarityandcorrectness,whiletheappropriateuseofambiguouslanguagewill