英语本科毕业论文-语域理论下的商务英语修辞研究.doc

毕 业 设 计 (论 文) 设计（论文）题目：on business english rhetoric from theperspective of register theory 语域理论视角下的商务英语修辞研究 学 院 名 称： 外国语学院 专 业： 英语 班 级： 姓 名： 学 号 指 导 教 师： 职 称 定稿日期：2012年 4 月 30日abstractrhetoric, as an art of discourse, belongs to the category of linguistics. rhetoric aims to improve the facility of speakers or writers who attempt to persuade or motivate audiences in specific situations. this thesis is to focus on business english rhetoric (here referred to as modern rhetoric) which is an effective communication skill in certain context. this thesis is to analyze the business english rhetoric from the perspective of register theory. the author employs documentary analysis method, case analysis method and classification analysis method to make an adequate and comprehensive research on business english rhetoric. this thesis begins with the introduction in which the reason why this topic is chosen and the purposes of writing are displayed briefly. in the second part the author gives a brief survey of rhetoric. and then the author will introduce the business english rhetoric from the phonetic, lexical, sentential and textual level. the fourth part is a brief introduction of register theory. in the fifth part, the author intends to explore the rhetorical features of vocabulary, syntax, and text of business english on the basis of functional linguist hallidays three variables of register theory: field, tenor, and mode, thus further analyzing how business english rhetoric is strained by hallidays register theory. finally, the author makes a conclusion that the register theory is well applied to analyze rhetoric in business english.摘 要修辞是话语的艺术，是语言学的范畴。修辞是讲话者或写作者在特定的情景下试图说服或激励群众而采用的艺术手法。本文的研究对象是商务英语修辞(这里指的是现代修辞），即在特定语境中一种有效的交流手段。本文对将从语域理论视角下研究商务英语修辞。作者采用文献分析法、个案研究法、分类分析法对商务英语修辞进行全面充分的研究。文章首先简要叙述了选题原因和写作目的；第二部分作者简单陈述修辞学的理论；第三部分介绍商务英语在语音、词汇、句法、语篇层面上独特的修辞特点；第四部分作者简单陈述语域理论；第五部分作者以韩立德的语域理论的作为理论依据，阐释商务英语在词汇、句法和语篇三个方面具有独特的修辞特征，且受话语范围、话语方式和话语基调三种变量的制约。最后作者得出结论:语域理论可以很好地分析商务英语修辞。 keywords: rhetoric, register theory, business english, discourse关键词： 修辞, 语域理论, 商务英语, 话语iiicontentsintroduction11. a brief survey of rhetoric21.1 origin of rhetoric21.2 definition of rhetoric21.2.1 classical rhetoric21.2.2 modern rhetoric32. business english rhetoric42.1 phonetic level42.2 lexical level42.3 sentential level52.4 textual level53. theoretical background: register theory63.1 malinowskis register theory63.2 firths register theory63.3 hallidays register theory74. be rhetoric strained by hallidays register theory84.1 field of discourse on lexical level84.1.1 technical words84.1.2 abbreviations and acronyms94.1.3 archaic words94.1.4 alien words104.2 tenor of discourse on sentential level104.2.1 modal verbs104.2.2 passive voice114.2.3 your attitude114.3 mode of discourse on textual level114.3.1 cohesive devices124.3.2 transitive devices12conclusion14references15acknowledgements16on business english rhetoric from the perspective of register theory 16introductionin recent years, rhetoric has been regarded as an important topic of study instead of the traditional view that rhetoric is “empty talk” or even “deception”. its significance to public discussion of important political, social and even scientific issues has been widely recognized. many linguistics and scholars have paid great attention to the topic. in our social life, business communication between different people has become more frequent as the result of the flourish of business activities. in practical field of business english, people try to express successfully to make a successful transaction. as a result, people make great efforts to employ proper words in proper places and use proper sentences in proper situations. so, it provides us a good chance to explore the business english rhetoric in the specific business context.business english (hereinafter referred to as be) generally regarded as an esp, has its own keen register characteristics and objectives. based on point of view of functional linguistics halliday, register is language variant which is decided by a set of special context value that is social activity. register has three main variants, which is field (refers to what is happening, the nature of the social action that is taking place), tenor (refers to who is taking part, the nature of the participants, their status and roles, what kind of relations obtain among the participants.) and mode (refers to what part language is playing, what the participants are expecting the language to do for them in the situation.) (halliday, 2000)both the rhetoric theory proposed by modern rhetoricians and register theory put forward by halliday make it possible to analyze the be rhetoric from the perspective of register theory. people have done some studies and researches on this topic and strive to systematize their observations and account for all the option. however, we find that most studies focus on traditional rhetoric, i.e. figures of speech, such as simile, metaphor, chiasmus, and ellipsis and alike which mainly serve as refinement and polish of literary discourses. as a matter of a fact, rhetoric refers to not only the figure of speech, but also “the notion that a piece of discourse must be judged against the cultural and situational contexts in which it was produced and in which it is being interpreted”. (james a. herrick, 1996) rhetoric in this thesis is not traditional rhetoric, but modern rhetoric which is an effective communication skill in certain context.this thesis is aimed to analyze the be rhetoric employment from the perspective of register theory and mainly explore the rhetorical features of vocabulary, syntax, and text of be on the basis of functional linguist hallidays three variables of register theory: field, tenor, and mode. finally, this thesis concludes that the register theory is an advanced academic basis on analyzing rhetoric in be.1. a brief survey of rhetoricrhetoric is an art of discourse, which aims to improve the facility of speakers or writers who attempt to inform, persuade, or motivate particular audiences in specific situations. the art of rhetoric is ubiquitous and using rhetoric is regarded as an efficient way to persuade others. since from ancient greece, extensive efforts have already been made in the study of rhetoric. rhetoric in language is actually an inseparable part of human language. an appropriate use of rhetoric may highly enhance the efficiency of language expression.1.1 origin of rhetorictraced back to the origin, rhetoric first appeared in the earliest civilization. during the 4th century, in ancient greece, rhetoric was first used in public forums and institutions like courtrooms and assemblies as the way to persuade the audiences. in athens, the capital of greece, the politicians used the rhetoric in their orators to advise and exhort their peers and followers. the oratories made by teachers, philosophers, leaders, heroes express their beliefs, values, perceptions. and thus they develop a unique voice upon the historical stage. since then, rhetoric as a speech skill plays an important role in solving public affairs.the earliest theory about rhetoric comes from aristotles rhetoric where aristotle proposes that rhetoric is an art of persuasion. aristotle considers rhetoric is a counterpart of both logic and politics, and calls it “the faculty of observing in any given case the available means of persuasion.” (aristotle, 1954) whereas, today the term rhetoric can be used at times to refer only to the form of argumentation, often with the pejorative connotation that rhetoric is a means of obscuring the truth. classical philosophers believed quite the contrary: the skilled use of rhetoric was essential to the discovery of truths, because it provided the means of ordering and clarifying arguments.1.2 definition of rhetoricwhat exactly the rhetoric is? this question has been asked again and again since the term was coined. to define the term rhetoric which has a 2500- year history is a very difficult task. from the origin of rhetoric in ancient greece, to the prosperity of public debate in ancient rome, to the atrophy in medieval times, to the shift during renaissance and then to the enlightenment of its tributarys appearance, finally to the forming of new rhetoric in the 20th century, the study on rhetoric experiences its climax, as well as bottom. therefore, a lot of scholars in different times define the rhetoric differently.1.2.1 classical rhetoricaristotles rhetoric has an enormous influence on the development of the art of rhetoric. not only authors writing in the peripatetic tradition, but also the famous roman teachers of rhetoric, such as cicero and quintilian, frequently used elements stemming from the aristotelian doctrine.aristotles rhetoric concerns most about two words “the art of rhetoric”, “persuasion”. in the first sentence of rhetoric, aristotle (1954) says that rhetoric is the counterpart of dialectic. he offers several formulas to describe this relation between the two disciplines: first of all, rhetoric is said to be a “counterpart” to dialect; then, it is also called an “outgrowth” of dialectic and the study of character; finally, aristotle says that rhetoric is part of dialectic and resembles it. in the second chapter, aristotle (1954) defines the rhetoric as “faculty of observing in any given case the available means of persuasion”. he thinks “rhetoric we look upon as the power of observing the means of persuasion on almost any subject presented to us; and that is why we say that, in its technical character, it is not concerned with any special or definite class of subjects.” the systematical core of aristotles rhetoric is the doctrine that there are three technical means of persuasion, namely ethos, pathos, logos. later, the world sprung up a number of salient rhetoricians including cicero, quintilian as followers of aristotle. in ancient rome, oration became an important part in daily life. cicero is the representative of rhetoricians and remains the best known ancient orator. the most significant contribution cicero made is he puts forward subsequent rhetoric. while for quintilian, he describes not just the art of rhetoric, but the formation of the perfect orator as a politically active, virtuous, publicly minded citizen. his emphasis is on the ethical application of rhetorical training.1.2.2 modern rhetoricfrom the late 19th century to the beginning of the 20th century, great change was fallen on rhetoric. this period, it appeared modern rhetoric instead of classical rhetoric. great rhetoricians like i. a. richard and kenneth burke developed their own rhetorical theories on the basis of aristotles rhetorical theory. i. a. richard thinks that traditional study of rhetoric should be replaced by a view of rhetoric as “a philosophic discipline aiming at a mastery of the fundamental laws of the use of language”. (richard, 1936: 8)in the philosophy of rhetoric, i. a. richard, defines rhetoric as “how words work in discourse.”(richard, 1936: 5) this definition summarizes two distinctive features of richardss work: first, his theory that the meaning of words is a function of their interpretation in context; and second, his mission to promote better understanding by criticizing impediments to understanding and by creating tools for effective communication. quite different from aristotles rhetoric theory about “rhetoric is an art of persuasion”, kenneth burke defines that rhetoric has an identity mean and emphasizes on the intentional design. his most famous contribution to rhetorical theory is known as his dramatic pentad, presented in his work a grammar of motives. one of five pentads in the article is that “the purpose: the reason for the action, the intended goal”. (burke, 1969)2. business english rhetoricbe differs from other varieties of esp in that it is often a mix of specific content (relating to a particular job area or industry) and general content (relating to general ability to communicate more effectively, albeit in business situations). (ellis, 2002) no matter it is spoken form or written form, we can study its rhetorical art on phonetic, lexical, sentential and textual level.2.1 phonetic levelphonetic rhetoric mainly relates to the selection of words. words are the combination of sounding and meaning. the sound is the form; the meaning is the content. a good speaker or writer always employs the concise, appropriate, vivid and readable words concerning both the form and the content. in a word, rhetoric on phonetic level aims to make the language sweet-sounding. in be, phonetic rhetoric can express the specific meaning. the selection of phonetic rhetoric has its specific intention. monosyllable, homonym, rhyming locution, onomatopoeia, alliteration, end-rhyming and rhythm all can create the rhetoric meaning. for instance, “ask for more”, from an advertisement of pepsi-cola, it uses monosyllable, short but powerful. “extraordinary cola, extraordinary choice”, from an advertisement of coco-cola, it fully applies repetition; it strengthens the advertising effect and leaves deep impression on customers. also, the famous enterprise sony uses alliteration in their advertisement, “hi-fi, hi-fun, hi-fashion, only from sony”, which stimulates the potential customer to buy their products.2.2 lexical levelbusiness english rhetoric on lexical level relates to the selected words and phrases. the words or phrases are static as the smallest unit of language, while the static words and phrases form the respectively dynamic sentence. as a result, be rhetoric is the dynamic selection of words and phrases. generally, the words in be are concise and logic. that jonathan swifts “proper word in proper place” (hu, 2004: 21) is significant. selecting words and phrases here refers to the use of words, which always involves choices based on the following principles:a. choose the word that will convey your meaning as exactly as possible. b. try to use the smallest number of words necessary to say what you want to say. c. avoid clich and abstract expressions.d. writing in a vivid way it is for the purpose of making your writing not only readable but also interesting and attractive.e. take into account the subject matter the reader and the purpose of your writing，and see that your wording is in harmony with these factors. (yuan, 2008)for instance, “the factory purchases a large quantity of raw materials every month”. here, although “buy” also means the act of “buying”, however, the word “purchase” is more formal and proper. but we seldom say “i purchased a nice skirt this morning”, but “i bought a nice skirt this morning.”2.3 sentential levelone characteristic of be rhetoric is sentence variety. sentence variety mainly deals with two aspects of sentence structure, namely, different sentence patterns and varied sentence length, i.e. shorter and longer sentence. in grammar, sentence patterns are generally viewed from two perspectives. on the one hand, sentence patterns are generally viewed from their functions can be classified into declarative sentence, the interrogative sentence, the imperative sentence and the exclamatory sentences; on the other hand, it refers to simple sentence, the compound sentence, the complex sentence and the compound-complex sentence if viewed form structure. of course, there are many sentence patterns in english that have special effects in achieving rhetorical purpose. such as, the cumulative sentence, the loose sentence, the periodic sentence, and the anticlimactic sentence. sentence length is closely related with sentence patterns. generally speaking, the simple sentence is shorter than the complex ones. in a word, in be, the sentence is various, such as formal and compound sentence used in business contract, business letter; simple and short sentence applied in business negotiation and advertisement.2.4 textual levelhatim (1990:158) believed, text is “a set of mutually relevant communicative functions, structured in such a way as to achieve an overall rhetoric purpose”. as for textual level, be shows its rhetorical model-linear type, because of the cohesion and transition, be used to take on the “hypo-taxis” structure. the abundance of conjunctions, relative pronouns or verbs, and prepositions make it possible that paragraphs connect smoothly and coherently.for example, “regardless of their seniority, all employees who hope to be promoted will continue their education either by enrolling in the special course to be offered by the abc company, scheduled to be given on the next eight saturdays beginning on january 24, or by taking the approved correspondence course selected from a list available in the staff development office”. this sentence is quite long, but the textual meaning is quite clear, showing the linear type of be.3. theoretical background: register theorythe theory of register is one of the most important theories in systemicfunctional grammar. the study of register theory owns a short history. in the 1930s, malinowski put forward the concept of “context of situation” in the meaning of meaning. then in 1950, j.r firth came up with the term of “context”. later, halliday complemented the register theory in 1964; he further divided register into three parts, namely field of discourse, mode of discourse and tenor of discourse. 3.1 malinowskis register theorythe socio-linguist and anthropologist malinowski first put forward the concept of “context of situation” on a seminal essay on the problem of meaning i