A Study of Euphemism in International Business Correspondence 委婉语在外贸函电中的运用.doc

编号 200804152008041524 南京航空航天大学金城学院毕业论文题 目a study of euphemism in international business correspondence委婉语在外贸函电中的运用 学生姓名 学 号2008041524学 院英语系专 业英语（国际贸易）班 级20080415指导教师 二一二年六月南京航空航天大学金城学院本科毕业设计（论文）诚信承诺书本人郑重声明：所呈交的毕业设计（论文）（题目： a study of euphemism in international business correspondence ）是本人在导师的指导下独立进行研究所取得的成果。尽本人所知，除了毕业设计（论文）中特别加以标注引用的内容外，本毕业设计（论文）不包含任何其他个人或集体已经发表或撰写的成果作品。作者签名： 年 月 日 （学号）： 毕业论文专用纸acknowledgments for the accomplishment of this thesis, i would like to express my sincere gratitude to my dear teacher ma wenmin, my supervisor, without her help and support this thesis would not have been impossible to be completed and presented in its present form. her instructions and suggestions guided directedme in planning and implementing thisto keep on my study in a methodicalrewarding way. her hard work in academic research inspired me and motivated me to put all my heart into the studypersist in my study d. moreoversurvey. besides, her strictness regard toin details promptedencouraged me to refinemyrevise this thesis relentlessly in terms of its language and formatand improve my command of english. my thanks also go to professor wang , who supported us from the very beginning to take up the present topic of study, though itse initial approval of my research subject matter encouraged me to go through my investigation on the spot, which called for tonspiles of work. in addition, he was kind enough to keep giving us a push to finish the thesis timely, which helped us to bring the thesis projectmy study to a desirable end. besides, i want to give my thanks to my classmates and researching partners, for the efforts they emadetogether with me to collect all thevaluable translation samples needed for the study fromin the public places in the library. finally, i wish to thank my parents, whose from the bottom of my heart. theirenormous love and support have accompanied me throughout my four years study at nuaa jin cheng college. without themircare, i could have gone nowhere.table of contents abstracti摘 要iiintroduction- 1 -i. a general review on euphemism- 3 -a. the concept of euphemism- 3 -b. foremens views on euphemism- 3 -c. the functions of euphemism- 4 -ii. euphemism in various different business letters- 5 -a. euphemism in inquiry letters- 5 -b. euphemism in letters of apology- 6 -c. euphemism in collection letters- 7 -d. euphemism in order acknowledgement letters- 8 -iii. grammars contribution to euphemism- 9 -a. passive tense- 9 -b. imperative sentence- 9 -c. ifs role in euphemism- 10 -conclusion- 12 -references- 14 - 毕业论文专用纸a study of euphemism in international business correspondence abstractwith chinas reform and opening to the outside world, international trade has played an indispensable role in our daily life and involved a great many fields. in the meantime, chinese peoples passion about international trade is also increasing. however, all people will inevitably come across a common problem-communication. combining the letters in the international business correspondence with some samples which can indicate the features of euphemism, from the facets of scene and grammar, this thesis profoundly analyzes the effects which euphemism exerts on international business correspondence. in the end, the thesis clearly illustrates the great impact which euphemism will have on the prospect of international business correspondence.key words： euphemism; commercial correspondence; international trade 委婉语在外贸函电中的运用 摘 要 随着我国对外开放的不断深化，“国际贸易”在商务中逐渐扮演着一个越来越重要的角色，同时，中国人对外贸的热情也不断高涨。然而，在对外贸易中，所有对外贸易人员都将不可避免地遇到一个共同的问题交流。本文结合国际商务函电的信函和交流中所运用的一些体现委婉语特征的案例，从情景变化和语法变化两个方面出发，深入剖析了委婉语在国际商务函电中所起的影响和作用。最后就委婉语对于未来国际贸易所起的影响及作用进行了透彻的分析，清晰地阐明了委婉语在今后商务发展中的前景。关键词: 委婉语；商务函电；国际贸易- - 14 - -a study of euphemism in international business correspondenceintroductiona. background and purpose of this study having been a member of wto, chinas exchanges with other countries are getting more and more frequent. under such a circumstance, business english finds its position in promoting chinas trade development. however, what is good business english like? it is safe to say that euphemism plays a significant role in the 21st-century business english. with the international trade development of china, as is known to all, trade exchange counts on people while peoples communication cant be left alone by proper words. thus, from this perspective, euphemism exerts profound impact on trade. as an unparalleled tactic, euphemism will demonstrate its power in establishing good partnership, eliminating conflicts and disputes as well as boosting trade development among enterprises from both home and abroad. most importantly, it avoids subjectivity and arbitrariness but leaves excellent impression on the opposite parties, attaining benefits at most.b. significance of the study and methodologyeuphemism is to international trade what water is to fish. international trade cant go smoothly without euphemism just like fish can swim freely without water. in international trade, one side inevitably needs to require another side to ship the goods, make the payment, provide the invoice and so on. therefore, it is absolutely necessary to fully master euphemism and utilize euphemism in a proper way. only attain a good knowledge of euphemism can we well boost the development of international trade. various scenes, included by international correspondence, are different from each other and play different roles. therefore, wed better distinguish one scene from another and choose the most regularly used euphemism to deliver the ideas. besides, the english language, as a changeful language, contains a great many changes of verbs, nouns, adjectives and so on. thus, it is an unparalleled option to optimize our correspondence euphemism by distinct word forms.c. the structure of this thesisto divide methods into two main parts, additional words like “im afraid”, ”i hope” and” please” which are to indicate your courtesy or appreciation and proper grammatical modification will be taken into consideration. moreover, the former method serves to avoid subjectivity and arbitrariness of what the writer would like to say and sometimes make sentences compromising instead of absolute. in addition, appropriate grammatical modification also consolidate the role of euphemism in international business correspondence by creating gentle and amicable sentences, showing respect and care for the receivers. i. a general review on euphemism a. the concept of euphemismeuphemism is a linguistic phenomenon which widely exists in human language, involving various aspects such as race, history, culture and psychology. it reflects all walks of life and works to coordinate relationship. as far as i am concerned, it is a figure of speech in which something of an unpleasant distressing or indelicate nature is described in less offensive term. euphemism refers to using some elegant and implicit terms instead of stiff and straightforward ones to express the thoughts. and people usually choose indirect words to go on wheels and create a harmonious atmosphere.b. foremens views on euphemismthe world-renowned linguist leech has also put forward politeness principles which include six fundamental elements: 1) policy principle: make others acquire benefits instead of suffering losses. 2) generosity principle: make yourself suffer more losses instead of acquiring benefits. 3) praise principle: praise others more instead of belittling. 4) modesty principle: try to belittle yourself more instead of praising yourself. 5) accordance principle: make efforts to get rid of disparity and strengthen agreements. 6) compassion principle: reduce antipathy, increase compassion.according to a famous french writer, language is power. how to effectively give full play to language will depend on what kind of politeness principle you use. politeness principle, the prerequisite of good relationship and cooperation, refers to expressing the discourteous information at the lowest level as the smooth development will undoubtedly counts on good relationship and cooperation.c. the functions of euphemism1. polite functionpolite function is used in order to avoid the discourtesy and hurt to others in the process of socializing. thus, topics such as race, gender, nationality and age are supposed to be avoided in letters. moreover, polite words, which can optimize the relationship between two sides like “kindly” “appreciate” “gratitude” and so on, are fundamental factors to establish eternal relations for both of the sides. generally speaking, polite function plays vital parts at both the beginning and the end of a commercial correspondence. to take “your company has been highly recommended” for example, “highly” in it indicates the senders unique respect and longing for their cooperation, demonstrating good courtesy as it is the first time to communicate by email.2. evasive functionthe application of evasive function aims to beautify the things which may produce fear or annoyance. evasive function, under a lot of circumstances, acts to intensify or weaken the original meaning so as to get rid of the negative effects on others. for instance, if one would like to inform the opposite side that the goods should arrive at his company within three days, he would better express his point with “i would really appreciate it if the goods could reach our company within three days” instead of “the goods must arrive at our company within three days”. stiff and straightforward words undoubtedly will cause discontent and even aversion as it is a taboo to speak in stiff and straightforward tones. therefore, stiff and straightforward words should be substituted by gentle ones. when taboo is evaded, the receiver will naturally accept the letter.3. cosmetic functioncosmetic function applied in commercial correspondence mainly serves to conceal anxiety, anger or worry in ones mind. in the process of international trade, two sides inevitably experience some delays or conflicts and sometimes anger is perhaps aroused. however, no matter how angry or furious you are, emotions absolutely cant be shown in the letter, thus, in this case, wed better apply some specific words to conceal our negative emotions so that lasting cooperation will not be severely affected.ii. euphemism in various different business letters a. euphemism in inquiry letters regarded as the very threshold of a successful deal, inquiry letter will definitely exert great influence on the entire process. thus, euphemism in inquiry letters undoubtedly plays a vital role in international trade. firstly，we will do some research about the methods and techniques of writing a perfect inquiry letter. to begin with, it is necessary for the sender to convey a clear idea of what kind of information he or she would like to know at the very beginning. beating around the bush is a taboo. besides, the scope of what the sender hope to inquire should not only include price of the products or services, but also specification, package, delivery time and payment method. moreover, a mood of desiring to acquire the precise information is usually expressed at the end of the email. and never forget to make a simple, clear and polite email. the following comes the example:dear mr. wang,as we have much interest in this line of the chinese goods, we would appreciate your sending us catalogues, price-lists and, if possible, a full range of samples at your earliest convenience. we hope this will be a good start for long and profitable business relations. yours sincerely. (sunping, 2010: 22) in inquiry letters, it is usually the first time for you to establish relationship with the opposite side, therefore, first impression is quite vital and words are supposed to be conveyed in gentle tones. the above inquiry letter is indeed expressed with what we call euphemism such as “mush interest” “would appreciate” “at your earliest convenience”. “much interest” opens the door of embarking on a relationship with the opposite side and naturally starts up a conversation. “would appreciate” is a proper supplement for “much interest” as it lists what are favored in terms of the product. moreover, “at your earliest convenience” shows great respect to the opposite side as it actually means “i respect your schedule”.as mentioned above, beating around the bush in inquiry letters is a taboo. therefore, at the beginning, the original intension must be directly delivered in accordance with evasive function. whats more, “we hope this will be a good start for long and profitable business relations” completely expresses the best wishes to their prospect cooperation and is also a good example of polite function.b. euphemism in letters of apologyin order to please our clients, letters of apology must be written in a modest, polite and cautious manner. specific techniques are indispensable.when you are responding a letter of apology, acceptance of complaint, apology and how the matter will be dealt with must be clarified at the first beginning. meanwhile, it is necessary to point out that this kind of mistake or problem seldom occurs in your firm. what should be paid more attention to is that although the problem can not be figured out immediately, recognition of existence of the problem as well as a quick solution must be emphasized. last but not least, three precious words” im so sorry” are supposed to be spoken out at the end of the letter, which aims at weakening clients anger.an example as follows:dear sir,thank you for calling the billing error in your last weekly statement to our attention. this error was caused by a new clerk in our accounting department. we have corrected your statement and a new statement is enclosed. please accept our sincere apologies for the inconvenience.we look forward to our continued good business relations.yours sincerely. (alan bond, 2010: 40) this is a letter of apology in which euphemism like “thank you for” “sincere apology” and “continued” is used. due to some inevitable mistakes, we often have to apologize so as to release clients fury. thus, euphemism in letter of apology is a must. at the very beginning, “thank you for” clearly indicates the recognition and regret causing such problems. in order to make the opposite side accept the apology, we must show our sincerity. for this reason, “please accept our sincere apology for the inconvenience” needs to be added in the end. in addition, “continued” well delivers best wishes for the prospect cooperation.in fact, gratitude and politeness for the clients pointing out the problem is conveyed and properly indicates your resolution to improve the bad products or services. the cause is also explained in the second sentence. lastly, a nice wish for continued good relations is delivered to the client and this will definitely leave a good impression on the client. the better the euphemism is utilized, the broader the business will be. polite euphemism such as “thank you for” “please accept” and “look forward to” largely express the wishes to be forgiven. as a matter of fact, in many cases mistakes cant be avoided, but if we take appropriate actions and utilize specific euphemism, troubles will be worked out naturally and good partnership lasts.c. euphemism in collection letters when one side urges for the debt delayed by another side, we are habituated to call it “collection”. whether the debt can be collected to some extent depends on collection letters. thus, euphemism in collection letters will play a vital role. collection letters can be divided into four phases, including friendly reminder collection letters, firm reminder collection letters, urgent reminder collection letters and final collection letters. here i would like take friendly reminder collection letters for example as a famous saying goes “well begun, good success”.a specimen goes as the following:dear sir,just a friendly reminder that we would very much appreciate your payment of 125 dollars for a copy of our annual computer hardware directory that you purchased on feb 19th.if your check is already in the email, you should disregard this letter. if it is not, please take a moment to mail your check today.thank you very much for your cooperationyours sincerely.(alan bond, 2010: 162)to begin with, in the above collection letter, the words “a friendly reminder” and “appreciate” clearly indicates the senders courtesy and politeness, which conforms to polite function. in fact, collecting is a tricky job as it may cause aversion to others. however, “friendly” and “appreciate”, according to the cosmetic function, help conceal the hostile mood for collecting and show a nice facet. and the last sentence in the second paragraph wisely divides the entire email into two circumstances-yes or no. if it is yes, please disregard; if it is no, should take actions immediately. the whole email goes in an orderly way with such euphemism which exerts extraordinary effects on this email.d. euphemism in order acknowledgement lettersin terms of writing a perfect order acknowledgement letter with euphemism, the following several points will work.at first, thanks are supposed to be delivered for the opposite sides ordering the goods. but if the goods are in shortage, sentence such as” the goods are enjoying high popularity and in great demand” should be outstanding and prominent in the r