A Communicative and Stylistic StudyOf Business Letters.doc

A Communicative and Stylistic StudyOf Business LettersContentsAbstract.内容提要1. Business Communication1.1 Concept of Business Communication.11.2 Process of Communication.11.3 Basic Forms of Communication in Business.51.3.1 Oral Communication. 51.3.2 Written Communication.61.3.3 Non-Verbal Communication81.4 Goals of Business Communication.9 1.4.1 Receiver Understanding9 1.4.2 Receiver Response.10 1.4.3 Favorable Relationship11 1.4.4 Organizational Goodwill.111.5 Business Communication Principles121.5.1 Clearness.131.5.2 Conciseness.171.5.3 Correctness.181.5.4 Concreteness.201.5.5 Courtesy. 211.5.6 Consideration.241.5.7 Completeness.252. An Overview of Business Letters2.1 Definition of Business Letters.282.2 Roles of Business Letters.283. Stylistic Features of Business Letters 3.1 General Views on Style.423.2 General Stylistic Features of Business Letters.433.3 Lexical Features.43 3.3.1 Heavy Use of Familiar Words.43 3.3.2 Extensive Use of Abbreviations.45 3.3.3 Elimination of Business Clichs.48 3.3.4 Economy of Words.51 3.3.5 Preference for Positive Words to Negative Words.53 3.3.6 Avoidance of Sexist Wording54 3.3.7 Use of Concrete rather than Abstract Words.56 3.4 Syntactical Features.57 3.4.1 Variation in Sentence Length.57 3.4.2 Use of the Active Voice.583.4.3 Use of Parallel Structures60 3.4.4 Use of Dependent Clauses.613.4.5 Avoidance of Misplaced Modifiers633.4.6 Avoidance of Dangling Modifiers.633.5 Paragraphical Features.64 3.5.1 Paragraph Length.65 3.5.2 Paragraph Unity.65 3.5.3 Paragraph Coherence.66 3.5.4 Paragraphing of the Body of Business Letters.66Conclusion68Bibliography69AcknowledgementsI would like to give special thanks to my supervisor Professor Zhang Chunhong for his continuous guidance from the preparation to the completion of this thesis. Professor Zhang devoted much of his precious time scrutinizing my thesis chapter after chapter. Without his help, I could not have achieved anything desirable.I also would like to show my deep gratitude for all the faculty members in SIFTs Language School, whose excellent scholarship has made my two and half years of study an unforgettable experience in my life.My sincere thanks also go to my roommates and friends, who are always ready to offer me their enthusiastic assistance and encouragement.Finally, I wish to thank my parents, for always being close to me, standing by me, giving me strength and motivation, and so much more.AbstractWith the impetus of economic globalization, international trade is witnessing rapid progress. World economies are becoming increasingly interconnected and international trade is no longer a matter of bilateral economic activity between countries. Business letters, an actively operative means of communication used in overwhelming numbers, are acknowledged as an indispensable part of international business ever more popularly even in this age of electronic communication. The writer of this dissertation targets “business letters” as the main topic, hoping to explore this subject, which is so far under-studied yet deserves greater researching efforts, from a business communication perspective, with particular emphasis on their stylistic features.This thesis consists of three chapters. In Chapter , the writer expounds the basic theories on business communication, including its concept, process, goals, basic forms and principles. Chapter is devoted to the essentials of the business letter, covering its definition, parts, categorization, roles and format, to prepare the ground for the detailed analysis in the following chapter. Chapter presents a comprehensive stylistic analysis illustrated and supported by a laboriously-selected number of examples. This chapter probes into not only the general features, but also the lexical, syntactic and paragraphical features of business letters.Key words: Business Communication, Business Letters, Style内容提要随着全球经济一体化进程的推动, 国际商务向前迅疾发展，企业之间相互联系与沟通的机会越来越多,国际贸易越来越趋向多边化。全球经济一体化期待商务沟通无障碍。商务书信作为商务沟通的一种方式，越来越成为商务活动中不可缺少的一部分。由此, 本文选定 “商务书信”作为研究对象, 分析了其构成、作用等, 并着重从商务沟通及文体角度分析其特点,使商务书信语言更加有效地传递信息以达到有效沟通的目的。本文分三章。第一章分析了商务沟通的基本理论,包括商务沟通的概念、过程、基本形式、目标及其准则。第二章介绍了商务信函的定义、 构成 、 分类、作用等理论知识，为下一章具体分析其文体特点做了铺垫。第三章是本文论述重点。本章结合大量例子对商务书信的文体特点进行全面细致的分析, 包括其文体的基本特点、词法特点、句法特点及段落特点。关键词：商务沟通 商务书信 文体Chapter Business Communication1. 1 Concept of Business CommunicationAlthough business communication has its specific application, differing to a certain degree from other forms of communication, it does share something in common with communication in general. In order to have a better understanding of business communication, we must, first of all, make certain the concepts of business and communication. Business is the activity conducted by organizations of paid people working together to produce and market goods and services for profit. Communication is the process of exchanging information and meaning between or among individuals through written, oral, and nonverbal messages. So business communication can be defined as a process of transmitting meanings through written, oral, and nonverbal messages within or between/among organizations of paid people working together to produce and market goods and services for profit.11.2 Process of Communication Communication is usually described as a flow of messages, through a channel, between a sender and a receiver, which can be broken into six phrases: senders idea, message encoding, message transmission, message receipt, message decoding, and receivers feedback, as Figure 1.12 illustrates:Figure 1.1 The communication processPhase 1Sender has an ideaPhase 6Receiver sendsfeedbackPhase 5Receiver decodesmessageCHANNEL ANDMEDIUMPhase 2Sender encodesidea Phase 3Sender transmitsmessagePhase 4Receiver getsmessageSenders idea The process of communication begins when the sender the person with whom the message originates has an idea. The form of the idea will be influenced by complex factors surrounding the sender: mood, frame of reference, background, culture, and physical makeup, as well as the context of the situation and many other factors.EncodingThe next step in the communication process involves encoding, converting the idea into words or gestures that will convey meaning. This process also encompasses selecting and organizing the content of the message. The senders primary objective is to encode the message in such a way that the message received is as close as possible to the message sent. Knowledge of the receivers educational level, experience, viewpoints, and other information aids the sender in encoding the message. If the information about the receiver is unavailable, the sender can put himself or herself in the receivers position to gain a fairly accurate insight for encoding the message. Obvious breakdowns in the communication process at the encoding stage occur if the sender useswords not present in the receivers vocabulary.ambiguous, nonspecific ideas that distort the message.nonverbal signals that contradict the verbal message.Channels for message transmissionTo increase the likelihood that the receiver will understand the message, the sender should carefully select an appropriate channel. There are three typical communication channels. Two-way, face-to-face: Informal conversations, interviews, oral reports, speeches, and teleconferences. Two-way, not-face-to-face: Telephone conversations and inter-company announcements. One-way, not-face-to-face: Written documents such as letters, memos, reports, and press releases sent traditionally or electronically (electronic mail, fax, voice-mail).Channel selection is of great importance because an inappropriate channel can cause the message to be misunderstood and can adversely affect human relations with the receiver. For example, for a very complex subject, a sender might begin with a written document and follow up with a face-to-face discussion after the receiver has had the opportunity to study the document. Written documents are required when legal matters are involved and written records must be retained. A face-to-face meeting is a more appropriate channel for sending sensitive, unpleasant messages. Message receivedFor communication to occur, the receiver must first get the message. If the sender sends a letter, the receiver has to read it before understanding it.Decoding The destination of the message is the receiver, whose task is to interpret the senders message with as little distortion as possible. The process of interpreting the message is referred to as decoding. Obvious breakdowns in communication occur at this stage in the following circumstances: The receiver is intimidated by the position or authority of the sender. This tension may prevent the receiver from concentrating on the message effectively enough to understand it clearly. The receiver is unwilling to attempt to understand the message because the topic is perceived to be too difficult to understand. The receiver is unreceptive to new and different ideas, that is, stereotypical visions and prejudices prevent the receiver from viewing the message with an open mind.Receivers feedbackAfter decoding the message, the receiver responds in some way and signals that response to the sender. This feedback enables the sender to evaluate the effectiveness of his or her message: If the receiver doesnt understand the meaning of the message, the sender can tell by the response, and make corresponding clarification. 1.3 Basic Forms of Communication in BusinessBusiness communication basically includes three forms3:oral communicationwritten communicationnon-verbal communication1.3.1 Oral CommunicationOral communication refers to conversations in which the spoken word is the major code for communication. Common channels for oral communication are telephone, face-to-face conversation, video, television, radio, and sound over the Internet. Oral communication is an important form of communication in business. Henry Mintzberg, one of the worlds foremost business strategists, discovered from his research that managers spend between 50 and 90 percent of their time talking.Oral communication has many advantages over other forms of communication. The primary advantage is that through conversation, or questions and answers, people can receive immediate feedback and gauge if they are being understood. They can also ascertain whether they are understanding others messages. In addition, when oral communication is face-to-face, people can key in on symbolic and non-verbal communications such as facial expressions and body language, which enables them to make a judgment about whether or not they should believe what they hear.Oral communication has disadvantages, though. Precisely because talking is so easy, whether it is face-to-face or through telephone, people often do not think enough about their message before delivering it. “They put their mouth in motion before their brain is in gear” is a common expression related to the propensity to speak without thinking. The result is that speakers sometimes give away more than they intend, or say things that they later regret. The sender might not consider carefully enough what meaning particular words might have for the receiver, which may result in misunderstandings. There are opportunities for environmental noise in an oral communication process, too. Words can be spoken but unheard, telephone lines or mobile connections can be intermittent in quality and voice transmission is not perfect. The speaker might leave out some important details or answer a query without having enough time to determine the best response. The receiver might also forget or even intentionally forget some of the message content. In oral communication there is no permanent record, so both parties to the conversation have to rely on memory. Finally, although most of us are relatively comfortable speaking with our friends or even one-to-one with strangers, most people get nervous if they have to speak to large groups even if those groups are made up of family and friends rather than strangers. The stress of giving an oral presentation can negatively affect the quality and reception of the message.1.3.2 Written CommunicationThe major types of business writing used in communication include business letters, business reports, memos, e-mail, and faxes.Business correspondence entails a writing process, i.e. an opportunity for deliberation. One tends to think more about the message content when writing than when speaking. This is partly because, once written, the communication is a permanent record. Generally more time is spent preparing a letter. The sender gathers the information for the letter in an organized way and then can draft and re-draft the letter to get the wording just right. Similarly, the receiver can spend time digesting the information, re-read it and refer to it as many times as necessary. When the message has important details or it needs to be carefully considered by the receiver, the message generally takes the form of written correspondence.Of course, written communication has its disadvantages. Writing takes time. The process of writing a letter is an apt example. The letter might be dictated, then typed, mailed, delivered to the appropriate person, opened and, finally, read. E-mail is considerably faster, but it too takes more time than talking. Written feedback from the senders message can, therefore, take minutes, or several days if it is sent by ordinary mail. Besides, written communication is more difficult in that it involves some kind of technology (even if only pen and paper) for transmission, whereas oral communication is free of these disadvantages. On the whole, however, writing encourages deliberation and precision in diction. The author bears much responsibility in the writing process in order to prevent distortion and misunderstanding. The written language can be detached from the writers, enabling them to look upon their utterance objectively and giving them the opportunity to correct and improve what has been put on paper. The most important feature of written communication is that it makes a legally valid record. Its advantages are:(1) It has permanence. Traditionally, writing is regarded as more permanent than other media and is customarily used when record is required or one wants a communication that is available for reference over a long period.(2) It avoids the necessity for personal contact. This may be desirable in certain delicate situations.(3) It is suitable for conveying long and complex messages that need to be studied in some detail. The obvious example is a series of detailed instructions.(4) It is potentially more formal than other media and can carry added weight and authority.(5) It is a convenient way of reaching a large number of people. Most business communication is held in written form. For example, letters must be written to customers, salespeople, agents, suppliers, bankers, shipping companies, and many other people concerned. Hence, the need for efficiency in writing business letters is essential and indispensable in international trade. This thesis will focus on one form of written business communication business letters.1.3.3 Non-Verbal Communication Although nonverbal communication is an elementary form of communication, it tends to be under-appreciated by those not trained in business communication. Yet, non-verbal messages are given greater importance by receivers than written and oral communication is. Non-verbal communication refers to all intended and unintended meanings that are not in the form of written or spoken words. They include such things as facial expressions, eye contact, gestures, clothing and personal appearance, distance, personal space, and tone of voice. Non-Verbal communication differs fundamentally from other forms of communication. For one thing, its less structured, so its more difficult to study. People cant pick up a book on nonverbal language and master the vocabulary of gestures, expressions, and inflections that are common in culture. Even experts dont really know how peop