语言经济学视角下商务英语信函写作分析

PAGE语言经济学视角下商务英语信函写作分析AnalysisofBusinessEnglishLetterWritingfromthePerspectiveofLanguageEconomicsAbstract:In1965,JacobMarschak,thefirstmanwhoproposedthetheoryoflanguageeconomics.Theinformationeconomistcreatednewinterdisciplinarysubjectthattranscendseconomicsandlinguistics.Languageeconomicsholdsthateconomicsiscloselyrelatedtotheexplorationoftheoptimallanguagestructure.Whatismore,language,likeotherresources,showseconomicalcharacteristics,amongthesearevalue,utility,costandbenefit.Theanalysisofthesefeatureshasdevelopedanimportantresearchinlanguageeconomics,whichareexaminedbyeconomictheoriesandmethods,itbringsnewvitalitytothefurtherdevelopmentoflanguage.Basedonthetheoryoflanguageeconomics,thispapermakesanin-depthanalysisofbusinessEnglishletters.Fromtheperspectiveoflanguageeconomics,itmakesaqualitativestudyoftheeconomicfeaturesoflanguageinbusinessEnglishlettersfromtheperspectiveoflanguageeconomics.Asfortheanalyticalframework,whichisconsistentwiththefoureconomiccharacteristicsproposedbyMarschak.Firstofall,language’svalueisanalyzedforitsmarketvalueandnon-marketvalue.Secondly,theexplanationofutilityoflanguageisproducedonthebasisthescarcityofresources.Thirdly,languagecostisanalyzedthroughcommunicationcostinbusinesssituations.Finally,thelanguageexpressionsareprettyrationalinordertoachievethegreatestbenefit.Inaword,thispaperaimstostudythelanguage’scontributioninbusinessEnglishandrevealtheeconomiccharacteristicsoflanguage.Itnotonlyenrichesthetheoryoflanguageeconomics,butalsocontributetothestudyoflanguagewithauniquetheoreticalperspective.Inaddition,ithelpsbusinessmenclarifytheeconomicvalueoflanguageinbusinesscorrespondencesothatbusinessmencanusetheknowledgeoflanguageeconomicscorrectlytoachieveefficientcommunication.Keywords:LanguageEconomics;businessEnglishletters;economicfeaturesContents1.Introduction1.1TheSignificanceoftheStudy1.2ObjectiveoftheStudy2.OverviewofLanguageEconomics2.1DefinitionofLanguageEconomics2.2HistoryofLanguageEconomics3.AnIntroductiontoBusinessEnglishLetters3.1DefinitionofBusinessCorrespondence3.2FunctionsofBusinessCorrespondence3.3BasicPrinciplesforBusinessLetterWriting4.TheApplicationofLanguageEconomicstoBusinessEnglishLetterWriting4.1TheRelationshipbetweenLanguageEconomicsandBusinessEnglishLetterWriting4.2TheApplicationofLanguageEconomicstoBusinessEnglishLetterWriting4.2.1ValueAnalysisofLanguageinBusinessEnglishLetters4.2.2UtilityAnalysisofLanguageinBusinessEnglishLetters4.2.3CostAnalysisofLanguageinBusinessEnglishLetters4.2.4BenefitAnalysisofLanguageinBusinessEnglishLetters5.Conclusion5.1MajorFindings5.2ImplicationsoftheStudy5.3LimitationsoftheStudy5.4SuggestionsforFutureStudiesAcknowledgementsBibliographyATHESISFORTHEDEGREEOFBACHELORPAGE111.IntroductionWiththedevelopmentofChina'sforeigntradeandtheincreasingofothereconomicactivities,businesscommunicationhasattractedmoreandmoreattentioninChina.Thebusinessletter,asoneofthemosteffectivewaysinbusinesscommunication,whichisusedineachprocessofbusinessactivities.Inthissection,thepaperprovidesageneralstatementofthesignificanceandobjectivesofthestudy.1.1TheSignificanceoftheStudyEveryday,amongpeopleorcountries,thereareavarietyofbusinessactivities,inthesebusinessactivities,businessletterplayanimportantrole.Businessletteristhebridgeofbusinesscommunicationamongpeopleorcountries.Thesuccessofbusinesscommunicationhasadirectimpactonthesuccessofbusinessactivities.Agoodbusinesslettercanpromotethebusinessactivities,onthecontrary,iftheexpressionofthecontentinbusinessletteriswrong,itwillhindertheprogressofbusinessactivities,andevencausethelossofinterests.Therefore,agoodbusinessletterisveryimportanttobusinessmen,Boththemaintainingofgoodtraderelationsandachievingmutualbenefitdependonthebusinessletterinalargeextent,thismakespeoplebelievethattheexplorationofitslanguagecharacteristicsandwritingskillscanimprovethequalityandefficiencyofbusinesscommunication.Inrecentyears,manyscholarshavestudiedbusinessletterfromtheaspectsofsemantics,grammar,vocabularyandpragmatics.Inaddition,someresearchershavediscussedthewritingformofbusinessletters.However,theauthor'sresearchshowsthatfewscholarshavecombineditwiththeviewpointoflanguageeconomics,whichisatheoryfirstputforwardinthefieldofeconomicsanddevelopedinthepastdecade.Therefore,inordertoexplorethisfieldindepth,thisauthorwillanalyzethebusinessEnglishletterwritingfromtheperspectiveoflanguageeconomics.1.2ObjectiveoftheStudyThepurposeofthisthesisistostudythecharacteristicsofbusinessEnglishletterwritingfromtheperspectiveoflanguageeconomics,inordertoguidebusinessmentoexpressbusinessinformationproperlywhilewritingbusinessEnglishletters,whichisnotonlybenificialtopromotebusinesscommunication,butalsobenificialtoprotecttheinterestsofbusinessmen.TheauthorhasconsultedalargenumberofpapersandconductedrelevantresearchinthehopeoffindingouttheeconomiceffectsoflanguageinbusinessEnglishlettersonthebasisoflanguageeconomics.Accordingtothetheoryoflanguageeconomics,languagehasfoureconomiccharacteristics,namely,value,utility,costandbenefit.Theanalysisofthevalueoflanguageishelpfulforbusinessmentorealizetheimportanceofmarketvalueandnon-marketvalueoflanguage,whichisbenificialforbusinessmentoprotecttheirinterests.TheanalysisoftheutilityoflanguageishelpfultoguidebusinessmentoexpresstheirinformationproperlywhentheywritebusinessEnglishletters,whichisbenificialforthemtoestablishafriendlybusinessrelationship.Theanalysisofthecostoflanguageishelpfulforbusinessmentoconveybusinessinformationeffectivelyandreduceunnecessarytimeandenergyexpenditure.Theanalysisofthebenefitoflanguageishelpfulforbusinessmantobearationalperson.2.OverviewofLanguageEconomicsWiththeincreasingpaceofglobalization,therelationshipbetweenpeoplehasbecomeincreasinglycloser,andcross-culturalcommunicationbetweenbusinessmenhasbecomeincreasinglyfrequent.What’smore,thestatusoflanguageanditsrelationshipwiththeeconomyhasalsobecomecloser.Therefore,theintersectingconceptsoflanguageeconomicshaveemerged.Inthissection,thepaperprovidesageneralintroductiontothedefinitionanddevelopmentcourseoflanguageeconomics.2.1DefinitionofLanguageEconomicsSofar,thedefinitionisstillnotclear.Assomescholarsmentioned,thegivendefinitionsarebasedontheircomprehensionsoflanguageeconomics,whichmayinspirefutureresearch.Grinforexample,definesitas:Economicsoflanguagereferstotheparadigmofmainstreamtheoreticaleconomicsandusestheconceptsandtoolsofeconomicsandthestudyofrelationshipswithlinguisticvariables.Itfocusesonprimarily,ratherthanexclusively,onrelationshipsinwhicheconomicvariablesalsoplayarole(Grin,1996:16).Accordingtohisinterpretation,themainideaoflanguageeconomicsemphasizestheutility-maximizingchoicesmadebyrationalpeoplelivingintheworld.Inaddition,notonlytheeconomicpartsbutalsolanguageonescanbeincludedinthestudyoflanguageeconomics.Theappearanceofterm“variable”revealsthedegreeofarbitrarinessintheanalyticstructure.Inconclusion,thestudyoflanguageeconomicsincludingatleasttwoaspects:oneistheinfluenceofeconomicactivitiesonlanguage,theotheristheinfluenceoflanguageorlanguagebehaviortoalloftheeconomicactivities.2.2HistoryofLanguageEconomicsTherearethreestagesinthedevelopmentoflanguageeconomics,whichisoriginatedinEuropeandtheUnitedStatesinthe1960s.Inthebeginning,theresearchersmainlyconcerntheempiricalstudyoflanguageeconomics.Theybelievethatlanguagehasracialcharacteristicsandhasaparticulareffectonpeople'spracticalincome.Inthesecondstage,thescholarsholdsthatlanguageskillscanbeviewdasaformofcapital.Peoplecangetareturnupontheinvestmenttheyspent.Theyemphasizethelinkagebetweenlanguagetrainingandtheeconomicalvalue.Inthethirdstage,thereisanargumentthattwofunctionsoflanguagedeterminingthelaborincome.Languageisnotonlyexistsasafeatureofidentity,butalsoasignofaparticularsocialstatus.Inrecentyears,greatimprovementhasbeenachievedintheresearchoflanguageeconomics.Intheory,ithasafixedobjectofstudyandfeasibleresearchmethods,andanindependentdiscipline.Owingtoabroadprospect,therearefourbasicdimensionsoflanguageeconomicsatpresent.Thefirstone,withtheassistanceofregulationsormodesofeconomicstostudylanguageproblems.Secondly,thepointistoexploretheusageoflanguageintheeconomicsfield.Thethirdpartfocusesontherelationshipbetweenlanguageandeconomy.Finally,thestudyofbusinessEnglishlettersfromtheperspectiveoflanguageeconomicshasscientifictheoreticalsupport,broadresearchprospectsandhugemarketdemand.Ifweconductin-depthstudyandextensiveexplorationoftheeconomicsoflanguage,Thetheoryoflanguageeconomicswillplayagreatroleinbusinessactivities.3.AnIntroductiontoBusinessEnglishLettersBusinessletterisakindofcommunication,thecommunicationsaremadeinwrittenform.Inthissection,thepaperprovidesthedefinition,functionsandbasicprinciplesofbusinesscorrespondence.3.1DefinitionofBusinessCorrespondenceBusinesslettersareusedinbusinessactivitiestofacilitatetraderelationsandareregaredasthecoreformofcommunicationwiththeoutsideworld.Businessletterstakevariousformsinbusinessactivities,suchasbusinessletters,businesse-mailandbusinessfax.Theirpurposeistoenquiringaboutinformation,providingresponses,offering,negotiating,claimingandadjusting,orderinggoods,sellingproducts,makingproposalsandbuildinggoodwill.Itwasdefinedas:aformofcommunicationbymail(甘,1996:20),businesscorrespondenceisessentialforbusinesscommunication.3.2FunctionsofBusinessCorrespondenceWiththedevelopmentofeconomicglobalization,thetradebetweenChinaandothercountrieshasbecomeincreasinglyfrequent.BusinessEnglishisaspeciallanguagecommonlyusedininternationalbusinessactivitiesandanimportanttoolintheforeigntrade,therefore,businessEnglishlettershavebecometheimportantmediumofdoingbusinessbetweencountries.Withoutbusinessletters,manyinternationaltradeactivitieswillnotbegoingsmoothly.Specifically,businessEnglishlettershavethefollowingthreefunctions.Firstofall,businessEnglishletteristhebridgeofbusinesscommunicationbetweencountries.Intheworldtradeactivities,differentcountriesusedifferentlanguages,whichisthefirstobstacletoforeigntrade.English,asthemostcommonlanguageintheworld,hasinevitablybecomethebondbetweenthepeopleofvariouscountries,sobusinessEnglishisthebridgeofbusinesscommunication.Inaddition,fewbusinessmenhavetheleisuretovisiteachcustomer,especiallywhentheyaredoingbusinessabroad,andlong-distancecallscanbetime-consumingandexpensive.Therefore,lettersremainthebestformofensuringaccuratereceiptofinformation,especiallywhentransmittingsomedetailedinformation.Therefore,businessEnglishletterscannotonlybuildabridgeforthecommunicationbetweenthetwosidesinforeigntrade,butalsoaccuratelyandconcretelyconveyallkindsofrelevantbusinessinformationbetweenthetwosides.Secondly,usingbusinessEnglishlettertocommunicateisbenificialforbusinessmentoestablishfriendlyrelations.OneoftheprinciplesofwritingbusinessEnglishlettersisusingpolitephrases,forinstance,whenapersoniswritingabusinessletter,hewillusephraseslike“please”,“thankyou”andtherewon’tbeanyoffensiveorbelittlingstatements.So,inbusinessEnglishletters,peoplewillshowtheircourtesyandconsiderationtothereaders,whichwillleaveagoodimpressiononthereaders.Inaddition,businessEnglishletteristhebridgeofbusinesscommunication,whichisbenificialforbusinessmentohavecloserrelations.Thirdly,abusinesslettercanalsobeawrittencontract.Anagreementisusuallydrawnupbetweenthecompanyandanindependentsupplierorconsultant.Forexample,someforeigndocuments,suchasjointcommuniques,jointstatements,jointpledges,agreements,contracts,treaties,etc,haveaprescriptivefunction,whichmeansthatthesedocumentsarebindingonboth.Signedbybothparties,thepartywhoviolatesthetermswillbearpolitical,economicormoralresponsibility.3.3BasicPrinciplesforBusinessLetterWritingGenerallyspeaking,theunnecessaryflowerylanguageismeaninglessinthepracticalsituation,sincecorrespondenceisnotequivalenttoliteraryworks,itisrequiredtousethesimplewordstoaccuratelyexpresstheirviews,andtoattracttheattentionofreaders.Convincethereadertobelievewhatyousay.BusinessEnglishwritingisamodelofpracticallanguage.So,whatisthemosteffectivelinchpininbusinessletter?Theabovefactsshowthatthiskindofpracticalwritinghasitsownspecificlanguagestyle.Specificallyspeaking,theessentialqualitiescanbesummedupinsevenCs’—clarity,conciseness,courtesy,consideration,completeness,concretenessandcorrectness(贺,2007:2).Theseprinciplesarerecognizedbymostbusinessbrokers,andtheyarethemostbasicprinciplesofbusinesscorrespondence.4.TheApplicationofLanguageEconomicstoBusinessEnglishLetterWritingLanguageeconomicswasproposedbyJacobMarschakin1965.Heproposedthatlanguagehasfoureconomiccharacteristics,namely,value,cost,utilityandbenefit.Thesefouraspectshavebecomethebasicframeworkforexploringlanguageproblemsbasedonthetheoryoflanguageeconomics(Marschak,1965:13).4.1TheRelationshipbetweenLanguageEconomicsandBusinessEnglishLetterWritingWiththerapiddevelopmentofglobalization,therelationshipamongcountrieshasbecomeincreasinglyclose,andthebusinesscontactsamongcountrieshavebecomeincreasinglyfrequent.Atthesametime,theroleofbusinessEnglishlettersininternationalbusinessactivitieshasbecomeincreasinglyprominent.Agoodbusinessletterplaysanimportantroleinbusinessactivities.HowtowriteagoodbusinessEnglishletterandshowthepositiveroleofbusinessEnglishlettersinbusinessactivitieshasbeenahottopictobusinessmen.Therefore,inordertowriteagoodbusinessletter,weneedtocombinetheknowledgeoflanguagewiththeknowledgeofeconomics.Economistsbegintoapplytheknowledgeoflanguageeconomicstothewritingofbusinessletters,andlookatbusinesslanguagefromanewtheoreticalperspective.Aseconomicsoflanguageisasubjectbasedoneconomicsandlinguistics,thistheoryisboundtobecomeabridgebetweenlanguageandeconomics.Researchonlanguagewiththetheoryofeconomics,specifically,thestudyofbusinessEnglishlettersfromtheperspectiveoflanguageeconomicswilldefinitelyhasgreatsigificiance.Theuseoflanguageeconomicsnotonlyprotectstheinterestsofdealerstoachievetheireconomicpurposes,butalsofacilitatesthenormalbusinesscommunicationbetweenthetwoparties.Tosomeextent,itmayaffecttheresultofthebusinessactivities.Thatis,thisstudyishelpfulforbusinesspeopletoapplytheknowledgeoflanguageeconomicstobusinessEnglishletterwriting,whichhelpsthemtousethelanguagestrategiesoflanguageeconomicsmoreeffectivelyandsuccessfully.4.2TheApplicationofLanguageEconomicstoBusinessEnglishLetterWritingMarschakpointsoutthatthetheoryoflanguageeconomicshasfoureconomicfeatures,namely,value,cost,utilityandbenefit,whicharecloselyrelatedtolanguageexpression(Marschak,1965:22).ThispartwillanalyzethewritingofbusinessEnglishlettersfromthesefourfeatures.4.2.1ValueAnalysisofLanguageinBusinessEnglishLettersWhenitcomestovalue,itiscloselyrelatedtoeveryone'slife,andallthingsinsocietywillbeaffectedbythelawofvalue.Marschaksuggeststhatvalueisafeatureoftheeconomicsoflanguage(Marschak,1965:19).Andbasedonthis,Grinarguesthattheeconomicvalueofbusinesscorrespondenceshouldbeanalyzedontwoaspects,namely,marketvalueandnon-marketvalue,ashedefined,marketvalueisreflectedinprices.thenon-marketvalueoflanguagecanprovidearelevantculturaldimensionandpromotesocialcontact,butitisnotusuallyreflectedinmarketprices(Grin,1996:36).Asforthemarketvalueoflanguage.Withtheincreasinglyfrequentbusinesscontactsamongcountriesandthedevelopmentofthetheoryoflanguageeconomics,language,asatoolofcommunication,isplayinganincreasinglyimportantrole.Therefore,languageisobviouslyvaluableintheeconomicactivities.Fromtheperspectiveoflanguageeconomics,theeconomicvalueofalanguageisdistinguishedbyitssuperiorityandinferiority,whichdependsonthepopulationofthelanguagegroup.Themorefrequentlyalanguageisusedeveryday,themorevaluableitbecomesinthemarket.InbusinessEnglishletters,whentheexpressionoflanguageisappropriate,businesscommunicationwillbecomemoreeffective,businesspurposeswillbeeasiertoachieve,andthemarketvalueofthelanguagewillberaised.Infact,themarketvalueoflanguagecanaffecttheprofitsorpricesofeconomicactivities.Specifically,themarketvalueofthelanguagewillbeanalyzedinthefollowingexample:(1)Wecanmakesomeconcessioninotherterms,butwehavetoinsistonthepriceswehaveoffered(甘,1996:23).(2)Wecanofferyouabout15%discountifyourorderisover2000cases(甘,1996:24).Inthefirstexample(1),Thesellertendstogiveupsomeofhisintereststomaintainthepriceadvantage.Thus,theword“some”ensuresflexibilityfortheseller,sincethescopeoftheconcessionisunclear,whichensurestheseller'sinitiativeinfurthernegotiations.Theword“some”notonlygivesthebuyersomebenefits,butalsoprotectsseller’sinterests.Inthesecondexample(2),thesellertriestoinducethebuyertoorderalargequantityofgoodsatfavourablepriceconditions.Thewords“about”and“over”areveryvaluable.Ifthebuyerwantstogetadiscount,itexceedsthenumberofpurchasesinthegivencase.Therefore,whetheritisusedinbusinesslettersornot,itwillhaveobviouseconomicvalueinreallife.Inaword,languagehasspecialvalueinmarketinteraction.Inotherwords,theeconomicvalueofthebusinessEnglishletteristoservethemarket.Infact,themarketvalueoflanguageisreflectedinbusinesscommunicationactivities.Indifferentbusinessactivities,languageshowsdifferentmarketvalue.Therefore,weshouldattachimportanceofthemarketvalueoflanguageinbusinessletterwriting.Asforthenon-marketvalueoflanguage,businessEnglishlettershaveformedasetofwritingprinciplesthroughlong-termdevelopment.Inordertoavoidmisunderstanding,theexpressionofbusinessEnglishlettersmustbeaccurateandclear.Onlyinthiswaycanbusinesscommunicationbemoreeffective.AccordingtoGrin,thenon-marketvalueoflanguagecanprovidearelevantculturaldimensionandpromotesocialcontact,butitisnotusuallyreflectedinmarketprices.Therefore,thenon-marketvalueoflanguageinbusinessEnglishcorrespondenceliesinitsfunctionoffacilitatingbusinesscontactstoensurethesmoothofbusinessactivities.Furtherdiscussionwillbeanalyzedinthefollowingexamples:(3)Wehavepleasureininformingyouthatwehaveshippedthegoodsforyourorder.TheshippedgoodsarescheduledtoarriveatNewYorkaroundJune10(甘,1996:31).(4)Wehavegivenaconsiderablethoughttoyourproposalbutregrettosaythatwecannotagreetoyourcounter-offer(甘,1996:32).Inthethirdexample(3),theexpression“wehavepleasureininformingyouthat”givesafeelingofpoliteness,whichwillleaveagoodimpressionandatthesametimefacilitatetheestablishmentoffriendlybusinessrelationswithotherbusinesspartners.Theword“around”makestheexpressionofbusinessEnglishlettersmoreaccurate,becausethesellerdoesnotknowtheexacttimeofarrivalofthegoodsatthedestination,thedateof“June10”isonlyapredictionbasedonnormalexperience,whichconformingtotheobjectivesituation.Intheforthexample(4),thesellertendstorejectthebuyer'scounter-offer.Theword“considerable”impliesthatthesellerattachesgreatimportancetothebuyer'sproposal.However,theexpression“regrettosay”and“cannot”showsanegativecourtesybutstillhasapositiveattitude,althoughthesellerrejectsthebuyer'scounter-offer.Basedonthesepoliteexpressions,bothpartiesmaybewillingtonegotiatefurtherwitheachother.Fromtheaboveexamples,wecandrawtheconclusionthatthecorrectuseofwordsinbusinessEnglishletterscanhelptoexpresstheauthor'sthoughtsproperly.AppropriatewordsinthebusinessEnglishletterscanensurethatbusinesscontactscarriedonsmoothly,thusgeneratingnon-marketvalueineconomicactivities.4.2.2UtilityAnalysisofLanguageinBusinessEnglishLettersIneconomics,utilityisusedtomeasurehowhappyorsatisfiedaconsumeriswitharangeofservicesorproducts.Forexample,whenpeoplefeelhungry,theygetsatisfactionfromeatingfood.Therefore,utilitycanberegardedasastandardtomeasurewhethereconomicbehaviorcanbringbenefitstopeople.Inthispart,theauthorwillintroduceaconceptofeconomicstoanalyzetheutilityoflanguageinbusinessletters,namely,scarcity.Scarcityofresourcesisthebasicpropositionofeconomics.Inotherwords,economicscomesfromthescarcityofresources.Economistsbelievethateveryonelivesinaworldofscarceresources.Becausehumanbeing’sdesirefarexceedsthesupplyofsocialresources,eventhebillionaireisnoexception.Basedonthis,thereiscompetitionandcooperation,competitionreferstopeoplecompetingtooccupysocialresources,cooperationreferstopeoplesharingsocialresourcestoachievecommongoals.Atthesametime,cooperationisasolutiontotheproblemofscarcity,allowingtheproductionofmoreproductswithlimitedresources(Marschak,1965:32).Ineconomicactivities,therearetwomotives,namely,thescarcityofresourcesandthelimitlessnessofhumandesire,thesetwomotivespresentinallaspectsofeconomicactivities.BusinessEnglishlettersareusedasatoolforbusinesscommunication.AppropriateexpressionofinformationinbusinessEnglishletterscaneffectivelypromotebusinesscommunication.Fromtheperspectiveoflanguageeconomics,theinformationinbusinessEnglishletterscanreflectthetwomotivesofeconomicactivities.Therefore,theinformationexpressioninbusinessEnglishletterscanalsoconveythecharacteristicsofovercomingthescarcityofresourcesandsatisfyingone'sowndesires.Thefollowingexamplefurtherexplainsthisobservation:(5)Businessisquitepossibleifeachsidemakessomeconcessions(甘,1996:42).Inthefifthexample(5),theauthorpreferstoreachanagreementwiththerecipientinapotentialbusinesscollaboration.Thepurposeofbusinesscooperationismutualbenefitand,theword“some”meansthatbothsidesneedmakecertainconcessions,cooperationcancontinue,onlyinthisway,theinterestsofbothsidescanbeguaranteed.Therefore,Theword“some”fitstheobjectivesituation.Atthesametime,theexpressionsof“quitepossible”and“ifeachsidemakessomeconcessions”areveryaccurate,whichishelpfultoestablishfriendlyrelationships.TheknowledgeoflanguageeconomicsbringsmoreutilitytotheexpressionofbusinessEnglishletters,whichinturnwillproduceeconomiceffectsandevenaffecttheresultsofeconomicactivities.Therefore,thedifferentuseoflanguagewillultimatelyaffecttheactualeconomiceffectofbusinessactivities.4.2.3CostAnalysisofLanguageinBusinessEnglishLettersThecostofallresourcesinproductioniscalledcost.Costisveryclosetous,insociallife,weconsumesocialresourcesallthetime,withoutthecostofsocialresources,wewillnotbeabletolive.Thepaymentofmoneyisakindofcost,andtheconsumptionoftimeandenergyisalsoakindofcost.Thecostincludesimplicitcostandexplicitcost.Theimplicitcostreferstothecostwhichisnotactuallypaidinthecommercialactivities.Theexplicitcostreferstothecostwhichispaiddirectlytoothersinthecommercialactivities.Businessletterwritingisakindofimplicitcost.Next,wewillfurtheranalyzetheimplicitcostinbusinessletterwriting.Ininternationaltrade,thecommercialnegotiationbetweenthetwopartsmayexperiencealongperiodofcommunicationandnegotiation.Ineconomicactivities,itisinevitablethattherewillbetimeandenergyconsumption,especiallylong-termbusinessactivities,itiseasytoleadtotheincreaseofbusinesscosts.Therefore,effectivebusinesscommunicationcanreduceunnecessaryintermediariesandavoidthecommunicationobstacles.ForthewritingofbusinessEnglishletters,thecorrectexpressionofbusinessEnglishletterswillreducethecostofcommunication,improvetheefficiencyofeconomicactivities,andthushaveapositiveimpactontradecost.Forexample,whenwritingbusinessEnglishletters,payattentiontochoosingtheconciseandaccessibleexpressionsandtryingtoavoidusingthewordsorsentencesequivocalinmeaning,avoidusingthegeneralorout-of-datecommercialjargonandtrytoexpressyourideainmodernEnglish,avoidunnecessaryrepetitions,controlthenumberofthewordsandbuildeffectivesentencesandparagraphs,trytousespec