霍尔文化理论下商务英语信函的文化适应研究

AbstractThisstudy,whichisquiteinterestinginitsownway,takesalookathowpeoplefromdifferentcultures,specificallyinbusinesscontexts,adapttheirstrategieswhenitcomestowritingcorrespondenceinEnglish.Thefocushereisparticularlyonunderstandingthisthroughthelens,ormaybewecansayperspective,ofEdwardT.Hall'stheories,whichtalkabouthigh-contextandlow-contextcultures.Inthisexamination,wewillbedoingacomparison,yousee,betweenthemodelsofbusinesscorrespondencethatareprevalentinChinaandthosethatarefoundintheUnitedStates.Thiscomparisonismeanttoreveal,oratleasttoshedsomelighton,thedifferencesandsimilaritiesthatmightexistbetweenthesetwoculturalapproachestobusinesscommunication.It’squitefascinatingtothinkabouthow,inoneculture,thingsmightbemoreimplicitandrelyheavilyoncontext,whileinanotherculture,thingsaremoreexplicitandstraightforward,whichcanleadtomisunderstandingsorclarity,dependingonhowonelooksatit.So,inessence,thisstudyisnotjustaboutwritinglettersoremails,butratheritdelvesintothedeepermeaningsbehindwhypeoplewritethewaytheydoindifferentculturalcontexts.Theexplorationofthesethemes,whileperhapsnotexhaustive,aimstohighlightsomesignificantpointsregardinghowculturalbackgroundinfluencesthewaybusinesscorrespondenceiscraftedandunderstood.It’sacomplexweb,really,ofcommunicationstylesandstrategiesthatvarygreatlyfromoneculturetoanother,andunderstandingthesenuancescouldbequitebeneficialforanyoneinvolvedininternationalbusinessdealings.Incommunication,thereare,onemightsay,differencesthatarequitedistinct,youknow.Forinstance,inhigh-contextcommunication,whichissomethinglikehowpeoplecommunicateinChina,thereisatendencytoprioritize,ifonemayputitthatway,indirectexpression.Thismeansthatpeopleoftenrelyonthecontextaroundthemessageratherthanjuststatingthingsplainly.So,whensomeonehastoconveyanegativemessage,theyoftendoitinawaythatgoeslikethis:first,theyprovidesomecontextualbackground,andthen,afterthat,theygettothecorecontent,whichisthemainpoint.Thismethodis,Isuppose,intendedtopreserverelationships,asitallowsforeuphemisticphrasingthatsoftenstheblowofthebadnews.Ontheotherhand,thereislow-contextcommunication,whichisquitedifferent,Imustsay.Inthisstyle,theemphasisisonbeingstraightforwardandclear,whichoftenmeansthatmessagesareconveyedinamoredirectmanner,withoutmuchrelianceoncontext.Thiscontrast,onecouldargue,highlightsthevariationsinhowpeoplefromdifferentculturesexpressthemselves,andit’sinterestingtonotehowthesestylesreflectbroadersocialnormsandvalues.So,insummary,whilehigh-contextcommunicationleanstowardindirectnessandcontext-dependence,low-contextcommunicationprefersamoredirectapproach,emphasizingclarityandstraightforwardness.Keywords:BusinessEnglishcorrespondence,High-/Low-ContextCultures,CulturalAdaptability,InterculturalCommunication,Hall'sTheory摘要本研究凭借爱德华-霍尔（EdwardT.Hall）的高、低语境文化理论视角展开，探究商务英语信函里的跨文化适应策略，借助对中美商务信函模式的对比分析，研究揭示出其中明显的区分：高语境交际（就如中国信函）优先把间接表达和语境依赖放首位，一般将负面信息设置成“语境背景→核心内容”，采用委婉措辞来维系相互关系。低语境现象（如美国）看重信息的清晰性，偏好“结论前置”的办法和逻辑至上的术语，为了消除掉这些文化差异，研究提出了一套双轨适应战略，它主张在维系国际标准（如标准化格式和问题-解决方案框架）的时段，灵活变动语言风格与信息层次，以贴合目标文化的喜好。对于高语境受众的信函可把礼貌表达与语境叙述整合起来，而针对低语境文化群体的信函可精简语境细节，研究成果给商务英语教学（尤其是应对跨文化环境里的语用失误）带来了理论意义，也为打算优化全球沟通效率的企业培训项目提供了实践上的指引，本研究也承认自己存在局限性，尤其是本研究主要留意中美对比，对诸如印度或巴西的新兴经济体纳入不充足，建议未来研究方向采用霍夫斯泰德的文化维度理论结合，创建一个多维的分析架构，进而增强适应策略的普遍适用性。关键词：商务英语信函，高低语境文化，文化适应性，跨文化交际，霍尔理论Contents1Introduction1.1ResearchBackground1.2ResearchPurposeandSignificance1.3InnovationsoftheStudy1.4ResearchMethodology1.5ThesisStructure2LiteratureReview2.1OverseasResearchonCulturalAdaptationinBusinessCorrespondence2.2DomesticResearchonCulturalAdaptationinBusinessCorrespondence2.3ApplicationofHall'sTheoryinInterculturalBusinessCorrespondence2.3.1ApplicationofHigh-andLow-ContextTheory2.3.2Correlationbetweenspatialperceptionandpowerdistance2.3.3Limitationsofempiricalresearchandfuturedirections3TheoreticalFramework3.1KeyConceptsofHall'sTheory:High-vs.Low-ContextCulturalFeatures3.1.1Basicfeaturesofhigh-contextculture3.1.2Basicfeaturesoflow-contextculture3.1.3Mechanismsofformationofhigh-contextandlow-contextculturalidentities3.1.4AppliedvalueofHall'stheoryofculture3.2CulturalSensitivityinBusinessEnglishCorrespondence4AnalysisofCulturalAdaptationStrategies4.1WritingStrategiesforHigh-ContextCultures4.1.1WritingStrategies4.1.2Typicalcasestudies4.2WritingStrategiesforLow-ContextCultures4.2.1Corefeaturesoflow-contextculturalletters4.2.2WritingStrategies4.2.3Typicalcasestudies4.3HybridStrategy:Dual-TrackModelofInternationalStandardsandCulturalAdaptation4.3.1Rationaleandframeworkconstruction4.3.2PracticalStrategiesandApplicationMethods4.3.3Typicalcasesandrecommendationsforimplementation5ConclusionsandFutureDirections5.1KeyFindings5.2LimitationsandFutureResearch1IntroductionIntheenvironmentofcross-culturalcommunication,businessEnglishlettershavebecomethecorecommunicationtoolforbusinessactivities,andthedifficultiesinculturaladaptationdirectlyaffecttheactualeffectofmessagetransmission.EdwardHall'stheoryofhighandlowcontextsprovidesakeydirectionforanalyzingsuchdifferences:high-contextcultures(e.g.,China)emphasizeimplicitinformationandthecorrelationbetweencontexts,andtendtouseeuphemisticandroundaboutexpressions,whilelow-contextculturesliketheUnitedStatesrelyonclearanddirecttextualexpressions;lowcontextculturesliketheUnitedStatesrelyonclearanddirecttextualexpressions.Low-contextcultures,liketheUnitedStates,relyonclear,directtext.ChineseandWesternbusinesslettersshowsignificantdifferencesinstructure,languagestyleandpolitenessstrategy,Chineselettersoftenusebackgroundexplanationsaspadding,whileAmericanlettersputforwardthecoredemandsinaconciseanddirectway.Existingresearchisstillinsufficientintheapplicationofthetheoryofhighandlowcontextsinthecommunicationofletters,especiallyhowtooptimizetheculturaladaptabilityoflettersbyvirtueofthetheoreticalguidancehasnotyetbeensystematicallyexplored,anditisnecessarytoanalyzetheimpactofculturaldifferencesonwritingwiththehelpofempiricalcomparisonsofChineseandAmericanbusinessletters.ThereisanurgentneedtocompareChineseandAmericanbusinessletterswithempiricalevidencetoanalyzetheimpactofculturaldifferencesonwritingstrategies,soastobuildacommunicationframeworkthatfitsdifferentcontextsandenhancetheefficiencyofcross-culturalbusinesscooperation.1.1ResearchbackgroundIntheeraofglobaleconomicintegration,internationalbusinessinteractionsarebecomingmoreandmorefrequent,andBusinessEnglishletters,asthemaincarrierofinternationalbusinessexchanges,arebecomingmoreandmoreimportant.WiththedeepeningofChina'sreformandopeningup,moreandmoreChineseenterprisesaregoingtotheinternationalmarketandcarryingoutbusinessco-operationwithforeignenterprises,whichmakesthedemandfortheuseofBusinessEnglishLettersincreasedramatically,andtherequirementsforthequalityoflettersarealsogettinghigherandhigher.However,duetothedifferencesinculturalbackgroundsofdifferentcountries,businessEnglishletterwritingfacesmanycross-culturalcommunicationchallenges.Thehigh-lowcontexttheoryproposedbyAmericananthropologistEdwardHallprovidesanimportanttheoreticalbasisforexplainingthesecross-culturaladaptationproblems.Halldividedcultureintotwocultures:highcontextandlowcontext,whichisverymeaningfultounderstandthedifferenceofbusinessletterwritingindifferentcultures.Businesslettersofhighcontextcultures(e.g.,China,JapanandotherAsiancountries)oftenuseindirectandimplicitwaysofexpression,focusingonthemaintenanceofinterpersonalrelationshipsandsocialharmony,whilelowcontextcultures(e.g.,theUnitedStates,GermanyandotherWesterncountries)tendtousedirectandprecisemethodsofexpression,focusingontheprecisetransmissionofinformation.Thisdifferenceisveryobviousinthelanguagestrategyandetiquetteofbusinessletters.Whenconveyingnegativeinformation,high-contextculturestendtouseimplicitandsubtlewaysofexpression,whilelow-contextcultureswilldirectlymaketheproblemclear.Withtheincreaseofinternationalbusinesscontacts,theobstaclestounderstandingbusinesslettersandcommunicationmistakescausedbyculturaldifferencesarecommon,whichbringalotofinconveniencetocross-borderbusinesscooperation.AtypicalcaseisabusinessinvitationlettersentbyaChinesecompanytoitsAmericanpartner,which,duetotheuseoftoomuchmodifyinglanguageandindirectexpression,ledtotheAmericansidemisunderstandingthespecifictimeandpurposeoftheinvitation.Thus,itisofgreatpracticalsignificancetostudytheimpactofculturaldifferencesonbusinessletterwriting.1.2ResearchPurposeandSignificanceBusinessEnglishletterisakindofwrittenpracticalstyleappliedtobusinessactivities,anditsmainfunctionistotransmitthenecessaryinformationforbusinessactivities.Alongwiththein-depthdevelopmentofChina'sreformandopeningup,thebusinessletter,whichisthemaincarrierofinternationalbusinessexchanges,isgettingmoreandmoreattention,andthedifferencesbetweenChineseandAmericanculturesresultinthecontentofChineseandAmericanbusinesslettersdifferingalot,andtherearepointsthatcanbeborrowedfromeachotheraswell.ThisstudyreliesonHall'sculturaltheoryasanimportanttheoreticalbasis,culturecanbedividedintohigh-contextcultureandlow-contextculture,peopleinhigh-contextculturespeaklessdirectexpressionofthelanguage,butcontainsmoreimpliedmeaning;low-contextculturepeopleonlyusethelanguageitselftoexpressthemeaningofalmostnoimpliedmeaning,theculturaldifferencesplayanimportantroleintheimpactofthewritingofbusinessletters.ThepurposeofthisstudyistoexplorehowtouseHall'sculturaltheorytooptimizetheculturaladaptabilityofbusinessEnglishletters,combiningtheoreticalandempiricalinvestigationstoformulatespecificapplicationmeasures,withthehelpofdoingacomparativeanalysisofChineseandAmericanbusinessletterwriting,wecanfindoutthedifferencesandsimilaritiesofbusinessletterwritinginthetwoculturalcontexts,andalsogivethesuggestionsforlearningfromeachother,andthestudywillalsoanalyzeandanalyzethetheory,andgivespecificapplicationmethodstosupportbusinesspeopleinthecross-culturalcontext.Thisstudywillalsoanalyzethetheoryandgivespecificapplicationmethodstosupportbusinesspeopleincross-culturalcommunicationtoavoidmisunderstandingandenhancetheeffectivenessofinteraction.InvestigatingtheculturaladaptationofbusinessEnglishlettersinthecontextofHall'sculturaltheoryisofgreatsignificancetoimprovingthequalityofbusinessletterwriting.Knowingthecommunicationprinciplesandetiquettenormsofdifferentculturesishelpfulforwriterstoutilizepragmaticstrategiesmorereasonablyinbusinessletters,thusenhancingtheaccuracyandeffectivenessofinformationtransfer.Peopleinhigh-contextculturestendtousemoredescriptivephrasesandimplicitmodesofexpressionwhenwritingbusinessletters,whilepeopleinlow-contextculturesareaccustomedtousingsimpleandstraightforwardmodesofexpression.Bystudyingthesedifferences,writerscanadapttodifferentculturalbackgroundsmoreappropriatelyandenhancethewritinglevelofbusinessletters.Hall'stheoryofhighandlowcontextisthetheoreticalbasisofcross-culturalbusinessletterwriting.ThroughthecomparativeanalysisofChineseandWesternbusinessletters,thecharacteristicsanddifferencesofbusinessletterwritingindifferentculturescanbedemonstrated,whichcangiveguidancetothewritingofcross-culturalbusinessletters.Inlow-contextcultures,businesslettersusuallybeginwithadirectsuggestionoradvice;however,inhigh-contextcultures,backgroundexplanationsandbasicinformationareintroducedfirst.Bystudyingthesedifferences,writerscanbetteradapttothestandardsofwritingbusinesslettersindifferentculturalcontexts.Byunderstandingthebusinessetiquetteindifferentcultures,writerscanmoreappropriatelycreatethecontextofcross-culturalbusinessletterstopromotesmoothcommunicationbetweenthetwoparties,andbyadoptingappropriatepolitenessstrategiesandlanguagestyles,theycanreducemisunderstandingsandconflictscausedbyculturaldifferences,andimprovethecommunicationresultsofbusinessletters.Tosuccessfullycreatethecontextofcross-culturalbusinessletters,weneedtousevocabularyappropriatelyundertheguidanceoftheprincipleoflinguisticpolitenesstoachievetheexpectedcommunicationresults,andthewritersofbusinessEnglishlettersneedtohavetheaccumulationofknowledgerelatedtoculturaldifferencesaswellasthesensitivecognitionofculturaldifferences,soastoeffectivelycarryoutthecross-culturalbusinessletterwritingandmotivatethecross-culturalcommunicationtovictory.1.3ResearchInnovationsTheinnovationofthisstudyisthatitappliesHall'sculturaltheorytothewritingofbusinessEnglishlettersandproposesanewapproachtooptimisetheculturaladaptationofbusinessEnglishletters.BycomparativelyanalysingthewritingofbusinesslettersbetweenChinaandtheUnitedStates,thedifferencesandsimilaritiesbetweenthewritingofbusinesslettersinthetwoculturescanbeidentifiedandsuggestionsformutualreferencecanbemade.Atthesametime,thisstudywillalsocombinetheoreticalandempiricalanalysestoproposespecificapplicationstrategiestohelpbusinesspeopleavoidmisunderstandingsandimprovecommunicativeefficiencyincross-culturalcommunication.1.4ResearchmethodologyThispaperadoptsthreeresearchmethods,namely,literatureresearchmethod,comparativeanalysismethodandcasestudymethod,inordertosystematicallyexplorethecontextualdifferencesbetweenChineseandWesternbusinesslettersandtheirinfluenceinactualcommunication.Thesethreemethodscomplementeachothertoclarifythecharacteristicsofhigh-andlow-contextculturestheoreticallyandverifythevalidityofthetheoriesthroughspecificcases,soastoprovidepracticalguidanceforcross-culturalbusinesscommunication.Thisstudytakestheliteratureresearchmethodasthebasis,throughcollectingandanalyzingtheliteraturerelatedtobusinessletterwritingandinterculturalcommunicationathomeandabroad,especiallytheacademicresultsaboutthecoreofEdwardHall'shighandlowcontexttheory,toextractthekeypointsaffectingthecontextualadaptationofbusinessletters.WangJingcongin“AComparativeStudyofChinese-EnglishBusinessLetters”collectsmorethan300examplesofChinese-EnglishbusinesslettersandanalyzesthedifferencesbetweenChineseandWesternexpressionsintradeandorderfinalization.LiuShuangin“AStudyofPolitenessStrategiesinEnglishBusinessLetters”analyzed30Englishbusinesslettersandfoundthatthedifferencesintheuseofpolitenessstrategiesindifferentculturesareverysignificant,whichnotonlyprovidesthenecessarytheoreticalbasisforthisstudy,butalsoprovidesareferencestyleforthesubsequentcomparativeanalysisandcasestudy霍旺.2016.《中美商务信函写作互鉴研究》.长春：长春理工大学.霍旺.2016.《中美商务信函写作互鉴研究》.长春：长春理工大学.ComparativeanalysisisusedtocomparethedifferencesbetweenChineseandWesternbusinesslettersintermsoflanguagestyle,informationorganizationandnon-verbalsymbols.AccordingtoHall'stheory,high-contextcultures(e.g.,China,Japan)tendtoadopteuphemisticandindirectmodesofexpression,focusingonbackgroundinformationandnon-verbalhints,whilelow-contextcultures(e.g.,theU.S.,Germany)preferdirectandunderstandableexpressions,highlightingtheprecisionandclarityofthetext.Low-contextcultures(e.g.,theU.S.andGermany)preferdirectandclearexpressions,emphasizingtheprecisionandorganizationofwords(2013:90).Whenconveyingnegativeinformation,Chinesebusinessletterstendtouseeuphemismssuchas“consideringyouractualsituation”,whileAmericanletterswilldirectlywrite“unabletoacceptthisclause”.Chineseletters,forexample,oftenbeginwith“DearMr.Smith”andincludedetailsofhisduties,whileAmericanlettersaregenerallymoreconcise,mostlybeginningwith“DearMr.Smith”,relyingonthesecomparisonstopresentaclearerpictureofthedifferencebetweenhighandlow.Thepresentationofcontextualcultureinbusinessletters.Thecasestudymethodisusedtoverifytheeffectivenessofthepracticalapplicationofthetheory,andthisstudyselectsrealexamplesoflettersfrommultinationalenterprisestoanalyzetheactualeffectsofthehigh-lowcontextstrategyindifferentscenarios.InthecaseofcooperationbetweenChinaandtheUnitedStates,theChineseenterpriseadoptstheexpression“suggestingfurthernegotiationbetweenthetwosides”intheletterofdispute,whereastheU.S.enterpriseusestheexpression“suggestingfurthernegotiationbetweenthetwosides”intheletterofdispute.InthecaseofcooperationbetweenChinaandtheUnitedStates,theChinesecompanyusedthephrase“suggestingfurthernegotiation”inthedisputeletter,whiletheAmericancompanydirectlyquotedthenumberofthecontractterms,andsuchdifferencesmaycauseobstaclestocommunication.Byanalyzingthesecases,wecansummarizetheletterwritingstrategiesthatfitdifferentcontexts,justasinhigh-contextcultures,backgroundinformationisaddedappropriately,whileinlow-contextcultures,theexpressionneedstobeguaranteedtobedirectandprecise,andthecasestudynotonlyverifiesthetheoreticalassumptions,butalsogivesactionableimprovementinitiativesforactualbusinesscommunication.Thisstudybuildsupthetheoreticalfoundationwiththehelpofliteratureresearchmethod,revealstheculturaldifferenceswithcomparativeanalysismethod,andthenverifiesthepracticaleffectofthetheorywithcaseanalysismethod.Combiningthesethreemethodscannotonlygrasptheinfluenceofhighandlow-contextculturesonbusinesslettersinanall-roundway,butalsoprovidescientificreferencesforsolvingtheactualsituationofcross-culturalcommunication,andtheresultsoftheresearchwillhelpenterprisesoptimizethewayofwritingbusinessletters,reduceculturalmisunderstandings,andimproveinternationalcommunication.Theresearchresultswillhelpenterprisesoptimizethewritingofbusinessletters,reduceculturalmisunderstandingsandenhancetheefficiencyofinternationalbusinesscooperation.1.5ThesisStructureThispaperisdividedintofivemainsections:Thefirstpartistheintroduction.Itmainlyintroducestheresearchbackground,purpose,significance,innovation,methodologyandarticlestructureofthiswriting.Thesecondpartistheliteraturereview.ItmainlyreviewstheresultsofculturaladaptationresearchonbusinesslettersathomeandabroadandtheapplicationlimitationsofHall'stheory.Thethirdpartisthetheoreticalfoundation.ThispapercombinesHall'shighandlowcontexttheoryandcontextcultureastheoreticalsupporttosystematicallyexplainHall'shighandlowcontexttheoryanditsguidingprinciplesforlettercommunication.Thefourthpartisthecopingstrategiestoimprovetheeffectivenessandefficiencyofcross-culturalbusinesslettersbetweenChinaandtheWest.Suggestionsaremade,iswherethepracticalguidanceofthispaperlies,aimingatnarrowingtheculturalgapbetweenChineseandWesternbusinesslettersandimprovingthesuccessrateofbusinessactivities.Thelastpartistheconclusionandrecommendations.Aconcludingstatementofthearticle'sfindingsandrecommendationsaregiven.2LiteraturereviewWiththerapiddevelopmentofinternationaleconomy,businessactivitiesbetweencountriesareincreasing.Therefore,thedifferencesinthebehaviourofChineseandWesternbusinesslettersunderthecross-culturalperspectivehavebeenincreasinglyconcernedandstudiedbymanyscholars.Abroad,manyscholarsfocusonanalysingandstudyingthedifferencesbetweenChineseandWesternbusinesslettersfromthecontextualperspectiveofappliedlinguistics.Athome,manyscholarshavealsobeguntopayattentiontotheimpactofthedifferencesbetweenChineseandWesternbusinesslettersonbusinessactivitiesandputforwardcorrespondingcopingstrategies.Inthispart,wewillreviewthecurrentstatusofdomesticandinternationalresearchonthedifferencesinbusinessletterbehaviours,especiallyintermsoftheinfluenceofhighandlowcontextualculturesinbusinessletterwritingaswellastheguidingprinciplesofcontextonlettercommunication.ThroughthestudyofthedifferencesbetweenChineseandWesternbusinessletters,wecanbetterunderstandtheculturalconnotationandlinguisticcharacteristicsofbusinesslettersindifferentculturalcontexts,soastocarryoutcross-culturalbusinesscommunicationandcooperationmoreeffectively.2.1OverseasResearchonCulturalAdaptationinBusinessCorrespondenceWiththeaccelerationofglobalization,internationalbusinessletters,asanimportantcarrierofcross-culturalcommunication,havebecomethefocusofforeignscholars'researchonculturaladaptability.Foreignresearchmainlyfocusesonthetheoryofculturalcontextandbusinessletterwritingstrategy,andatthesametime,combineswithempiricalanalysistoexplorethedifferencesandsolutionpathsoflettersunderdifferentculturalbackgrounds,providingtheoreticalsupportandpracticalguidanceforcross-culturalcommunication.Inthescopeofculturalcontext,thehighandlowcontexttheoryproposedbyAmericananthropologistEdwardHallhasbuiltanimportantfoundationforthestudyofinternationalbusinessletters.Inthescopeofhigh-contextculture,theinformationtransmissionreliesontheimpliedcontextandnon-verbalsymbols,suchasthecountriesinEastAsiaandtheMiddleEast,whilethelow-contextculturefocusesontheuseofclearandstraightforwardformsofexpression,suchasthecountriesinEuropeandAmerica(Hall,1973:8).Low-contextculturesemphasizeclearanddirectformsofexpression,suchasthoseinEuropeandAmerica(Hall,1973:89).Low-contextletterspreferalinearstructureof“topicsentencefirst+specificinstructionssecond”,andthelanguageismostlydata-driven,whilehigh-contextlettersemphasizethecreationofanoverallatmosphere,andgenerallyusedescriptivestatementsandfuzzycoding(1976:81-83),asinthecaseofthestudyoftheAmharatribeinAfrica.AstudyoftheAmharatribeinEthiopiafoundthat,giventhatthisgrouphaslongsharedsimilarhabitsandculturalbackgrounds,theirwrittencommunicationoftenomitsredundantinformationandreliesonlyonthecontextsharedbybothpartiestorealizethemessage,andthesestudiespresentthedeeperinfluenceofculturalcontextonthewritingstyleofbusinessletters刘铭.2018.《中西方商务礼仪行为差异的研究》.哈尔滨：黑龙江大学.刘铭.2018.《中西方商务礼仪行为差异的研究》.哈尔滨：黑龙江大学.Studiesfromtheperspectiveofappliedlinguisticshavefurtherrefinedtheanalysisoflinguisticdifferencesinletters.ScholarLustig(2003:153)(MW-Lustig)compareswritingstrategiesinhigh-andlow-contextculturesandfindsthat:low-contextletterspreferconcisephrases,clearlogicalrelationships,andstandardizedformats;high-contextletterstendtouserhetoricallanguageandrelyonindirectexpressionstoconveynegativemessages.Forexample,inaletteraboutafailedcooperationnegotiation,EuropeanandAmericanfirmswithlow-contextculturesusuallystatethefactsandreasonsforterminationdirectly,whileJapanesefirmswithhigh-contextculturesmayconveynegativenewsbyemphasizingeuphemismssuchas“willingnesstocooperateinthelongterm”and“constraintsintheexternalenvironment”.toconveynegativenewsLustigLustig,M.W.2003.InterculturalCompetence:InterpersonalCommunicationAcrossCultures.Boston:Allyn&Bacon.Intermsofempiricalresearch,foreignscholarshaveproposedspecificcross-culturalwritingstrategiesbycomparingtheexpressionstylesofnativeandnon-nativeletterwriters.BrendaR.SimsandStephenGuice(1992:23-39)foundthatnativeEnglish-speakingbusinessletterwriterspaymoreattentiontoclarityofwordingandgrammaticalstandardization,andtendtousefixedphrases(e.g.,“thedesiretocooperate”,“externalenvironmentconstraints”,etc.)toconveynegativemessages.Theytendtousefixedphrases(e.g.“takeataxi”ratherthan“getataxi”)tominimizeambiguity.Inaddition,theyemphasizetheimportanceofavoidingcompoundwords,slang,andemotionalsymbols(e.g.,emoticons)toensurethatthemessageisbothprofessionalanduniversal.Suchstudiesprovideoperationalguidelinesforstandardizingbusinesslettersinthecontextofglobalization.Politenessstrategyincross-culturalcommunicationisalsoacoretopicofforeignresearch,andtheFaceTheoryproposedbyBrownandLevinsonhasbeenwidelyusedtoanalyzethepolitenessprincipleinbusinessletters.Inlow-contextcultures,politenessisreflectedintherespectfortheotherparty'stimeefficiency,forexample,theEuropeanandAmericancoverlettersemphasize“concise”;inhigh-contextcultures,politenessisreflectedinthemaintenanceofinterpersonalrelationships,forexample,thefrequentuseofhumilityandgreetingsinChineseletters(BrownandLevinson,1987:23).StudieshavepointedoutthatWesternbusinesslettersoftenreducethereader'sburdenofcomprehensionthroughthestructureof“topic-first+logicallayering”,whileEasternlettersenhancetrustthrough“contextualization+emotionalresonance”.Thesefindingsreve