商务谈判中的英语委婉语运用与合作关系构建

AbstractThispapermainlyexamineshoweuphemisusedininternationalbusinessnegotiationsfromapracticalpointofview,andthebenefitsitbringstobuildingpartnerships.Whendoingbusinessinternationally,peopleoftenuseeuphemianlanguage,whichnotonlymakesthespeechbetter,butmoreimportantly,helpsthetwosidestocommunicatebetter.Ithinkthemostimportantthingistoseewhetherthenegotiatorscantakecareoftherightsideandtalkaboutthings.Thispapermainlyexaminestheactualuseofeuphemismsinthenegotiationprocess.Byconsultingalargeamountofrelevantinformation,wecarefullyanalyzedthespecificuseandpracticalroleofeuphemismsindifferentstagesofnegotiation.Fromtheresultsofthestudy,ifpeopleinthenegotiationscanflexiblyusesomegrammaticalmeans,suchasusingmodalverbs,passivevoiceorconditionalsentences,plussomespeechskills,suchasmakingthewordsalittlemoreeuphemismornotsodirect,sothattheycanwellavoidthetwosidestalkingtoomuchandmakethewholenegotiationatmospherebetterandmoreharmonious.Thearticlementionedthattheauthorbelievesthatifeuphemismcanbeusedappropriately,itcanactuallyhelppeopleofdifferentculturalbackgroundstobetterunderstandeachother,sothatitiseasierforeveryonetoestablishacooperativerelationship.Specifically,thisroleismainlyreflectedinthreeaspects,first,topayattentiontopolitenessinthewayofspeaking,secondly,toexpressthemeaningclearlyintheprocessofcommunication,andfinallytoletpeopleofdifferentculturesfindcommongroundintermsofvalues.Thisstudyisveryhelpfulinthepracticaloperationofbusinessnegotiations,andittellsusthatnegotiatorsshouldpayspecialattentiontopracticalissuesindifferentculturalcontexts.Inthenegotiationprocess,wemustadheretoacooperativeattitudeandlearntoexpresstheirideasinamoreeuphemisticalway.Inthisway,itcanmaintainaprofessionalwayofspeakingandmaketheotherpartyfeelcomfortable,andfinallyturngoodlanguageexpressionintosuccessfulbusinesscooperation.Keywords:Business:EnglishNegotiation,Euphemism,PragmaticStrategy,InterculturalCommunication摘要本文主要从实务的角度探讨委婉语在国际商务谈判中的运用，以及委婉语对建立伙伴关系的好处。在进行国际商务时，人们经常使用委婉语，这不仅使讲话更好，更重要的是有助于双方更好地沟通。文章表明最重要的是看谈判者是否能照顾到正确的一方，并讨论事情。本文主要考察了委婉语在谈判过程中的实际运用。通过查阅大量相关资料，我们仔细分析了委婉语在谈判不同阶段的具体用法和实际作用。从研究结果来看，如果人们在谈判中能够灵活运用一些语法手段，如使用情态动词、被动语态或条件句，再加上一些言语技巧，如用词委婉一点或不那么直接，就可以很好地避免双方说话过多，使整个谈判气氛更好、更和谐。文章中提到，如果委婉语使用得当，实际上可以帮助不同文化背景的人更好地相互理解，从而更容易让大家建立合作关系。具体来说，这种作用主要体现在三个方面，一是在说话方式上讲究礼貌，二是在交际过程中把意思表达清楚，三是让不同文化的人在价值观上找到共同点。这一研究对商务谈判的实际操作有很大的帮助，文章表明我们谈判者在不同的文化背景下要特别注意实际问题。在谈判过程中，我们必须坚持合作的态度，学会用更委婉的方式表达自己的想法。这样既能保持专业的说话方式，又能让对方感到舒服，最终将良好的语言表达转化为成功的商务合作。关键词：商务英语谈判，委婉语，语用策略，跨文化交际TOC\o"1-3"\h\u24657Acknowledgements IIIChapterOneIntroduction1.1ResearchbakgroundNowmoreandmorecountriesaretalkingaboutbusinessinEnglish,andEnglishisbecomingmoreandmoreimportantininternationalbusinessnegotiations,especiallyinthecontextofincreasingtradebetweenChinaandothercountries.Nowadays,businessisbecomingmoreandmoreinternational,andpeopleoftenhavetodealwithpeoplefromdifferentcountries,soitisparticularlyimportanttotalk.Inbusinessnegotiations,euphemisticexpressionsfacilitatecommunicationandstrengthenpartnerships.Manyscholarshavestudiedthisphenomenon,andtheyhavefoundthatbusinessEnglishnegotiationisactuallyaveryspecialwayofcross-culturalcommunication.Manypreviousstudieshavediscussedspeechbehavioranditsstrategiesinpractice,allofwhichhaveaddressedthecommunicationproblemsoflanguageandculturaldifferences.Althoughscholarshavestudiedtheroleofgeneralpracticalmethodsandconsistencyinnegotiations,thereisnoparticularlydetailedstudyonhoweuphemisticEnglishcanhelpbuildrelationshipsinbusinesscommunication.Ithinkthisquestionisworthstudying,becauseinactualcommunication,itisactuallyveryimportanttouseeuphemismsproperly.Itcanhelpusretainface,reducecontradictions,andmakeiteasierforthetwosidestogetcloser.Thispapermainlyanalyzesthisproblemfromtheperspectiveoflanguage,combinedwithsomeclassicaltheories.Thispaperfocusesontheroleofeuphemisminbusinessnegotiations,howitaffectsthenegotiationprocess,andhowithelpstoestablishlong-termbusinesspartnerships.Nowthatglobaltradeischangingrapidly,andpeoplewhodobusinessincreasinglyneedtoknowhowtodealwithpeoplefromdifferentculturalbackgrounds,sothisresearchisparticularlyimportant.Wewanttobetterunderstandtheroleoflanguagechoicesinbusinessnegotiationsbyanalyzingtheuseofeuphemisms,andhowitaffectsthesubsequentcooperationbetweenthetwosides.1.2ResearchpurposeThemainresearchinthispaperisabouthowtheBritishuseeuphemismsininternationalbusinessnegotiationsandhowtheseeuphemisticlanguagescanhelptopromotebusinesscooperation.Therearenowstudiesthatshowthatcross-culturalbusinesscommunicationskillsareimportant,sothispaperwantstoseespecificallyhoweuphemismsareusedasalanguagetoolinprofessionalsituations,anditcanalsohelptobuildbetterbusinessrelationships.AlthoughpreviousstudieshavediscussedthecommonwayofspeakingandcommunicationinbusinessEnglishnegotiations,therearestillmanyunclearabouthoweuphemuslanguageshelppeoplebuildrelationshipsandreduceconflicts.Thisarticlemainlywantstostudywhicheuphemitiespeopleusemostofteninactualbusinessnegotiations,andtoseewhatthepracticalimpactoftheseeuphemitiesoninterpersonalrelationshipswillbe.Thispaperfocusesonhoweuphemisticexpressionsworkinnegotiations,seehowtheyhelpnegotiatorsdealwithsensitivetopics,keepthemprofessionalandcourteous,andmakesurethatdifferentculturesmayhavedifferentunderstandingsofthesewords.Wewillalsotrytocomeupwithananalyticalframeworktoseehoweuphemisticlanguageisusedandhowtheoutcomeofnegotiationswillbeseen,andhowtheselanguagechoiceswillchangepeople'sviewsonthepossibilityofcooperation,andwhetheritwillaffectthechancesofbuildingapartnership.Thepaperputsreal-worldrecordanalysisandinterviewswithbusinesspeopletofindpracticalwaystohelppeopledobetterincross-culturalcommunication,butalsototheoreticallybringsomenewideastothisresearch.Theresultsofthispapercanhelpusbetterunderstandhowtouselanguagetodogoodinternationalbusinessrelations,especiallyinmoresubtleexpressionsthatareparticularlyuseful.Wefindthatthesesubtlelanguagechoicescanplayalargeroleinpracticalbusinessdealings,especiallyincooperationbetweendifferentcountries.Throughthisresearch,wewanttogivepracticaladvicetoprofessionalswhooftenhavetotalktoforeignersaboutbusiness,sothatthelanguageknowledgeinthebookcanreallybeappliedtotheactualwork.1.3ResearchSignificanceFromatheoreticalpointofview,itlinkslinguisticsandcross-culturalbusinessresearchtotwodifferentfields,andproposesamorecompleteanalyticalframeworktohelpusbetterunderstandhoweuphemismsareusedasstrategiesinbusinessnegotiations.Thisresearchgivesusanewunderstandingofthemechanismofactionofeuphemismsandcomplementsexistingtheoreticalknowledge.Youthinkitisparticularlyinterestingtoanalyzehoweuphemismsareusedinbusinesssituationswheretheyareusedinbusinesssituations.Thefindingsareusefulforprofessionalsdoingmultinationalbusiness,givingthempracticallanguageskillsthatallowthemtodealwithsensitivetopicswhiledealingwitheachotherandmaintainingmutualrespectandcooperationwitheachother.NowthatbusinessisbecomingmoreglobalandEnglishisthemostcommonlyusedlanguageforeveryonetodobusiness,soitistimeforthisresearchtoemerge,whichisusefulformanypeople.Ithinkit'sreallyimportanttouseeuphemismsinnegotiations,becauseitallowsthetwosidestocommunicatemoresmoothly,it’snoteasytocreatecontradictions,andit’salsopossibleforeveryonetobemorewillingtofindawaytosolvetheproblemtogether,sothatthenegotiationeffectwillbemuchbetter.ThisstudywillalsohelpustoteachbusinessEnglish,whichtellsusthatstudentscan’tonlyteachgrammaticalwordsthesebasicthings,butalsoletthemlearnhowtouselanguageflexiblyinactualcommunication.Ittellsusthatevensmalllinguisticdetailswhendoingbusinesswithforeignerscanaffectthesuccessofnegotiationsanddeterminewhetherwecancooperateinthelongterm.Thisstudyshowsthatlanguagechoicesplayamuchlargerroleininternationalbusinessthanwethink.ChapterTwo:LiteratureReview2.1StudyonEuphemisminBusinessNegotiationsAbroadInbusinessnegotiations,euphemismisoftenused,especiallywhendealingwithpeoplefromdifferentculturalbackgrounds,thisexpressionisparticularlypractical.Foreignscholarshavedonealotofresearchinthisarea,andtheyhaveproposedsomeusefultheories,focusingontheroleofeuphemisminactualnegotiations（BilbowG.T,2019）.Forexample,inthestudyofWesternscholars,euphemismshavefoundthateuphemismscanhelpbothsidesavoidembarrassment,reduceconflicts,andmaintainbetterworkingrelationshipsinsomeimportantbusinesssituations(Spencer-OateyH&FranklinP,2020).InbusinesssettingsintheUnitedKingdomandtheUnitedStates,manystudieshavefoundthatbetterresultscanoftenbeachievedifsomeeuphemismsareusedappropriatelyinnegotiations.Thisisbecausethesemoresubtlestatementscandealwellwiththesituationofunequalstatusbetweenthetwosidesandtakeintoaccountthesensitiveissuesbroughtaboutbydifferentculturalbackgrounds.Fromthecurrentresearchdata,everyoneismoreconcernedabouttheroleofeuphemismsinmaintaininggoodbusinessrelations,andmostresearchrevolvesaroundthetheoryofpolitenessandverbalbehavior.Althoughmanyscholarshavestudiedeuphemisticallyexpressedinordinarybusinessexchanges,therearenotmanypapersthatspecializeinsuchasituationastheneedtodorelationshipswellinthenegotiationstage.AnotherproblemisthatWesternscholarsdoresearchonhowtouseeuphemistyinEnglishnativespeakers,thusignoringtheproblemofhownon-nativespeakersuseEnglisheuphemistininternationalbusiness.Thisismainlybecausepeopleofdifferentculturalbackgroundshaveaverydifferentunderstandingofeuphemisms,whichoftencausesmisunderstandingsinglobalbusinessexchanges.Recently,someresearchhasbeendoneontheEuropeanside,andtheyhavemainlyfocusedontheactualuseofbusinessEnglishindifferentcultures,andthesestudieshaveindeedfilledsomegaps.2.2StudyonEuphemisminBusinessNegotiationsatHomeThemainconcerniswhatthelinguisticcharacteristicsoftheseeuphemismsareinthelanguageoftheseeuphemisms,andwhatpracticalroletheycanplayinsuchaparticularcross-culturalbusinessoccasionasChina.TheresearchersparticularlywantedtounderstandhowtheChineseuseEnglisheuphemismsinthenegotiations,takingintoaccountthedifferencesbetweendifferentculturesontheonehand,andthewayofspeakingthattheChineseareaccustomedtoontheother,thatis,moresubtle,andpayattentiontoeachother.I’venoticedthatalotofrecentstudieshavebeenaboutusingapragmaticperspectivetoeuphemism,especiallycomparingthedifferenthabitsofChineseandWesternbusinesspeoplewhenusingeuphemisms.Thesestudieshavereallygivenusabetterunderstandingofthedifficultiesthatmaybeencounteredincross-culturalcommunication,buttheymostlyfocusonlyontheeffectivenessofnegotiationsatthetime,andnotfullyconsiderthateuphemismscanalsoplayaveryimportantroleinmaintaininglong-termbusinessrelations.NowtheresearchinChinacanbeseeninafewobviousfeatures,andthesefindingsareveryhelpfultomyresearch.Now,peopleareslowlyrealizingthatinordertotrulyunderstandthespecialuseofEnglisheuphemisticlanguageinChinesebusinessexchanges,itisnecessarytoestablishaframeworksuitableforlocalconditions(张茲波，2020）.Inaddition,althoughmanyscholarshaverecordedindetailthevariouslinguisticformsofEnglisheuphemisticlanguages,thereisnotmuchresearchonhowtheseeuphemisticlanguagesaffectinterpersonalrelationshipsinlong-termbusinesscooperation.Ithinkthisissueisparticularlyimportant,especiallyinChin’sbusinessenvironment,whichplacesparticularemphasisonlong-termpartnerships.Whilesomerecentstudieshavebeguntofocusonhoweuphemistscanhelpnegotiatemoresmoothly,moreresearchisneededtoclarifyitsroleatdifferentstagesofrelationships,suchaslong-termcooperationfromthebeginning.NowthatChinaplaysanincreasinglyimportantroleinglobaltrade,andChineseprofessionalsareincreasinglyinvolvedinnegotiationsinEnglish,whichmakesthisresearchgapevenmoreobvious.2.3TheoreticalfoundationDifferentstandardsforeuphemisms.Incross-borderbusinessnegotiations,itisnotenoughtospeakEnglishwell,buttheremustbepracticalexperienceacrosscultures,thatis,tothinkabouthowpeopleofdifferentculturalbackgroundswillunderstandwhatyousay.ThispapercombinesseveraltheoreticalapproachestoaclThepaperfocusedonamorecomprehensivetheoreticalframeworkthattookintoaccountbothpragmatictheoryandcross-culturalcommunicationtheory,aswellasrelatedbusinesscommunication.Inthecourseofthestudy,BrownandLevinson’stheoryofpolitenesshelpedmealot,andthistheoryisparticularlygoodtoexplainwhyeuphemismcanprotectthetwininimportantbusinessnegotiations.ThetwoconceptsmentionedintheirtheoryareparticularlyrelevanttotheEnglisheuphemismIstudied,becauseeuphemismcanreallyhelpnegotiatorstodiscusssensitivetopics.However,Ithinkthetraditionaltheoryofpolitenessshouldbeadjusted,becausenowwhenyoudocross-borderbusiness,therearemanyculturaldifferences,andpeopleindifferentcountriesmayhaveacompletelydifferentunderstandingofhowtospeak.EspeciallywhenChineseandforeignerstalkaboutbusiness,peoplehaveaverydifferentviewofhowtoeuphemizeandexpressideas,sotheoriginaltheorymaynotbeenough,andsomenewcontentneedstobeaddedtobetterexplainthesesituations.Anotherimportantpartofthetheoreticalframeworkofmypaperisthetheoryofspeechbehavior,especiallySilai’sapproachtotheclassificationofnon-criminalbehavior

(Searle,J.,&Austin,J.L,2020).Fromthistheoreticalperspective,Icanbetterstudyhoweuphemisticwordsworkinbusinessnegotiations,suchashowtheymakeinstructionssoundlesstoughandhelpeasethedifferencesbetweenthetwosides.Inthecourseofresearch,Ihavefoundthatthepreviousapplicationofspeechbehaviortheoryinbusinesscommunicationhasmostlyfocusedonlyontheimpactoflanguageonthetransactionitself,butrarelyconsideringtheimpactoftheselanguagechoicesoninterpersonalrelationships.Mypaperfocusesontheroleofeuphemityincommunication,notonlyonhowithelpspeoplequicklyunderstandwhattheymean,butalsohowithelpsthembuildlong-termstablerelationships.ThisresearchisparticularlyusefulforourbusinessenvironmentinChina,becauseinChinesebusinesssituations,peopleoftentalkinamoresubtleway,whichcanmaintainaharmoniousatmosphereandmaketherelationshipbetweenbusinesspartnerslongerandlonger.Finally,ThispaperaddsthetheoryofinterculturaladaptationtothestudyofhownegotiatorswithdifferentnativespeakersunderstandanduseeuphemismsinEnglish.Usingthistheorytoseehowitisdifficulttonegotiatewhendifferentcultureshaveearerunderstandingofhoweuphemismsworkinactualcommunicationandhowtheyhelppeopletogetrelationshipsinbusinesscontextsfromdifferentculturalbackgrounds.Withthiscomprehensiveframework,wecanbetteranalyzetheperformanceofeuphemismsininternationalnegotiations,whichisbothacommunicationtoolandatoolforbuildingandmaintaininginterpersonalrelationships.ChapterThree:FunctionsofEnglishEuphemismsinBusinessNegotiations3.1AlleviatingTensioninNegotiationsandFacilitatingSmoothCommunicationInthecourseofbusinessnegotiations,ifEnglisheuphemismcanbeusedreasonably,itcanoftenplayagoodroleinde-escalatingtensions,makingiteasierforthetwosidestoreachaconsensus.Thisarticlefeelsthateuphemismislikealanguagebuffer,whichallowsthetwosidestonotimmediatelyresistwhendiscussingsomeeasilycausedisputes.Specifically,whenthenegotiationsinvolvepricedifferences,deliveryextensions,orcontractterms,somemoreeuphemisticwordsinsteadofthosedirectlybluntexpressions,sothatthewholenegotiationprocesscanbemaintained(王敏,2023).Throughmyresearch,Ihavefoundthatthiswayofspeakingworkswellinparticularlyimportantnegotiatingsituations,becausecontrollingemotionsandmutualrespectisthemostcriticalatthistime(张伟、李敏，2023）.Therearesubtlethingshiddenintheeuphemism,whichallowsbothsidesofthenegotiationtomaintainacooperativeattitudewhendiscussingdifficulttopics,andthisattitudeisthenecessaryconditionforthefinalnegotiationtobeabletotalkaboutthings.Fromapracticalpointofview,euphemismsplayalargeroleinbusinesscommunication,helpingpeopleofdifferentculturalbackgroundstocommunicatebetter.Theseexpressionshavetwomainbenefits,ontheonehand,theycanweakentheimpactofnegativenews,andontheotherhand,theyalsogivethenegotiatingpartiesmoreroomformanoeuvreandexpresstheirviewsinamoregentleway.Forexample,whensomeonesays“wemayneedtoreconsiderourpositionor”or“thereseemstobesomeroomforadjustment”,itisactuallyimplyingawillingnesstomakeconcessions,butnotdirectly,whichexpressesthemeaningofcompromiseanddoesnotappeartoopassive.Ithinkthisparticularlydetailedmethodofcommunicationisparticularlyusefulininternationalcommunication,afterall,peopleindifferentcountriesmayhaveacompletelydifferentunderstandingofthelevelofdirectspeech.Ifsomeeuphemismscanbeusedskillfullyinnegotiations,soastocreateaneasierenvironmentformutualunderstandingbetweenthetwosides.Thisapproachallowspeoplefromdifferentculturalbackgroundstoadapttoeachother’sspeakinghabits,andatthesametimegreatlyreducestheriskofnormalnegotiationsduetomisunderstanding.Ihavefoundthattheroleofeuphemismsisnotonlytoavoidconflictforawhile,butalsotohelppeoplebuildlonger-termrelationships(王玥，2016）.Whenpeopletalkinathoughtfulway,theywillformarespectfulwayofcommunication,sothatthenegotiatingpartieswillincreasinglytrusteachother.EspeciallyinthebusinessenvironmentofChina,whereKansaiculturehasadeepinfluence,thiswayofspeakingisevenmoreimportant.Inbusinessnegotiations,ifnegotiatorsknowhowtouseeuphemistlanguagetoexpresstheirideas,itactuallymeansthattheypayattentiontothewaytheyspeakandcantakeintoaccounteachother'sfeelings.Infact,theyareusingactionstoshowthattheyvaluemaintaininggoodrelationsbetweenthetwosidesandalsoknowhowtoleavefacetoeachother,whichisveryimportantinthebusinesscultureofmanyAsiancountries.Whenbothsidesofthenegotiationscancommunicateintheappropriateeuphemist,thecurrentnegotiationprocesscanbesmoother,andabetterrelationshipcanbeestablishedbetweeneachother.3.2AvoidingDirectConflictsandMaintainingtheDignityandFaceofBothPartiesIninternationalbusinessnegotiations,Englisheuphemismisoftenusedasalanguagetechniquethatcanhelpbothpartiesavoiddirectconflictandmaketheotherpartyfeelrespected.Thisarticlefeelsthatthesecarefullyconsideredexpressionsarelikeabufferzonethatallowsnegotiatorstoexpressdifferentopinionsorexpresssomemoresensitiveviewswithoutharmingeachother’sself-esteem.Thisarticlefindsthatnegotiatorsoftenusethephrase“thewayweseethingsdifferently”insteadofoutrightopposition,or“maybewecantrysomethingelse”ratherthansimplyrefusing,whichisactuallyabufferinthedialogue.Inthisway,theinterestsofbothsidescanbecoordinatedwithoutobviousconflict.Fromtheresultsofthestudy,thisspeakingtechniqueworksespeciallywellincross-culturalnegotiations（史兴松，2021）.Afterall,thebusinesscultureindifferentplaceshasdifferentunderstandingsofsavingtime.Inbusinessdealings,euphemisticlanguageisnotonlyusedtobepolite,butitcanalsoplayaroleinprotectingtherightpair,whichisparticularlyimportantwhentalkingaboutbusiness.Throughmyobservations,itisfoundthatwhetheryoucanleaveafacetofacetotheotherpartywhendoingbusinessinAsia,especiallyinAsiancountries,suchastheChineseandKansaibusinessmen,canbedirectlyrelatedtowhetherthenegotiationcanbesuccessfullyachieved.Britisheuphemismisactuallyquiteinteresting,ifusedwell,canmakepeopleappearmoreculturalandemotionalintelligenceintheexchange.Thiswayofspeakingallowsbothsidestohaveastepdown,donothavetoadheretotheiroriginalposition,willnotmakepeoplefeelthattheyaregivingup.Forexample,whentheBritishuse“youradviceisindeedveryvaluable,butwemayneedtoimproveagain”thisargument,bothexpresstheirowndifferentviews,butalsoaffirmtheotherside'sefforts,sothatthenegotiationswillgoalot.Inlong-termrelationships,itisimportanttoavoidconflictsandmaintaingoodrelationships.Sometimesitismoreimportanttodealwithdifferencesthanthespecifictermsspecifiedinthecontract.Thewaynegotiatorscommunicateinthislanguagecanreducepossiblecontradictionsandmaketheotherpartyfeelrespected,sothatthetwosidescanbetterunderstandeachother’sideas.3.3ConveyingPositiveSignalsandEnhancingtheWillingnesstoCooperateInthecourseofbusinessnegotiations,ifwecanflexiblyuseEnglisheuphemism,wecanexpressourfriendlyattitudeandhelpthetwosidestoestablishacooperativerelationship.Thisarticlefeelsthatthesecarefullyconsideredeuphemismsarelikeabridgeofcommunication,whichcanmakebusinessnegotiationssmootherandturnordinarytransactionsintoopportunitiesforlong-termcooperation.Thechoiceanduseoftheseexpressionsareactuallyveryparticular,andneedtobedeterminedaccordingtospecificcircumstances,sothattheycanreallyplaytheirrole.Intheprocessofnegotiation,negotiatorsoftensaythingslike,“We'rehappytolookforsolutionsthataregoodforbothsides”or“Theideasyouputforwardareveryhelpfulforourcooperation.”Thisarticlefindsthatthesewordsactuallyhavetwofunctions,bothtoexpresstheirideasclearlyandtoshowtheirwillingnesstosolveproblemswitheachother.Throughresearch,thiswayofspeakingisparticularlyeffectiveinestablishingacooperativerelationship,becauseitdiscussesspecificissuesandcanbringthetwosidesclosertogether(李玥婷、马博森，2024）.Fromapracticalpointofview,Ithinkeuphemismcanreallyserveasawaytopromotecooperationinbusinessnegotiations,especiallywhenitisinlinewiththeculturalhabitsofthenegotiatingobject.Incross-culturalcommunication,suchasdealingwithChinesecompanies,thosewordsthatemphasizethecommondevelopmentofthetwosidesandestablishalong-termrelationshipareoftenmoreacceptabletotheotherthansimplytalkingabouttheimmediateinterests.Forexample,suchexpressionsas“thiscooperationmaybeagoodstarttoourlong-termpartnership”or“throughthisdiscussion,wehavefoundmanyopportunitiesforbothsides.”Ithinkthiswayofspeakingisparticularlyhelpfulfornegotiations,allowingbothsidestostopthinkingonlyaboutwinningorlosing,butrathertofindawaytosolvetheproblemtogether.Intheend,itismorelikelythateveryonewillreachanagreementthatwillsatisfyeveryone.Throughoutthenegotiationprocess,ifyoucontinuetousethispositiveandfriendlyexpression,theeffectwillslowlyaccumulate.ChapteFour:ApplicationStrategiesofEnglishEuphemismsinBusinessNegotiations4.1LinguisticLevel4.1.1CasesandApplicationsofModalVerbsinBusinessNegotiationsIninternationalbusinessnegotiations,theuseofmodalverbsisactuallyveryparticular,andalthoughtheyseeminconspicuous,theyhaveplayedagreatroleinpromotingcooperationbetweenthetwosides.Thisarticlehasfoundsomeoften-emergingmodalverbsusedbytheactualnegotiationrecord,andthesefindingsarehelpfulforustounderstandnegotiationstrategies.Inproposals,wordssuchas“willingness”and“possibility”areoftenseen,suchassayingthat“wearewillingtoconsider”or“thisarrangementmaybegoodforbothsides.”Thesestatementsareactuallyawaytosoftenthelanguage,andtheybothallowthediscussiontocontinueandgivebothsidesroomforflexibility.Theadvantageofspeakingisthatitisnottoputthingstodeath,butalsotoallowpeopletocontinuetodiscusstheproblemseriously.Frommyanalysis,negotiatorstendtousetheword“may”toexpressideaswhentestinghypotheticalscenarios,suchassaying,“Wemaygetbetterresults,”withtheadvantageofgivingtheotherpartyroomtonegotiatewithoutrushingtomakecommitments(周明、吴晓彤，2024）.Anotherinterestingfindingisthatnegotiatorsusethesewordsinthewaytheychangeasthenegotiationsprogress,andatfirsttheyaremorecautious,say“may”,andlatertheywilluseamorecertain“will”,whichisactuallymatchedwiththeirbusinessrelationshipdevelopment.Ithinkthisstrategicadjustmentactuallyhastwomainroles,ontheonehand,itcanmakeeveryon’'sfacepasswithsomepolitewords,sothatinterpersonalrelationshipswillnotbetoonervous,ontheotherhand,itcanquietlyexpresstheirtruethoughts.Fromthepracticalexample,inthoseparticularlyimportantnegotiationoccasions,peopleoftenusethewords“wemaybeable”toputtogetherseveralsoftenedwords,sothatthosemoresensitivetopicssoundlessharsh,moreacceptabletotheotherparty.Incr