论文总字数：34319字

摘 要

委婉语作为一种修辞手段，是商务英语信函中不可或缺的一部分,在商务英语信函中正确使用委婉语可以提高其质量，表现出礼貌，促进贸易双方的交流与合作。本论文主要阐述了委婉语在商务英语信函中的交际功能这一作用并总结出相应的使用原则，进一步举例说明委婉语的作用在商务英语信函中是通过一些选词，句式等的方式实现的。最后给出一些可行性的建议以便更准确，合理地运用委婉语于商务英语信函中。本论文希望,通过分析能够加深读者对委婉语的了解,以便更方便快捷地在商务信函中使用委婉语,使得跨文化交际有效实现。

关键词：委婉语；礼貌；商务英语信函

Contents

1. Introduction………………………………………………………………1
2. Literature Review………………..…………………………………………1

2.1 Definition of euphemism.…………………………………………………...1

2.2 Definition of English business letters………………………………………2

2.3 Previous studies on euphemism in English business letters………………2

3. Communicative Functions of Euphemism………………………………3

3.1 Evasive function……………………………………………………………4

3.2 Politeness function…………………………………………………………4

3.3 Self-protection function……………………………………………………5

4. Principles for Applying euphemism in English business letters…………5

4.1 Appropriateness……………………………………………………………6

4.2 Generosity…………………………………………………………………6

4.3 Courtesy……………………………………………………………………7

5. Linguistic Methods of Applying euphemism in English business letter…………………………………………………………………………8

5.1 Word choice………………………………………………………………9

5.2 Sentence patterns…………………………………………………………11

5.3 Tense and voice……………………………………………………………12

6. Conclusion…………………………………………………………………15

Works Cited…………………………………………………………………16

1. Introduction

International trades and business have become more and more important because of the rapid development of globalization of economy. As one of significant communication media in international trades, English business letters has been playing a more and more vital role in international activities, which results in plenty of scholars show their interests in finding ways to get expected goals. Misunderstanding may occur because of improper use of language in our daily communication, let alone in international trades. So, when the enterprises carry out the business activities such as promoting their products and enlarging their markets, they should employ strategies such as euphemistic words, elegant structures and sweet tone to express politeness and courtesy friendly.

Today, euphemism is not only a social and cultural phenomenon, but also an effective communication means, which has been employed in English business letters. But if you want to know whether the other speaks in the way of euphemism, you should have a solid foundation in English, and you also should have a broad understanding of the customs, history and taboos of different cultures. Only with this knowledge can you use or understand euphemisms in English business letters to obtain the successful business communication.

This essay aims to make an analysis of application of English euphemism in the English business letters. And its two main sub-objectives are to get a better understanding of euphemism and English business letters and then summaries some constructive methods to apply euphemism in English business letters.

1. Literature Review

2.1 Definition of euphemism

In order to study euphemism, the first question needed to be answered is that what is euphemism. Euphemism comes originally from the Greek word euphemos, meaning “good speech”in which “eu” is a root with the meaning of “good or well” from the Greek. Many English dictionary have collected this word, and defined it. For example, in Collins Cobuild Essential English Dictionary euphemism is regarded as “a polite word or expression that people use when they are talking about some unpleasant or embarrassing things. And in Oxford Advanced Learner’s English-Chinese Dictionary, euphemism is an indirect word or phrase that other people often use to refer to bad things, usually to make it seem more accepted by people than it really is. In China, it was Chen Wangdao who defined euphemism firstly. He regarded it as a figure of speech in which roundabout and implicit words and expressions are used to substitute direct expression to hint the meaning(Chen 3). Later, the Chinese famous scholars Shao Junhang gives a relative comprehensive and complete definition on euphemism. In his opinion, euphemism is a kind of indirect linguistic expression which is formed by means of phonetics, semantics, grammar and so on in a specific context, for all kinds of negative psychological reactions such as fear, panic, shame, inferiority, guilt, discomfort and so on, so as to avoid making the information organizer and the information receiver feel painful(Shao 20).

2.2 Definition of English business letters

Letters are communication in writing. They are written to provide information or seek action, or both. Business letters communicate in two distinct ways. The reader gets meaning out of what is said and how it is said in a letter. Business letters are mostly correspondence among business organizations or between such organizations and individuals(Cao 3). They are concerned with business matters and the messages conveyed are in essence, business oriented. Despite the growing use of telephones and other electronic media, business letters provide the most personal contact between the public and business organizations and governmental agencies. Business letters play an essential role in a company’s correspondence with the outside world. And its main function are maintaining good relationship, expanding business and serving as evidence.

2.3 Previous studies on euphemism in English business letters

The research on euphemism and its connection with English business letters has started since 1970s. Druckman, Daniel in 1977 first introduced the important role played by euphemism in business negotiation in his book Negotiation: A Social Psychological Perspective(Druckman 26). Sorrels, B.D. published a book called Business Communication Fundamental, which presented a brief introduction to business communication. And at the same time he pointed out euphemism, the history, characteristics of euphemism and its influence on business communication(Sorrels 178). Taylor, S. studied the main types of euphemism in business communication from the lexical and grammatical levels in her book Business Communication(Taylor 56). K.O. Locker in Business and Administrative Communication made an analysis of creating goodwill in business communication by complying with you-attitude principle, using euphemism to convey negative information(Locker 45).

In China, studies on euphemism in business English are a little later than west countries. Tang Liling analyzed the euphemism in English business letters from the lexical and grammatical aspects(Tang 87). Yang Shuli, in the book Application of Euphemism in Business English summarizes some ways to apply euphemism in business English(Yang 69). Li Birong’s Discussion on Euphemism in Business English summarized the characteristics of euphemism in business letters(Li 72). Ren Chunmei pointed out the features of English business letter writing such as correctness, clarity, clearness, consideration and so on and the functions of euphemism in business letters in Euphemistic Expression Based on Politeness Principle in Business English Correspondence(Ren 240).

In summary, a lot of scholars have made quantities of researches in this field.Through the process of writing literature review, there are some limitations on the former studies. They just pay more attention to the theoretical aspects without case studies. So, in this paper the main focus are on how to apply euphemism in English business letters.

1. Communicative functions of euphemism

Language is a tool for communication. Euphemism, as a part of language may lead to better communication. Using euphemisms can avoid being presumptuous in language communication. However, in many cases, we can not directly state our position and attitude. Hence, the euphemism is necessary under these circumstances.The function of euphemism brings more benefits to the listener and more costs to the speaker.According to the researches on euphemism and the author’s understanding, euphemism has three main communicative functions: evasive function, polite function and self-protection function(Ren 3).

3.1 Evasive function

It is well known that, in business letters any words that contain the meaning of language Taboo are extremely abandoned because these words in business letters may directly offend the other side owe to cultural differences.On the contrary, euphemisms must be used instead of offensive words in the process of business correspondence communication. For example, western people are very sensitive to the number 13. So when they want to purchase a flat or an apartment, they almost ignore the 13^th floor. It is also represented in business English letters, brilliant businessmen always keep away from this number and replace it with a more euphemistic number like “12 ” or “12B”.

3.2 Politeness function

Euphemisms are always applied in business letters due to its polite function. Here are some examples in business letters conveying bad information, which could leave an unhappy impression on the business partners. For example:

A: You must meet our demands and requirements so as to gain mutual benefits.

B: We do not want to do business with you because the price you provide is too low.

C: We thought that it was your own mistake to misunderstand our letter of March 12(Cao 78).

Obviously, the above sentences exerted from business letters all contain an unpleasant and negative feeling. The phrase like “we thought”, “you must” and “ we do not want to” lay much more stress on the writers’ own subjective mood and opinion. It will make our counterpart has a sense of being uncomfortable and bring about a worse relationship between them. What is worse, the previous relationship may be broken up. Euphemism expressions can be employed in sentences to help avoid these situations take place.Therefore, above sentences can be suggested as follows:

A: We sincerely hope that you could meet our requirements, in that case mutual benefits can be obtained.

B: We do not view it as a right way to sell you products because the price you offer may be too low(Cao 5).

These modified sentences use some adverbs to soften aggressive tones to show respect and cooperation willingness to other party. And words like “certainly”, “sincerely” in above sentences can be regarded as a euphemism.

3.3 Self-protection function

In business letters, one side ought to leave space for the other side to keep a friendly and sustainable relationship. Therefore, when business people conduct business activities, they pay more attention to the language used in business letters. They have a tendency to use Euphemism in business letters to achieve this goal. For example, it would be too direct to use a sentence like “We can not lower our price at $20.” But, if we use euphemistic expression, the effect will be wildly different. Therefore, this sentence “ I am afraid that we could not lower our price at$20 can stand for the former.

1. Principles for Applying Euphemism in English Business Letter

From the above part, we know that euphemism in English business letters has its communicative functions which can enhance the politeness and cooperation intentions. After studying the communicative functions of euphemism in English business letters writing, it is necessary to clarify the principles of how to use Euphemism in English business letter writing.

Besides the three communicative functions of euphemism in his essay, the author summarized a set of additional principles for euphemism in English business letters, for instance appropriateness principle, generosity principle, courtesy principle.

4.1 Appropriateness

Appropriateness means using proper words in different circumstances. Euphemistic expressions should be used in business letter writing to in accordance with the principle of appropriateness. In business letters, in order to achieve their goals, both sides will put forward some suggestions. Faced with these suggestions, if we say "no" directly, the other party may lose the interest of continuing negotiations, or even misunderstand you, which will eventually lead to the breakdown of the bilateral cooperation. So we"d better use appropriate euphemisms to weaken the tone. Look at the following examples:

A: It seems to me that we are giving up too much in this case.

B: I am afraid I could not agree with you for such a big discount. In this way, it won’t leave us any benefit(Cao 8).

In the A sentence,“it seems to me” could act as an euphemism to embody the appropriateness principle. It is much easier for the counterpart to accept the fact that we could not make any another concession by conveying writer’s difficulty. In B sentence, it is not very tough as there is the phrase "I am afraid". By using this appropriate euphemism, the author indicates an implicated information that we could not give you such a big discount because of the profit , which indirectly prevents the recipient of the letter from charging such a low price.

4.2 Generosity

As letter writers, we often take it for granted that everyone is interested in our products, our wishes and our problems. Actually this “we attitude” is not always true. Instead, in letter writing, it is wise and reasonable for us to forget ourselves for a while and pay more attention to people whom you are writing to. There is a possibility that they probably show no or little interest in our affairs unless we show them attractive things that appeal to them.This purpose can be accomplished most effectively by adopting the recipient’s viewpoint. This is known as the generosity in business letters.

A: We regret that you misunderstood our order.

B: We regret that we did not make it clear in our order.

C: We felt sorry that we did not make it clear in our order(Cao 12).

It is clear that these three sentences express the same meaning. There is something in this order misunderstood by the two parts. It is obvious that the A sentence seems more difficult to be accepted because it directly blame the other side and it seems that the writer does not have any problems. But in sentences B and C, the responsible party has been changed from the second person “you” to the first person “us”, thus showing generosity to our clients by admitting the author"s mistakes first, but rather blaming on others. Under such a circumstance, the opposite party would feel honor and respected, thus they may tend to agree with the writer more easily because using euphemism minimizes the threat and cost of others" benefits and maximizes the cost to writer himself.

Two sentences here could work as examples to show the generosity in business letters.

A: As the fiscal year is coming to an end, would you please pay your overdue bill right away?

B: If you want to maintain your excellent credit reputation and good relationship with us, please remit to us(Cao 25).

From the above two sentences, we shall know the intention of this letter is to collect the previous debt. The sentence A pay more attention to the benefit of us and the phrase “right away” conveys a sense of urgency which may have the opposite effect. But B sentence, instead of referring directly to the previous arrears, it means considering the creditworthiness of the other party, which fully respects the debtor and avoids confrontation. Writing like this way not only can we recover the arrears smoothly, but also lay the groundwork for the next cooperation.

4.3 Courtesy

It is well known that courtesy means to show politeness in English business letters writing. To be polite is a basic and crucial principle for business letters. Do not forget to say “thank you”, “would you please...” , “we would appreciate it if ...” etc., when there is a necessity. However, courtesy in business writing is more than just a well-timed “thank you” or “would you please...”. That is why euphemism is used to abide by this principle to show politeness,and consideration. If we want to achieve this goal, several courtesy blunders such as suspicion, accusation and talking down should be avoided. Some sentence patterns like “if what you say is true...”, “if...as you allege...” may lead to a suspicious impression on others. This is no good to evoke a favorable reaction. No matter when you want to motivate the other person to do something good for you, do not blame or reprimand him or her. In English business letters, the cooperation based on equality could be broken up just by the tone of superiority.

The distinguish differences will be shown in the following two sentences:

A: I think that you did a good job in selling our products.

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