论文总字数：29322字

摘 要

在世界经济全球化的大环境下，各个国家之间商务交流越来越频繁。本文作者基于此商务交流现象对商务谈判中的语言使用进行探究，发现由Leech提出的礼貌原则在国际商务谈判中起到重要作用，礼貌原则为谈判双方提供了更有效的交流准则。因此对礼貌原则在商务谈判中的运用进行分析，最终通过分析各个原则总结出在商务谈判中礼貌原则的使用技巧以及一些注意事项。

关键词：礼貌原则；商务谈判；语用分析

Contents

1. Introduction 1

2. Literature Review 2

2.1 The Definition of Politeness 2

2.2 Development of “Politeness Principle” 2

2.3 Leech’s “Politeness Principle” 3

3. Analysis of Leech’s Politeness Principle in Business Negotiation 4

3.1. Tact Maxim 5

3.2. Approbation Maxim 6

3.3 Modesty Maxim 7

3.4 Agreement Maxim 8

4. Suggestions for Politeness Principle in Business Negotiation？ 9

4.1 Suggestions from Tact maxim 9

4.2 Suggestions from Approbation maxim 10

4.3 Suggestion from Modesty Maxim 10

4.4 Suggestions from Agreement maxim 11

5. Conclusion 12

1. Introduction

To resist the backdrop of growing economy and trade globalization, communication between countries is more frequent than before, which also let business negotiation take a great proportion in international communication then ever. Today, the increasing interdependence of people within organizations requires that people need to know how to integrate their interests and work together across business units and units and functional areas. Negotiations are required everywhere. Thus negotiation is a very hard process where conflicts and compromises coexist.

The definition of negotiation is the process that “interested parties resolve disputes, agree upon courses of action, bargain for individual or collective advantage, and/or attempt to craft outcomes which serve their mutual interests. It is accepted by people that without business negotiation, economic action could not keep on going” (Wang Hongliangamp; Li Junfan, 2007: 156).

Moreover, the increasing degree of specialization and expertise in the business world indicates that people are becoming more and more dependent on others to supple the components for a complete service or product. Under these conditions, negotiators need to know how to develop their own interests while simultaneously creating joint value for their organizations. All these needs negotiations. And negotiators also need to learn negotiation skills that can be successfully employed with people of different nationalities, backgrounds and styles of communication (Wang Hongliangamp; Li Junfan, 2007: 157).

Thus, negotiators who have developed a bargaining style that works only within a narrow scope of the business world will suffer unless they can broaden their negotiation skills to effectively work with different people across the world. With the economic negotiation occurred frequently among different countries, people would like to make analysis of aspects that are reflected in business negotiation, such as economy, policy and so on. Using language in a polite way is important for different language users to recognize successful international communication. Then, problem comes to how to possess mature negotiation skills.

Aiming at receiving a better understanding of principle politeness theories and its application in actual activities. Firstly, this paper will later put an emphasis on analyzing the actual use of politeness principles in the environment of international business negotiation. By analyzing those, the writer will make an extension of when and how those principles can be used in actual activities which also mean when and how can we make the best use of those politeness principles.

2. Literature Review

2.1 The Definition of Politeness

What is politeness? Peter Grundy’s definition of politeness is that politeness can be used to “describe the extent to which actions, including the way things are said, match others’ perceptions of how they should be performed” (Grundy Peter, 2008: 129). Politeness could be best recognized as a practical application of good manners or etiquette. It is defined as a culture phenomenon, and there’s a situation that what is thought to be polite in one culture would often be quite rude or simply strange in another. Meanwhile the aim of politeness is to make all of the parties relaxed and more easy with one another. These culturally defined standards at times may be manipulated to inflict shame on a designated party.

In addition, politeness, as a symbol of civilization, has been playing a significant role in the cross-cultural communication. Politeness principles are used widely in business negotiation and they have already been recognizedin to be effective methods. A well application of politeness principles helps to improve the credibility between two parties involved and increase the possibility of successful-oriented negotiation. A good negotiator needs not only business knowledge but also strategies of expression and politeness can work as one of these strategies.

2.2 Development of “Politeness Principle”

H.P. Grice thought that to make the conversation continue, speakers should follow some basic principles, especially the one called “Cooperative Principle” (H.P. Grice, 1975: 45-46). A great improvement was brought about in this new theory in the concept of conversational implication, and has been got a great attention in the linguistic circle. Besides, this theory was regarded as a breakthrough in pragmatics.

However, Leech thought that the Cooperative Principle itself is not sufficient to explain the question “why people are often so indirect in conveying what they mean”. That is to say the Cooperate Principle theory alone could not give explanation to how people talk. It just answered how conversational implication is given but does not give the answer to why people do not say directly what the mean. For example, why do speakers asking “could you tell me more about your company?” instead of asking “tell me about your company”? (Leech,1983:34). The reason has to do with another principle which was applied to conversation, that is Politeness Principle. He put forward the Politeness Principle so as to rescue the Cooperative Principle, in accordance with that politeness can satisfactorily explain exceptions and obvious deviations from Cooperation Principle. Thus, his politeness is not only an extension to Grice’s Cooperative Politeness, but also a necessary compliment factor for situations where the Cooperation Principle fails to provide a reasonable explanation.

Years later, after Leech put forward the Politeness Principle which includes six maxims, his student Gu, gave a Politeness Principle with five maxims considering Chinese culture on the basis of Leech’s principle (Gu Yueguo, 1992:10-17). Afterwards, other scholars have also done reteaches on the Politeness Principle accordingly in business negotiation area. However, most of them just did the researches on a theoretical level and few of them learn that with actual applications. Thus, this paper will have a deeper analysis of actual use of the Politeness Principle under the influence of Leech’s Politeness Principle.

2.3 Leech’s “Politeness Principle”

Politeness which can be seen as an important standard is a signification mark in human civilization. There are many systematic theories about politeness in western language area, which include Politeness Principles came up from a view of rhetoric and stylistics by Leech in 1983. And these principles are also concluded as a kind of supplement to the Cooperative Principle raised by Grice.

Leech thinks that politeness principles are the main factors which decide the language formation. His politeness principles consist of Tact maxim, Generosity maxim, Approbation maxim, Modesty maxim, Agreement maxim and Sympathy maxim (Leech, 1983: 81).

Detailed maxims are followed with their explanations.

A. Tact maxim means minimizing the cost to others and maximizing the benefit to others. This is used to order or promise, which implies that we should let the other party get the most and lose the least.

B. Generosity maxim means minimizing the cost to self and maximizing cost to self. This maxim also means ordering or promising, which implies that we should let ourselves get the least and lose the most.

C. Approbation maxim means minimizing dispraise of others and maximizing praise of other. This maxim means that we should do our best to exaggerate praise and reduce dispraise for other at the same time in a conversational occasion.

D. Modesty maxim means minimizing praise of self and maximize dispraise of self. This indicates that we should lessen praise and enlarge dispraise for ourselves.

E. Agreement maxim means minimizing disagreement between self and others and maximizing agreement between self and other. This indicates that we should try all what we can do to come to an agreement with other and do at full stretch to narrow the gap in the communication.

F. Sympathy maxim means minimizing antipathy between self and other and maximizing sympathy between self and other. This shows that we should lessen the aversion towards others and expand the sympathy to other.

Leech declares that not all of the six maxims are equally important. From the First maxim to the forth one, it appears that the Tact Maxim is a more powerful constraint on conversational behavior than Generosity Maxim, and Approbation Maxim than Modesty Maxim. Hence, Leech views that “politeness is focused more strongly on the other party than on itself ” .

3. Analysis of Leech’s Politeness Principle in Business Negotiation

It has been years since Leech published his Politeness and Principle. However, viewing these principles from an angle of pragmatic analysis, people may find them still have some common ground and are trending to fusion. From these principles, it’s not hard to find that people always like praise more then malicious remarks. The essence of Leech’s principles is to put the speaker in the other party’s situation. The purpose is to maintain two parties’ relationship and get expected results in the end. In the following part of this chapter, this paper will have a deeper analysis of some important maxims raised in Leech’s “Politeness Principle”.

3.1. Tact Maxim

Tact maxim which has been introduced in the last chapter means minimizing the cost to others and maximizing the benefit to others. Tact maxim is regarded by Leech as the first important position among other five maxims. Therefore, the analysis of Tact maxim may take a lager proportion in this part. Tact maxim is the basis of other five maxims. When you ask somebody to do something, praise others, invite others and put forward opposites opinions and so on, there are always problems about how to use language in a tactic way.

Followed several sentences examples raised between two different countries may show how important to use the Tact maxim in a right way.

Example One:

(a) I am afraid we can not agree with your request.

(b) We can not agree to your request.

(Wang Min amp; Cui Ying, 2010:179-180)

After being comparing these two sentences, it is obvious that (a) is more appropriate than (b). Although the speaker delivers a meaning that they can not accept the other party’s request, at least he expresses his words in an euphemistic way which may reduce the harm of two parties’ relationship.

Example Two:

1. Please give us your quotation for the required cover including loading and discharging.
2. Will you please quote your terms for providing the required cover, which should include loading and discharging?

The difference between the two sentences is the tone. The first sentence follows the rule of imperative sentence while sentence (b) follows the rule of question. Sentence (b) let the other party get the most respect compared with sentence (a).

In addition, when requesting partners advice, negotiators may use “what do you think about it?”, “what’s your opinion?” or “I wonder if you could give me some new ideas about this deal.”, “would you please...”, “I’m afraid that...”and other subjunctive mood sentences. Besides, in negotiation, two partners always find common points to enclose their relations. Like, “we are glad to hear that you are interested in our new product.”. And to express that the benefits are kind of win-win, negotiators should use “we”, “us”, “our” to let other feel geniality. For example: Through our mutual efforts, your shoes have been selling well in China.

3.2. Approbation Maxim

There’s no doubt that every one hopes to get approvals and approbations from others. Appropriate approbations are ideal mediums in business negotiation and they are also acting as lubricants for improving two parties’ interpersonal relationships. Appropriating others satisfies the need of positive “face” requirements and results in improving the negotiation environment which is beneficial to successful-opened negotiation and raises the rate of successful-oriented result. In business negotiation, negotiators usually use indirect manner to let the listeners feel respected.

Here’s an example:

A group of buyers went to a manufacture and wanted to buy some machines. One representative told the seller that: “we are aware of your reputation for quality products plus reliability.”

In this case, “good quality plus reliability” is a straightforward and sincere approbation which would satisfy the seller and make the two parties’ relationship more closer.

Of course, when praise someone, one should follow a way in which novel, specific and flexible methods are highly praised.

For example:

“Only for our quite special consumers do we offer a rate of 15% discount. In addition, for your reference, this product is tending to go up.”

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