商务英语信函写作中的行文特点.doc

本科学生毕业论文

商务英语信函写作中的行文特点

系部名称： 外语系
专业班级： 英语B05-47班
学生姓名： 曲晓聪
指导教师： 刘 昕
职 称： 副教授

黑 龙 江 工 程 学 院
二○○九年六月

The Graduation Thesis for Bachelor's Degree

The Wring Characteristics of Business English Letters

Candidate：Qu Xiaocong
Specialty： English
Class： B05-47
Supervisor：Associate Prof. Liu Xin

Heilongjiang Institute of Technology
2009-06·Harbin

黑龙江工程学院本科生毕业论文

摘 要

随着全球经济一体化进程的加快和我国成功地加入世界贸易组织，我国与世界各国的国际商务关系不断地发展深化。作为国际交流的载体，商务英语在跨国商务和国际经济活动中的作用也日益突出。对于从事外贸工作的人员来说，在与外商的交往中，从建立业务关系、谈判到合同的履行都离不开商务英语信函。由于外贸交易的双方来自不同的国度，有着不同的文化、社会背景，他们会为了各自的利益而据理力争。在这种情况下，如果能礼貌、含蓄、得体地陈述自己的观点或是提出请求和建议，就能创造一个和谐氛围，从而达到交易双方预期的目的。因此，掌握商务英语信函行文的特点显得非常重要。
本文旨在对商务英语信函写作中的行文特点进行详细地分析，指出其在商务信函写作中的重要地位及作用，并通过不同的分类标准对其行文特点进行详细地分类。本文尝试着在揭示商务信函的语言特点的同时，能为学习英语商务信函的写作者和正在从事或即将从事撰写英语商务信函的商务人士提供一定的指导和借鉴，使其在今后的商务交往中做到有礼、有利、有节，从而更好地服务于我国的对外贸易事业。

关键词：写作特点； 语言特点； 文体特点； 格式特点； 商务英语信函； 7C原则

Abstract

With the fostering of global economy integration and China’s successful entrance into WTO, the international business relationship between China and other countries is developing constantly and deeply. As a carrier of international communication, business English plays an increasingly prominent role in international business transactions and international economic activities. For staffs who engage in international trade, business English letters could be stuck with them in the process of each business deal which is composed of establishment of business relationship, negotiation and execution of a contract.
Because the parties of foreign trade transactions come form different countries with different cultures and social backgrounds, they often pay more attention to their own profits, under such circumstances. If the writers of business English letters can state the views or request recommendations politely, and subtly, it can fulfill the writer’s communicative goal. Therefore, to master the writing characteristics of business English letters is very important.
The paper tends to analyze the writing characteristics of business English letters, points out its important position and key role in business English writings and classifies the characteristics through different classification criteria. By revealing the writing characteristics of business English letters, this paper wants to give business English learners great help along with feasible proposals on business English writings and urge the learners to better contribute strength and wisdom to our country’s future international business transaction.

Key words: writing characteristics; language characteristics; stylistic characteristics; format characteristics; business English letters; 7C principles

III

Contents

摘要………………………………………………………………………………………..Ⅰ
Abstract…………………………………………………………………………………..Ⅱ
Ⅰ. Introduction………………………………………………………………………….1
A. The purpose and significance of the paper…………................……..……………..….1
B. Relevant research abroad and in China……………...……….......................................2
C. Definition and classification of business letters…………………………………….....3
Ⅱ. Analysis of language characteristics of business English letters …...…5
A. Lexical characteristics of business English letters..........................................................5
B. Syntactic characteristics of business English letters.......................................................7
Ⅲ. Analysis of stylistic characteristics of business English letters……..….10
A. Conciseness...................................................................................................................10
B. Completeness.................................................................................................................10
C. Concreteness..................................................................................................................11
D. Courtesy.........................................................................................................................11
E. Correctness.....................................................................................................................12
F. Clearness........................................................................................................................12
G. Consideration.................................................................................................................13
H. Application of “you-attitude”........................................................................................13
Ⅳ. Analysis of format characteristics of business English letters............... 15
A. Layout characteristics of business English letters writing............................................15
B. Typeset characteristics of business English letters writing............................................16
C. The paragraphs characteristics in business English letters………………………...….19
Conclusion……………………………………………………………………………….20
Works Cited……………………………………………………………………………..22
References………………………………………………………………………………..23
Acknowledgements…………………………………………………………………….24

I. Introduction

A. The purpose and significance of the paper
With the fostering of reform and opening-up to the outside world, with the development of science and economy, especially after China’s successful entrance to WTO, China’s communication with other countries in the fields of politics, economy, culture, education, science and technology is growing with each passing day. In this international background, China’s international trade also has made progress rapidly. In international trade, from reaching an agreement to signing the contract until establishing economic relations, with the exception of face-to-face conversations, both sides of transaction normally used letters and e-mails to pass on information, express ideas, exchange feelings, deal with social business, make and maintain good relationship with customers. As a vehicle of international business transaction, business English letters become more and more important. An effective and efficient letter is an essential— perhaps the most versatile weapon at disposal. Therefore, it is necessary for people engaged in foreign trade affairs to have a good command of the writing characteristics about business English letters.
How to organize business English letters? What kind of writing style should be used in business English letters writing? Clarity or fuzz language? Concise or elegant vocabulary? Long or short sentence? How to express ideas or make suggestions, politeness or directness? To be emotional or objective? The longer letter, the better? All these questions puzzle the business English letters writers.
So in this paper, we tend to analyze the writing characteristics of business English letters writing from language characteristics, stylistic characteristics and format characteristics three aspects.
The style is a man. As a person’s speech and manners may reflect the temperament and characteristics of individuals, the wording and style of business English letters may also leave deep impression on customer. Business letters can not be as random as the private letters, it must have its own writing characteristics. So the significance of the paper is to give business English learners great help and feasible proposals on business English letters writing, and urges the learners to make further understanding of international business transaction and to better contribute strength and wisdom to China’s future international business transaction.
B. Relevant research abroad and in China
1. Previous research abroad
After the end of the Second World War, international trade encounters an age of enormous expansion of economic activities. Business English letters became a dispensable part of business transactions. From the early 1970s, linguists, pragmaticians, stylisticians and discourse analysts become increasingly interested in the writing characteristics of business English letters. They have investigated the writing characteristics of business letters from their respective perspectives. The publication of a series of relevant works on the characteristic of business English letters writing fully demonstrates the vital importance in social interactions. Because there are many cohesion components in business English letters, in 1976, Halliday & Hasan using five cohesive methods reference, substitution, ellipsis, conjunction, lexical cohesion) analyze the great cohesion function in business English letters in their book Cohesion in English. Cooperative Principle which proposed by Grice in 1975, and Politeness which proposed by Leech in 1983, are two essential components of effective business letters. However, mere cooperation is far from enough to reach the communicative goals in business letter writing. Politeness is one of the most important motivating factors of choosing what kind of language should be used and what kind of approaches should be adopted to arrange the letter. It accounts for most of the deliberate use of certain structures, organizations and selections of specific linguistic forms in business letter writing. Under these two principles, Locker introduced “you-attitude” and “positive emphasis”. According to Locker,
“You-attitude is a style of writing which looks at things from the reader’s point of view, intelligence, and protecting the reader’s ego” [1].
He also viewed positive emphasis as an issue of focus, accentuating the positive rather than the negative aspects of a situation. In recent twenty years, business English letters writing has attracted more and more interest and awareness. Many language schools provide business English course. According to Mark Ellis and Christine Johnson, there are over 100 schools in the UK alone; there are more than150 Business English titles on UK publishers’ lists; the Business English Special Interest Group (part of IATEFL, the International Association for Teachers of English as a Foreign Language) has over 1500 members in all over the world.
2. Previous research in China
Today with global economic integration, international business trade activities become progressively. So understanding the writing characteristics on business English letters is the precondition of pursuing international business transaction. Chinese scholars presented many articles on business English letters writing, however, most of them simply introduced the findings on the characteristics of business English letters writing, for example, some scholars like Wang Jun and Cao Xia just make some research on business English letters from language, some scholars like Che Lengping and Zhu Jianxiang just research on the politeness principle in business letters, Huang Xiao researches on pragmatics. “7C” principles which proposed by Lu Mozhu on how to compose an effective business letter are agreed on by most of the scholars. These principles are as follows：
• Courtesy: Courtesy is not mere politeness. The courteous writer should be sincere and tactful, thoughtful and appreciative.
• Consideration: Prepare every message with the reader in mind and try to put oneself in his place. Adapt the language and message to the receiver’s need, and focus on the positive rather than negative approach.
• Clarity: The writer must try to express himself clearly so that the reader will understand. To achieve this, he should keep in mind the purpose of his letters and use appropriate words in correct sentence structure to convey his meaning. He should also avoid ambiguous sentences.
• Concreteness: Make the message specific, definite and vivid.
• Conciseness: Conciseness means saying things in the fewest possible words. A concise business letter should say things briefly but completely without losing clarity or courtesy.
• Correctness: Correctness means appropriate and grammatically correct language, factual information and accurate reliable figures.
• Completeness：A business communication should include all the necessary information. [2]
C. Definition and classification of business letters
Letter means the act of communicating by means of letters or the letters which pass between correspondents. [3]
Then business English letters refer to the letter used in international business transactions. In law merchant, these written records (business English letters) are recognized a legal gist for buyers and sellers regulating both sides’ rights and obligations, settling dispute. Therefore, we must pay much attention to the wording in business transactions.
Due to the different criteria, business English letters can be divided into a lot of types. The most common classification methods are as follows:
(a) Classification in accordance with the contents of the letters: there are request letters and reply letters, marketing letters, claims and adjustment letters, etc.
(b) Classification according to the business activities: there are inquiry, offer, transaction, payment, shipment, insurance and other types of letters.
(c) Classification by the nature of information given in letters: there are good news letters, neutral news letters, bad news letters, and persuasive letters. Good news letters and neutral new letters together are called everyday letters.[4]

II. Analysis of language characteristics of business English letters

A. Lexical characteristics of business English letters
Language is in nature a tool for human communication. Business, essentially, relies heavily upon human communication, so the use of effective and efficient language in the field of business has been taken as a crucial technique for the success of business. Among various kinds of business communications, business English letters play an increasingly important role and remain the most essential in international trade. So understanding the language characteristics of business English letters are necessary.
1. Professional terms
Business English letters belong to one of the contract attachments. People who write the contents of the letter should have the sense of responsibility. Therefore, it’s necessary to use many professional terms in business English letters writing.
For example: “The obligations shall be affected by the liquidation of the contract nor by a premature termination of the same.”
In this sentence the word “liquidation” and “termination” of the above sentence are more professional than the word “cancel” and “end”, the letter looks so formal by using professional terms. These professional terms also called jargon, like some terms about import ＆ export: L/C (Letter of credit) ; B/L（Bill of lading）; Certificate of origin,