商務(wù)英語信函中的語用禮貌失誤學(xué)位論文

PAGEPAGEPAGEAbstractIncross-culturalcommunication,undertheinfluenceofthemothertongueandthelackofrelevantpragmaticknowledge,secondlanguageusedincommunicationmaycausemisunderstandingorevenabreakdownofthecommunicationwhichiscalledCommunicativePragmaticFailure.BritishlinguistsJennyThomas(1983),whofirsttermsPragmaticFailure,definesitas“theinabilitytounderstandwhatismeantbywhatissaid”.Ininterculturalcommunication,fewformerstudiesareconcentratedonthestudyofpragmaticfailureofpolitenesslanguageinbusinessEnglishCorrespondence.Asanimportantmeansofcommunication,Englishbusinesscorrespondenceplaysasignificantroleinthesuccessofcommercialactivity.PragmaticfailureofpolitenesslanguageinbusinessEnglishcorrespondencewhichcanbecausedbythebreachofpolitenessprincipleisthelastthingweshouldneglect.IfwecouldapplycorrectlythepolitenessprincipleofEnglishbusinesscorrespondence,thewritingofEnglishbusinesscorrespondencewilllayafoundationforthesuccessoftheconductofbusinessactivities.Differentfromtheformstudiesofpragmaticfailureandpoliteness,thispapercollectssomeEnglishbusinesscorrespondencesamplesfromChinesecollegestudentsduringtheircourseofinternship.ThepaperintendstostudythepragmaticfailureinthewritingofEnglishbusinesscorrespondencefromtheperspectiveofpragmaticsapplyingpolitenessprincipleunderThomas’sframework,andanalyzespragmaticfailureresultingfromthebreachofpolitenessprinciple.ThemainplaceofinnovationofthispaperistostudythepragmaticfailureinthewritingofEnglishbusinesscorrespondencefromtheperspectiveofpragmatics.Inthelastpartofthispaper,somestrategiesofpragmaticpolitenesswouldbeputforward.KeyWords：Englishbusinesscorrespondence;pragmaticfailure;politenessprinciple中文摘要在跨文化交際中，人們在使用第二語言進(jìn)行會(huì)話時(shí)或多或少會(huì)受到其母語的影響，缺乏相關(guān)的語用知識(shí)因而引起交流不暢甚至失敗。這種情況就是跨文化交際中的語用失誤。英國語言學(xué)家Thomas(1983)將語用失誤定義為“(聽話人)不能從(說話人的)話中理解其真正用意”。在研究跨文化交際中的語用失誤研究方面，以前的研究很少把重點(diǎn)放在商務(wù)信函這類特殊用途的專業(yè)書面語的語用禮貌失誤上。作為商務(wù)經(jīng)營活動(dòng)的重要傳遞，交流信息方式之一的商務(wù)英語信函，對商務(wù)活動(dòng)的成功與否有著舉足輕重的作用。因此，由于違反語用禮貌原則等因素引起的語用禮貌失誤現(xiàn)象不容我們忽視。如果能正確運(yùn)用一些商務(wù)信函中的禮貌原則和策略，將會(huì)為商務(wù)英語信函撰寫的成功奠定基礎(chǔ)，從而促進(jìn)商務(wù)活動(dòng)的順利展開。不同于以往的關(guān)于語用失誤和禮貌的研究，本文收集了中國大學(xué)生在實(shí)習(xí)期間的商務(wù)英語信函習(xí)作的例子，在Thomas提出的框架結(jié)構(gòu)下，從語用學(xué)的角度，運(yùn)用禮貌原則對商務(wù)英語信函中的語用禮貌失誤進(jìn)行了探討，分析了導(dǎo)致語用禮貌失誤的原因。本文的創(chuàng)新點(diǎn)在于從語用學(xué)角度，運(yùn)用禮貌原則研究商務(wù)信函中的語用禮貌失誤。在本文的最后部分，提出了如何在商務(wù)英語信函中運(yùn)用語用禮貌的策略。關(guān)鍵詞：商務(wù)信函；語用失誤；禮貌原則ChapterOneIntroduction1.1BackgroundPragmaticswasformedin1970s;itmainlyresearchesonhowtounderstandlanguageandtouseitproperlyandgraciouslyinthecertainconversationwithinthecertaincontext.Alongwiththedevelopmentandmaturityoftheoriesonpragmatics,therehasbeenanincreasinginterestinpragmaticfailures.TheconceptofPragmaticFailurewasintroducedbyBritishlinguistJennyThomas(1983)publishedinthepaperCross－culturalPragmaticFailure.Untilnow,therehavebeenmanylinguistsandscholarsbothathomeandabroadwhohavestudiedthecross-culturalpragmaticfailure(JennyThomas,1983;HeZiran,2001;RanYongping,2001;etc).Pragmaticfailureexistsnotonlyintheverbalcommunicationbutalsounavoidablyinthewriting.Thustheanalysisofpragmaticfailurewillbehelpfulandpracticalinunderstandingandusinglanguage,especiallyinthewritingofEnglishbusinesscorrespondence,anincreasinglyimportantmeansofcommunicationincommerceactivity.1.2AimandObjectivesTherearesevenbasicprinciplesinthewritingofEnglishbusinesscorrespondence,amongwhichpolitenessisthelastthingweshouldneglect.AnyviolationofpolitenessprincipleisoneofthemostimportantcausesforpragmaticfailureintheEnglishbusinesscorrespondence.ThepresentstudyattemptstopresentagenreanalysisofpragmaticfailureappearedinthewritingofEnglishbusinesscorrespondencefromtheperspectiveofpragmaticsbyapplyingpolitenessprincipleunderThomas’sframework.Thedissertationisprimarilyconcernedwiththefollowingthreeresearchquestions:(1)Whatisthedefinitionandclassificationofpragmaticfailure?WhatisthepolitenessprincipleinEnglishbusinesscorrespondence?WhatstrategiestoavoidpragmaticfailureinthewritingofEnglishbusinesscorrespondence?ItishopedthatthisstudywillbenefitEnglishwriters.AgoodknowledgeofpragmaticfailureandpolitenessprinciplewillprovideinsightsforthewritingofEnglishbusinesscorrespondence.1.3OrganizationoftheDissertationThedissertationisdividedintosixchapters.Chapteroneisanintroductiontothewholepaper.Itcoversbackground,aimandobjectivesandtheorganizationofthedissertation.Chaptertwodealswiththedefinitionandclassificationofpragmaticfailure.Itservesasatheoreticalframeworkfortheanalysisofpragmaticfailureinthispaper.ChapterthreegivesanoverviewofsomefundamentalstudiesofpolitenessprincipleinthewritingofEnglishbusinesscorrespondence.ChapterfouristhemainbodyofthedissertationinwhichthemodelforanalysisoutlinedinchaptertwoandthreeareappliedtoanalyzethecollectedEnglishbusinesscorrespondencesampleswhicharefromChinesecollegestudentsduringtheircourseofinternshipandfindoutthereasonscausedpragmaticfailureinthewritingofEnglishbusinesscorrespondence.ChapterfiveprovidessomestrategiesforthewritingofEnglishbusinesscorrespondence.ChapterSixdrawsaconclusion,discusseslimitationsofthedissertationandsuggestsfurtherresearch.ChapterTwoTheStudyofPragmaticFailure2.1IntroductionWiththeacceleratedglobalization,thecommunicationbetweencountriestocountriesisbecomingmoreandmoreimportant.However,incross-culturalcommunication,thereexistspragmaticfailures.Thischapterfirstbeginswithdefinitionofconceptofpragmaticfailure.Then,itcontinueswiththeintroductionofJennyThomas’theoricalframework,whichincludesthedefinitionandclassificationofpragmaticfailure.2.2PragmaticFailureTheterm“pragmaticfailure”wasfirstproposedbyJennyThomas(1983)inthepaper“CrossculturalPragmaticFailure”whichservesasasolidtheoreticalframeworkforthelaterstudiesbylinguistsathomeandaboard.Thomasbelievesthatpragmaticfailureisthemajorreasonwhycrossculturalcommunicationwouldbreakdown;shetermsit“theinabilitytounderstandwhatismeantbywhatissaid”.HeZiransaidthatresearcherscollectivelyreferredthemistakesthatresultinunsatisfactorycommunicationinverbalcommunicationaspragmaticfailure(HeZiran,2001).Theydon’tusetheword“errors”,becausethiskindofmistakesdon’tresultfromthesyntaxerror,namelythewordswhichfailtoconveythemeaningbecauseofgrammaticalstructure,butspeaksinaninappropriatewayandoccasion,ornotinconformityofexpression.SunYaandDaiLing(2002)gaveamorecomprehensivedefinitionofpragmaticfailure:whenthespeakerusesthesentenceswithcorrectsign’srelationship,buttospeakinaninappropriateway.Specifically,thespeakertransgressestheinterpersonalnorm,socialnormorreglectstheidentityofcommunicators,status,occasionandsoon,whichareagainstthespecificlanguageculturalvaluesthatleadtotheinterruptionandfailureoftheverbalcommunication.Inthiscase,thecommunicationcannotachievetheexpectedsatisfactoryresult,thiskindofmistakeiscalledpragmaticfailure.2.3ClassificationofPragmaticFailureAccordingtoThomas(1983),pragmaticsfailurecanbeclassifiedintotwocategories:PragmaticLinguisticFailureandSocialPragmaticFailure.2.3ThedefinitionofPragmaticLinguisticFailurehastwofacets:oneisthemistakeswhicharefromthemisuseofwordsbythespeaker,causingthelistener’smisunderstandingoftheexactmeaningofwordswithinacertaincontext;theotheriscausedbythelistener’smiscomprehensionoftheillocutionarymeaningthatthespeakerintendstoexpress,orbythespeaker’sinaccurateexpressionofillocutionarymeaning.TaketheusageofEnglishasanexample,thelanguageisnotaccordwiththeidiomofEnglishnativespeakerbymisusingotherEnglishexpression,orusingthelanguageinhisnativeidiomaticmannerbyignoranceofthecorrectEnglishexpression.2.3.2SocialPragmaticFailureSocialPragmaticFailurereferstothemistakesthatresultfromthemischoosingthelinguisticformbecauseofignoranceofthedifferencebetweenbothsides’culturalbackground.It’scloselyrelatedtostatus,register,socialfamiliaritytothetopicandsoon.Forexample,Chinese“謝謝”hastheEnglishequivalentword“Thankyou”,buttheusageofthemisnotcompletelythesame.Whenwereceiveothers’praise,“thankyou”isthemostcommonwordsweuse;butinChina,peopleoftenuse“過獎(jiǎng)，過獎(jiǎng)”,“慚愧，慚愧”andothermodestwordstoshowpoliteness.Ifwedon’tuse“Thankyou”,butuse“Youflatterme”or“Ifeelashamed”,thatcouldprobablyraisealaugh.

2.4SummaryThischapterhassettledonthedefinitionofpragmaticfailureandclassificationofpragmaticfailureandestablishedthetheoreticalmodelforthecurrentstudyinpragmaticfailureinthewritingofEnglishbusinesscorrespondence.ThefollowingchapterwilldealwithpolitenessprincipleinEnglishbusinesscorrespondence.ChapterThreePolitenessPrincipleinEnglishBusinessCorrespondence3.1IntroductionEnglishbusinesscorrespondenceisimportantininternationaltradeandbusinesscommunication.Thecorrectandproperapplicationofpolitenessprincipleincorrespondenceisofgreatsignificance.ThischapterfirstintroducesthesevenbasicprinciplesinEnglishbusinesscorrespondencewriting.Then,itcontinueswiththeintroductionoftwotypicaltheoriesonpolitenessprincipleinEnglishbusinesscorrespondence:Brown&Levinson’sFaceTheoryandLeech’sPolitenessPrintiple.3.2SevenBasicPrinciplesinEnglishBusinessCorrespondenceWritingEnglishbusinesscorrespondencewritingisoneofthepracticalEnglishwriting,ithasspecialpurposeandsocialcharacteristcs,andthereforeitrequiresadherencetothe7CPrinciples:Correctness,Clearness,Completeness,Concreteness,Consideration,ConcisenessandCourteousness(HeZiran,2001).Thedetailsareasfollowings:Correctness:Assureaccuracywithrespectstogrammar,factsandopinions;Clearness:Usethelanguagethatthereaderunderstands,andavoidjargonandunfamiliarwordsandphrases;Completeness:Includealltheinformationnecessarytomakethepointandpromoteactionfromthereader;Concreteness:Usefigures,ratiosandfactswheneverthereareavailabletomakethecorrespondencespecificanddefiniteratherthanvagueandabstract;Consideration:Fromothers’pointofview,trytotakeothers’difficultiesintoaccountandforotherssake.Beingconsideratewilleasilygainothers’goodwillsoastopromotethesuccessofthecommunication;Conciseness:Keepthecorrespondenceshortandtothepoint;Courteousness:Courteousnessprincipleisthemosteffectiveweaponforsellers.Applywordsandphrasesthatsetapositivelightpossibletoneorcastrecipient’sactionsorinactionsinthemostpositivelightpossiblesoastoreceiveafavorableresponse,andthusmoreeffectivelyaccomplishthegoal.AmongthesevenprinciplesinthewritingofEnglishbusinesscorrespondence,courteousnessprinciple(politenessprinciple)playsaveryimportantrole.ThecorrectapplicationofpolitenessprincipleinthewritingofEnglishbusinesscorrespondencewillleaveagoodimpressiontoothersand,therefore,tosomeextent,mayleadtothesuccessofbusiness.3.3Leech’sPolitenessPrincipleIn1967,AmericanphilosopherHerbertPaulGrice(1913—1988)firstproposedcooperativeprinciple.Politenessprincipleappearedasasupplementforcooperativeprinciple.Lakoff,theauthorofTheLogicofPoliteness(1973),wasamongthefirsttoadoptGrice’stheoryofcooperativeprinciplesinanefforttoexplainpoliteness.LikeLakoff,LeechadoptstheframeworkinitiallysetoutbyGrice:aprinciplethatconsistsofasetofmaximsandsub-maximsthatguideandconstraintheconversationofrationalpeople.Leech’spolitenessprintipleiscategorizedintosixmaximswhichareasfollows:(1)TactMaxim(foundinimpositivesandcommissives)(a)Minimizecosttoother;(b)Maximizebenefittoother;(2)GenerosityMaxim(foundinimpositivesandcommissives)(a)Minimizebenefittoself;(b)Maximizecosttoself；(3)ApprobationMaxim(foundinexpressivesandassertives)(a)Minimizedispraisetoother;(b)Maximizepraisetoother;(4)ModestyMaxim(foundinexpressivesandassertives)(a)Minimizepraiseofself;(b)Maximizedispraiseofself;(5)AgreementMaxim(foundinassertives)(a)MinimizedisagreementbetweenselfandOther;(b)Maximizeagreementbetweenselfandother;(6)SympathyMaxim(foundinassertives)(a)Minimizeantipathybetweenselfandother;(b)Maximizesympathybetweenselfandother.(Leech,1983:132)Whathavebeenmentionedabovearepolitenessprinciplepeopleshouldobserveindailylife.However,notallthemaximsareequallyimportant.Forinstance,TactMaximinfluencesmorepowerfullyonconversationalbehaviorthanGenerosityMaximdoes.Withineachmaxim,sub-maxim(a)ismoreimportantthansub-maxim(b).Fromwhathasbeenmentionedabove,wecaneasilyfindthatpolitenessprinciplefocusonotherbutself－listenerandthethirdpart.Maximizeothers’benefitandmaximizeselfcostwillgainothers’respectandgoodwillsoastoachievethesuccessofthecommunication.3.4Brown&Levinson’sFaceTheoryIn1978,BrownandLevinsonpublishedUniversalsinLanguageUsage:PolitenessPhenomena.In1987,itwasrevisedandrepublishedasPoliteness:SomeUniversalsinLanguageUsageinwhichBrownandLevinsonputforwardtheirtheoryaboutpolitenessprinciple.Thistheoryincludesthreebasicnotions:face,facethreateningacts(FTA)andpolitestrategies.AccordingtoBrownandLevision,“Face”meansthateverysocialmemberwantstoearnhisorherpublicself-image.Faceisrelatedwithpoliteness.Faceisanemotionalthing,itcanbereceived,protected,improvedorlost.Protectingfaceaimsatmaintainingmutualbenefits.BrownandLevisiondividethe“Face”intotwoaspects:positivefaceandnegativeface.Positivefacereferstothewishtogainothers’recoganitionandapprobation.Oncethiswishcanbegranted,thepositivefaceistobeprotected.Negativefacemeansthehopetohaveindependentfreedom,notbeingpreventedbyothers.BrownandLevisionconsiderthatspeechacts,suchasanorder,andcriticismisoriginallyfacethreateningacts.Theylaterseparatefacethreateningactsintotwokinds:positivefacethreateningactsandnegativefacethreateningacts.Theformersincludeactsofcriticism,contempt,disagreementandinformingbadnews;thelattersinvolveactsoforder,suggestion,requirmentandwarning.BrownandLevinsonoutlinefivemaintypesofpolitenessstrategies:baldon-record,negativepoliteness,positivepoliteness,off-record(indirect)andrefrainingfromtheact.(1)Baldonrecordstrategy:thespeakerdoesn’tneedtotakeremedialactionandthreatenother’sfacebarelyandopenly.Thespeakercanadoptthisstrategywithoutapologiesortakingremedialaction;(2)Positivepolitenessstrategy:Itmakesthelistenerfeelgoodandgainrecoganitionfromothers;(3)Negativepolitenessstrategy:Itmeansthatwordsandexpressesshouldbeclearsothatother’sbehaviorfreedomwouldnotbeaffected;(4)Implicatingoff-recordstrategy:Inthecaseofseverelythreatheningothers,thespeakertakeimpliedactionsandmakeothersknowthethreateningactsarenotdoneatpurpose;(5)Refrainingfromtheact.Ifthethreateningfaceactsaretooserioustotakeremedialactions,thespeakercantakethisstrategy.3.5SummaryThischapterhasbeendevotedtothedescriptionofpolitenessprincipleinEnglishbusinesscorrespondence,ItfirststartswiththesevenbasicprinciplesinEnglishbusinesscorrespondencewriting.Afterwards,itintroduceswithtwotypicalpolitenessprinciples:Leech’spolitenessprintipleandBrown&Levinson’sFaceTheory.TheywillbeappliedtoanalyzethepragmaticlinguisticfailureappearedinsomeEnglishbusinesscorrespondencesampleswhicharefromChinesecollegestudents.ChapterFourCausesforPragmaticFailure4.1IntroductionThischapterwillpresentandanalyzethepragmaticfailurecausedbythebreachofpolitenessprincipleappearedinsomeEnglishbusinesscorrespondencewhicharefromChinesecollegestudentsduringtheircourseofinternship.Itwillbedividedintotwoparts:oneisthesampleswhichareagainstLeech’sPolitenessPrincipleandtheotherarethesampleswhichgoagainstBrown&Levinson’sFaceTheory.4.2BreachofPolitenessPrincipleThereareavarietyofcausesaccountingforpragmaticfailures.Fromthepointofpragmaticsview,thecausescanbetheculturalvaluesandperceptionofpolitenessprincipledifferencebetweenChineseandWestern,errorpragmalinguistictransfer,thelackofpragmaticpolitenessprincipleandsoon.However,themaincauseforpragmaticfailureinEnglishbusinesscorrespondencecomesfromthebreachofpolitenessprinciple,whichwillbediscussedindetailrespectively.4.2.1BreachofLeech’sPolitenessPrincipleWhenitcomestopolitenessprincipleinEnglishbusinesscorrespondence,weshouldneverforgetLeech’spolitenessprinciple.ItservesasasolidfoundationfortherealizingofpolitenessinEnglishbusinesscorrespondence.OnceyougoagainsttheLeech’spolitenessprinciple,manypragmaticfailurewouldcomeintobeing.ThefollowingaresamplesofthebreachandobservationofLeech’spolitenessprinciplefromChinesecollegestudentsduringtheircourseofinternship,bycontrastingthesesamples,itcanbesimplylearntthatquiteafewofpragmaticfailureareresultingfromthebreachofLeech’spolitenessprincipleanditisofgreatsignificanceofobservingit.(1)TheBreachofTactMaxim(a)Nowpleasemakeaninvestigationtoascertainthetruth;(b)Pleasefindoutthetruth.Inthebusinessworld,thelanguageinthebusinesscorrespondenceshouldbeshortandcometothepointdirectly,otherwise,itwillwastebothparties’stimeandevenmakealost.Insample(a),thestudentdoesn’tcometothepointuntilhesuggestsawaytofindoutthetruth.ThisisquiteunnecessaryandhasbreachedtheTactMaxim,causingother’sinconvenienceandwastingothers’time.Whilestudent(b)opensthedoordirectly,makingitasshortandclearaspossiblebyobservingtheTactMaximcorrectly.(c)I’mdelightedtosendyouourlatestcatalogueandwewishtodrawyourattentiontoaspecialofferwehavemadeinit;(d)You’llbeparticularlyinterestedinaspecialofferonpage5ofthelatestcatalogueenclosed,whichyourequestedinyourcorrespondenceofMay20.Insample(c),thestudentisakindofegocentricthatgivesother’sasenseofselfishnessandcoolness,thusithasviolatedtheTactMaxim.Onthecontrary,student(d)appliestheTactMaximappropriately,makingother’sbenefitsoutstandingandminimizingother’slossandthereforeitcanbeeasilytoconductasuccessfulbusiness.(2)TheBreachofGenerosityMaxim(e)Youcomplainedaboutourserviceinyourpreviouscorrespondence;(f)Ireallyappreciateyourcorrespondenceregardingourservice.Noteverybusinesscanbebroughttoasuccessfulendsmoothlyevenifyoutreatyourcustomersverycarefully.Theunpleasantphenomenasuchasfailureofthetimelydeliveryofthegoodsmayappear.Whensomeannoyingthinghappens,youshouldbecalmdownandneverputyourunpleasantemotionsintothecorrespondence.Insample(e),theunpleasantemotionshaveobviouslybroughttothecorrespondenceandthisisagainsttheGenerosityMaxim.But(f)istotallydifferent.ItshowsrespectandconsiderationforotherswhichwellmatchtheGenerosityMaxim.(3)TheBreachofApprobationMaxim(g)Ifyouhadthoughtaboutbeforehand,thisthingwillneverhavehappened;(h)Problemsofthistypewouldnothappenifwehadthoughtaboutitthoroughly.Thewordsofapprobationinthebusinessareofgreatimportancewhenothersofferyoutheirproducts,technologiesandservicesetc.Thisisbecauseitwillgainother’ssenseofgoodwillandthereforehelpconductabusinesssuccessfully.Sample(g)usesthetoneofcomplaintexpressinghisangerdirectly,maximizingother’sdispraise,whichisagainstApprobationMaxim.Differently,sample(h)minimizesthetoneofblameandwouldbeeasiertobeacceptedbyothersbythecorrectapplicationofApprobationMaxim.(4)TheBreachofModestyMaxim(i)Theproductisabsolutelythebestonthemarket.(j)Theproductisthebestwecansupple.Inthecommercialactivity,givingarealisticappraisalandrecognitionforone’sowncompany,productandserviceinthebusinessisverysignificant.Thelanguageofappraisalshouldbeimplied,convergentandcautious,butyoushouldneverboast.Insample(i),thestudenthasexaggerateditspraiseandmaximizedpraiseofself,thusviolatetheModestyMaxim.Whileinsample(j),thetonebeingverymodestperfectlymatchestheModestyMaxim.(5)TheBreachofAgreementMaxim(k)Wehavereceivedyourcomplainaboutthelatearrivalof…;(l)Thankyouforcallingourattentiontothelatearrivalof….Justaseverycoinhastwosides,soit’sthecaseincommercialactivities.InthewritingofEnglishbusinessCorrespondence,oneshouldreducethenegativeaspectandstrengthenthepositiveaspect.Thisisbecausethenegativetonewillgiveotherunpleasantandunfriendlyfeelingsandevenleadtothebreakdownofthebusinessrelationship,sample(k)istheoneinthiscase.ItarousesdisagreementbetweenselfandotherinthebreachofAgreementMaxim.However,sample(l)showsrespectandpoliteness,settingafoundationintheestablishingofthebusinessrelationshipwhichobservestheAgreementMaximverywell.(m)Wecan’tdeliverythegoodsallatonetime.(n)I’mafraidthatwecan’tdeliverythegoodsallatonetime.Inthecontactwithourcustomers,evenone’llhavetounaviodablyconveytheverynegativething,thetoneofoursshouldnotbesodirectly,likesample(m).Thismaymaximizethedisagreementbetweenselfandothers.Whilesample(n)usesMitigationandexpressesthenegativethingindirectlyandminimizesthedisagreementbetweenselfandothers.(6)TheBreachofSympathyMaxim(o)Wecan’tacceptyouroffer;(p)Wefeelveryregretfulthatwearenotinthepositiontoacceptyouroffer.Inthecommercialactivities,ifyoucan’tmeettherequirementofyourcustomerormakingmistakesintheworking,youshouldmakeanapologywithouthesitation,andthereforewouldbeeasiertogainother’sforgivenessaswellasestablishingagoodimageforyourcompany.Insample(o),thestudentusesatoodirecttonewhichmaximizeshiscustomer’saversion.Differently,sample(p)politelyexpresseshissorrywhichputstheSympathyMaximintocorrectuse.Fromwhathavediscussedabove,itisnothardtofindthatpragmaticfailuremaybecausedbytheviolationofLeech’sPolitenessPrincipleanditisbettertopaymoreattentionofthecorrectapplicationofLeech’sPolitenessPrinciple.4.2.2BreachofBrown＆Levinson’sFaceTheoryThefollowingisoneofthespecialkindofEnglishbusinesscorrespondence—thebuyerrequeststhesellertolowertheprice,whichembodiesthecharacteristicsofpersuadingcorrespondenceandrefusalcorrespondence.Ifthebuyerdisagreeswiththequotation,itiscalledarefusal;ifthebuyerrequeststhesellertolowertheprice,itiscalledpersuasion.Therefusalcorrespondenceisanactofplea.Ithaspotentiallyoffendedtheaddressee’snegativeface.Thepersuadingcorrespondenceexpressesthedisagreementoftheaddresser,thustothreataddressee’spositiveface.ThefollowingtwocorrespondencearesamplesofthebreachandobservationofBreachofBrown&Levinson’sFaceTheory.(1)DearSirsWewritetotellyouaboutyourquotationof20thMarchandthesamplesoftheLTZTrimmingEdgeCuttersyouenclosed.Aftercarefullyexaminedthesamplesyoumailed,thequalityofyourgoodsandthewayinwhichyouhavehandledourinquirymakeusquitesatisfied.Ibelievethatitwouldbeprofitablefornotonlymebutalsoyouifalong-termbusinessrelationshipcouldbeestablished.However,ourmarketingresearchrevealsthatthepriceyouquotedappeartobeonthehighsideevenforthetoolsofthisqualitybecausegoodsofsimilarqualityarebeingsoldattheprevailinglevels,threepercentlowerthanyourpresentones.Someofourclientsfeelworriedthatacceptingsuchanofferwouldonlyleavethemwithasmallmarginofprofitontheirsales.So,Isuggestyou’dbettermakesomeallowance,say,twopercentoffyourquotedprices.Ifyoucan’tdothat,we’llhavenochoosebuttocancelthedeal.Pleaseinformusofyourdecisionassoonaspossiblebecauseweneedyourinformationtoworkoutourimportschedulebytheendofthismonth.Yoursfaithfully(2)DearSirsWewritetothankyouforyourquotationof20thMarchandthesamplesoftheLTZTrimmingEdgeCuttersyouenclosed.Aftercarefullyexaminedthesamplesyoumailed，wefeelquitesatisfiedwiththequalityofyourgoodsandthewayinwhichyouhavehandledourinquiry.Itwouldbeprofitableforbothofourtwosidesifalong-termbusinessrelationshipcouldbeestablished.However,ourmarketingresearchrevealsthatthepricesyouquotedappeartobeonthehighsideevenforthetoolsofthisqualitybecausegoodsofsimilarqualityarebeingsoldattheprevailinglevels,threepercentlowerthanyourpresentones.Someofourclientsfeelworriedthatacceptingsuchanofferwouldonlyleavethemwithasmallmarginofprofitontheirsales.Maywesuggestthatyoucouldperhapsmakesomeallowance,say,twopercentoffyourquotedprices?Wefeelconfidentthattherevisedoneswouldhelpintroduceyourproductsintoourlocalmarkets.Pleasekindlyinformusofyourdecisionass