A Comparative Analysis of the Differences Between Chinese and English Polite Words in Business Letter Writing from a Cross-cultural Perspective 摘 要 商务信函成为一种重要的交际手段,通过商务信函,人们可以进行业务联系、询盘报盘、商务谈判、贸易磋商等,同时它也是维持良好的合作关系的重要手段。商务英语信函作为互通信息的桥梁起着任何沟通媒介无可取代的重要作用。在跨文化交际中,人们常常因为缺乏对礼貌规范差异的认识,而产生文化误解和文化冲突,导致交际失败。在这样的前提下,如何正确使用礼貌语言成为人们书写商务信函时必须面对的问题。所以,了解商务信函里面的礼貌用语有助于掌握商务信函的书写规格和语言表达,同时也能充分了解到中英语言的文化差异。因此,本文旨在通过跨文化视角下,分析不同类型下的中英礼貌用语,以及如何在商务信函中使用它们,并以此为跨文化交流及商务信函写作提供建议。 关键词:商务信函;中英礼貌用语;跨文化视角;对比分析 Abstract Business letter has become an important means of communication.Through business letter, people can make business contact,inquire and offer, business negotiation, trade consultation, etc. At the same time, it is also an important means to maintain a good cooperative relationship.As a bridge to exchange information,business English letter plays an irreplaceable important role in any communication medium. In intercultural communication,people often have cultural misunderstanding and cultural conflict because of the lack of understanding of the difference of politeness norms, which leads to communication failure. Under such a premise,how to use polite language correctly becomes a problem that people must face when writing business letters. Therefore, understanding the polite expressions in business letters is helpful to master the writing specifications and language expression of business letters,and at the same time, we can fully understand the cultural differences between Chinese and English. Therefore, from a cross-cultural perspective,this paper aims to analyze the different types of polite expressions in Chinese and English and how to use them in business letters, so as to provide suggestions for cross-cultural communication and business letter writing. Key Words: Business letter ;Chinese and English polite words; Cross-cultural perspective ; Comparative analysis Contents Abstract 1 1 Introduction 2 1.1 Research background 3 1.2 Significance of the study 4 2 Literature Review 5 2.1 Definition of terms 5 2.1.1 Definition of cross-culture 5 2.1.2 Definition of business letters 5 2.1.3 Definition of polite words 5 2.2 Previous Studies on Polite Words 5 2.2.1 Studies in Chinese Culture 5 2.2.2 Studies in English Culture 5 3 Polite Words in Business Letter Writing 8 3.1 Polite words and Cross-Culture 9 3.2 The features of business letters 9 3.3 Comparison and Analysis 9 3.3.1 Polite words in addressing someone 10 3.3.2 Polite words in greeting 11 3.3.3 Polite words in expressing thanks or apologies 11 3.3.4 Polite words in request 11 3.3.5 Polite words in farewell 12 4 Cultural factors in causing differences 12 4.1 Values 12 4.2 Way of thinking 15 4.3 Cultural differences in languages 16 5 Conclusions 16 Conclusion 16 Bibliography 17 Acknowledgement 18 |
A Comparative Analysis of the Differences Between Chinese and English Polite Words in Business Letter Writing from a Cross-cultural Perspective
更新时间:2022-06-16