| Language is a common system of symbols by which we communicate with each other. Communication is the function of language. Communication is the exchange of ideas, feelings and information, and one of the most important human survival skills, because people communicate to satisfy all kinds of needs, both physiological ones and psychological ones. Language use is very important in human communication. ' Donate people a good word, they will feel warm at heart even in bitterly cold winter; wound people's feeling with a hurting word, and they will feel cold even in swelteringly hot summer. Well-used, language does good to us; badly-used, it does barn to us. And one of the great concerns in the democratic and progressive age in which we live seems to be to ensure that nobody' s feelings shall ever be hurt at least not by words, no matter who the person is, male or female, young or old, rich or poor, well or unwell, high in social status or low in social position. Everyone is created equal and we should treat one another as such. No one likes to be discriminated against or prejudiced against, likes his or her feelings to be hurt or his or her pride to be wounded. It is human nature that every one likes to keep face and hates to lose face, likes praise and dislikes dispraise, and likes to be treated politely and equally.It is characteristic of human mind, in various degrees, of course, to identify words with objects, persons and ideas, to think much of the time not in terms of actual situations of flesh-and-blood life, but in reaction to words, and it is certainly true in everyday life that people frequently act as though they thought words were identical with what they designate. To the same thing, if we use pleasant words to present it, people will feel comfortable; if we use unpleasant words to state it, people will feel uncomfortable. For example, for unpleasant international business news, if we use positive language to break it, we will be able to soften the blow of the negative news, preserve other's negative face, promote negative politeness, retain customer' s goodwill, and increase our international business.Politeness Principle of pragmatics has a great deal to do with international business communication. While writing international business letters communicating pleasant-news, we should observe Politeness Principle of pragmatics to maximize benefit, praise and compliment to other, and make the happy customers even happier, in order to enhance other's positive face, promote positive politeness. While writing our international business letters conveying unpleasant-news, we should observe Politeness Principle of pragmatics to minimize cost to other, to alleviate the sting of the unpleasant news, in order to make the disappointed customers less disappointed and not so sad. In this way, what is unpleasant news may be received as the pleasant one. Indeed, language use is very important and powerful in human communication. Observe Politeness Principle1of pragmatics, we can improve our international business communication competence and proficiency, accelerate and facilitate our international business communication, and make it more effective. In this dissertation we will discuss the application of Tact Maxim, Generosity Maxim, Approbation Maxim, Modesty Maxim, Agreement Maxim, and Sympathy Maxim of Politeness Principle by Leech in writing international business letters communicating pleasant and unpleasant news from the perspective of improving our international business communication competence and proficiency, in order to bring about more successful international business. |
PDF Full Text Request