商务英语信函中的词汇特征分析_英语论文

An Analysis of Lexical Features of Business English Correspondence

摘要

商务英语信函作为国际商务往来频繁使用的联系方式之一，是开展对外贸易和有关商务活动的重要工具。随着国际商务英语信函的使用越来越多，在买卖双方权利，义务的规定等方面出现的经济纠纷也越来越频繁。其中不少经济纠纷，在很大程度上是由商务英语信函等文件的措辞不当，词义含糊不清以及文义松散宽泛等原因造成的。如果想要写出一封好的商务英语信函，研究它的词汇是十分必要的。

本文首先简要定义商务英语信函，并介绍前人对于商务英语信函的一些研究，然后列出相关理论原则，为词汇特征的分析奠定基础，本文主体主要详细分析商务英语信函的词汇特征。其词汇特征主要分为四大类，即简洁，正式，准确和礼貌。希望通过本文的研究可以帮助人们更好地进行商务英语信函写作，从而提升商务英语信函的质量。

关键词：商务英语信函；词汇特征；外贸术语 

Abstract

As one of the frequently used contacts in international business trade, business English correspondence is an important tool for carrying out foreign trade and related business activities. With more and more use of international business English correspondence, the economic disputes become more frequent in rights and obligations of buyers and sellers, and in other aspects. Many of these economic disputes, to a large extent, are caused by inappropriate wording, ambiguous meaning and loose semantic in business English correspondence and other documents. If you want to write a good business correspondence, you have to study its vocabulary. 

This paper firstly defines the business English letters and introduces some researches on the business English correspondence, then it lists the relevant principles to lay the foundation for the analysis of lexical features, and finally the paper analyzes the lexical features of business English correspondence. There are four lexical features of business English correspondence in this paper: being concise, being formal, being accurate and being polite. We hope that the study of this paper will help people to write business English correspondence in an appropriate and acceptable way, so as to enhance the quality of business English correspondence.

Key words: business English correspondence; lexical features; foreign trade terms

Contents

Acknowledgements.i

Abstract & Key Words in Englishii

Abstract & Key Words in Chineseiii

Introduction1

1. Literature review1

1.1 Business English correspondence1

1.2 Review of previous studies.2

2. Relevant principles reflected in business English correspondence3 

   2.1 Cooperative principle.3

   2.2 Politeness principle.4

3. Analysis of lexical features of business English correspondence5

   3.1 Being concise.5

   3.1.1 Simple words.6

   3.1.2 Abbreviations.6

   3.2 Being formal.7

   3.2.1 Business terms.7

   3.2.2 Archaic words8

3.3 Being accurate8

   3.3.1 Prepositions.9

   3.3.2 Synonyms9

3.4 Being polite10

   3.4.1 Personal Pronouns.10

   3.4.2 Modal verbs.11 

   3.4.3 Positive words.12

   3.4.4 Transition words12

   3.4.5 Hedges.13

Conclusion14  

References16