Abstract

    Business negotiation is an essential economic activity. Whether it succeeds or not depends largely on participants’ use of euphemistic expression. To know the right application of euphemistic expressions, this thesis firstly analyzes the causes of euphemistic expressions after its definition. Next, it discusses the reasons for the employment of euphemistic expressions in business negotiation. Then four strategies for how to use euphemistic expressions in business negotiation are proposed, which are employing courteous expressions, positive expressions and complex sentence patterns, and interrogatives and subjunctive mood and taking you-attitude as well. Substantial examples are used to prove them. And it definitely believes that the above-proposed suggestions can help negotiators to resolve conflicts and reduce deadlocks in the course of negotiation, and help them achieve win-win solutions.

Key Words: Euphemistic expressions  application  business negotiation

摘 要

商务谈判是一种基本的经济活动，谈判的成功与否很大程度取决于谈判者能否正确使用委婉表达。为正确使用委婉语表达，这篇论文在给出委婉语定义后，首先分析使用委婉语和委婉表达的原因。接下来，论文探讨在商务谈判中运用委婉表达的原因。然后，又提出在商务谈判中正确运用委婉语表达的四个策略，它们分别是：第一，运用礼貌的表达；第二，运用正面的表达和复合句；第三，运用疑问句和虚拟语气；第四，使用You-Attitude。相信上述四大策略可以帮助谈判者们解决谈判中出现的冲突，减少僵局的出现，从而达成更多的双盈交易。

关键词：委婉表达；应用；商务谈判

1 Introduction
    Euphemistic Expression is frequently employed in the business negotiation, which is not only a social language phenomenon, but also a cultural one. Enright states that, “a language without euphemisms would be a defective instrument of communication”. Rawson also puts forward that “euphemisms are embedded so deeply in our language that few of us, even those who pride themselves on being plain spoken, ever get through a day without using them”. Euphemistic expression is a reflection of euphemism.
Originating from the Greek, the word euphemism comes from the Greek prefix “eu”, which means well, and root “pheme”, speaking, and it means “sounds good”. In the English dictionary of euphemism, a euphemism means using harmless or sweet-sounding words to replace those more direct, blunt words to cover up the embarrassing or even bad fact. Euphemism on people is on vocabulary level, such as using “pass way” to replace “die”. When people talk about offensive or taboo topics and keep polite at the same time, they would usually apply euphemistic expressions.