Abstract:

This paper aims to discuss the pragmatic functions of hedges used in business English negotiation. First this paper gives a brief introduction of research contents and an overview of Cooperation Principle, Politeness Principle and Face Theory. Then this paper introduces hedges in business English negotiation. At last, taking Cooperation Principle, Politeness Principle and Face Theory as the general frame, this paper analyzes the reasons why people use hedges in business English negotiation and probes into the pragmatic functions of hedges in business negotiation. The pragmatic functions are enhancing the objectivity of the language, improving the flexibility of negotiation, improving expression efficiency and showing the politeness to the cooperators. Through studying the hedges in business English negotiation, the writer hopes that it will give readers some reference value when they use hedges in business English negotiation and help readers promote their own negotiation skills in the future.

Key words: business English negotiation; hedges; pragmatic functions
  
摘要:

本文从语用学的角度分析模糊限制语在商务英语谈判中的使用。文章首先对论文研究内容做简单介绍并简要回顾合作原则，礼貌原则和面子理论。其次介绍模糊限制语在商务英语中的使用。最后根据合作原则，礼貌原则和面子理论的理论框架分析商务英语谈判中使用模糊限制语的原因以及模糊限制语在商务英语谈判中的语用功能。其语用功能可总结为增加语言的客观性，增强谈判的灵活性，使表达更有效以及表达对合作伙伴的礼貌。通过对模糊限制语在商务英语谈判中语用功能的介绍，为读者今后的谈判中使用模糊语言提供一些参考，并能提升读者谈判的语言技巧。

关键词:商务英语谈判；模糊限制语；语用功能

1. Introduction
It is indispensable to use fuzzy language in daily exchange and communication. Like precise language, fuzzy language is the most natural attribution of human language. Hedges, as a part of it, play an important role in the process of human communications. For example, the doctor has lots of friends, but how many is “lots of”; the girl is pretty good, what kind of good is “pretty good”; a manager praises his employee with words well done, but how good he had done is “well down”? Hedges as a kind of vague language have been noticed in the 1960s, and the professor Zadeh is the first person who points out the concept of “fuzzy set” which carries a great effect on the study of fuzzy in west. Later in the early 1970s American linguistic Lakoff, put forward the concept hedges and defined the word hedges.