Abstract

    Vagueness is one of the basic attributes of natural language, and it is widely used in communication. Business English correspondence is an important means for people to communicate and exchange information in international trade, the language it uses must be precise, clear and easily understood, excluding the use of vague language. However, the use of vague language in business English correspondence is a very common phenomenon, and the appropriate use of it will make the expression more flexible, leading to fantastic effect for trade activities.
    The thesis illustrates how to use vague language in business English correspondence properly and effectively. In the first part, the thesis points out the definition and language features of business English correspondence and two relative principles namely cooperative principle and politeness principle. The second part gives the definition and language forms of vague language and relation between vague language and precise language. In the last part, the thesis studies the purposes and effects that vague language can achieve in business English correspondence.

Key Words: Vague Language; Business English Correspondence; Pragmatic Functions

摘  要

模糊性是自然语言的基本属性之一，模糊语言被广泛的运用到人们的交际中。商务英语函电是世界各国从事国际贸易活动的人们相互交流、传递信息的一种重要手段，因而要求语言精确严密，清晰易解，这似乎排除了使用模糊语言的可能性。然而，模糊语言运用于商务英语信函的现象非常普遍，恰当合理地使用模糊语言会让语言表达更灵活，从而为贸易活动带来意想不到的效果。
本文主要讨论如何在商务英语函电中正确有效地使用模糊语言。本文第一部分介绍了商务英语函电的定义和语言特征，以及两个相关的原则，即合作原则和礼貌原则。第二部分介绍了模糊语言的定义和语言形式，以及模糊语言和精确语言之间的关系。第三部分分析了在商务英语函电中模糊语言可以实现的目的和功能。

关键词：模糊语言；商务英语函电；语用功能