The Euphemism Strategy in Business Letter

孫曉梅

摘要：“委婉語”一詞來源于希臘語，意思指“好聽的話”，它是交際中常見的語言策略。文章開始就介紹了委婉語的來源以及委婉語的功能。委婉策略被廣泛地運用到商務信函地寫作中，以達到促進商貿友誼和洽談的作用。本文在第二、三部分通過詞匯和語法這兩方面實例說明委婉策略及其用法在建立友好的貿易伙伴關系和促進商貿洽談順利進行的特殊作用。最后，文章闡述了委婉策略在商貿信函寫作中應用的注意問題及重要意義。

關鍵詞：委婉策略；功能；商貿信函；使用

1. Introduction the functions of euphemism

The original meaning of euphemism which comes from Greek is “good speech”, and “eu” means “well” or “sounding good”, and “pheme” means “speech”. Euphemism is an important part of language which is used consciously or unconsciously in the situations where people feel that it is difficult or unsuitable to tell something directly in communication. Usually, euphemisms are confined to rhetorical speech and are regarded as a literal technique for writers or speakers to give their expressions more elegantly. This article tries to make an exploration into the euphemism strategy which is played in business letters. In addition, a discussion on how to use euphemism technique in business letters with strategy is studied in part three.

a. Euphemisms help the speaker feel relaxed talking about the things which he prefer not to mention directly，the things which might probably make him appear disgraced if spoken directly，or the things which tend to place both the speaker and the listener in a state of embarrassment.

b. Euphemisms embellish the conditions people have to face so that they will not feel inferior or discouraged.

c. Euphemisms protect the listeners self-esteem，and sometimes vanity from being hurt.

d. Euphemisms help some people avoid talking about sensitive things directly so that they escape their due responsibility，even punishment.

e. The major contributor of the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis claimed “different languages can lead people to different actions”，“because language filters their perception and the way they categorize experience.” Hence, a very important social function of euphemisms —— to better peoples behavior. Refined language should be capable of producing refined actions.

Moreover, euphemism is not only some mild, agreeable, or roundabout words used in place of coarse, painful, or offensive ones but also serve as an important rhetorical technique which called “euphemism rhetorical technique”. In other words, euphemisms are a linguistic for people to achieve various goals in communication. The euphemism rhetorical technique showed in business letters will be discussed in the followings.

2. Euphemism in business letter

2.1 The importance of the business letter

Business letter is one of the most important means of businesss communicating. Nearly all important business communication is eventually put into business letter writing. Although there are both advantages and disadvantages in using the business letter writing, the advantages far outweigh the disadvantages. The advantages are letter writing provides a fairly permanent record and permits the writer to revise the message as often as necessary until the letter expresses exactly what is intended, etc.. So, business letter should be written skillfully in order to helps business advance efficiently and smoothly.

2.2 Functions of euphemism in business letter

From the three comparative examples, we can see clearly that if the writer is able to apply the euphemism strategy skillfully when he is writing business letters, the reader may feel much more comfortable and pleased because it makes the letter of tactful and euphemistic tone which is good for establishing a friendly and cooperative business relationship and promoting business negotiation. However, how to apply the euphemism strategy skillfully and flexibly to achieve the expected aim which is both the writer and the reader want to see. That is the question on the application skills of euphemism strategy in business letter which is studied in the following part.

3.The application skills of euphemism strategy in business letter

How to apply the euphemism strategies effectively in business letters? In the following, the article generalizes the euphemism strategies from two parts, lexical and grammar.

Example 1 “Not + adjective”

a.We feel that your quotation is not proper because the price for such material is on the decline at present.

b.Your letter is not clear at all. I cannot understand it.

In example a, which uses “not proper” to “improper”, while example b uses “not clear” to express “unclear”. “Not proper” and “not clear” express discontent in indirect way which sounds more polite and tactful. However, if we use “improper” or “unclear” directly, that might made the other party feels uncomfortable. From the compare, it is easy to find that the form of “not + adjective” sounds more polite and tactful, moreover and it may be accepted easier with comfortable by other party. Therefore, this euphemism strategy can be applied when the writers are going to express certain negative words in business letter.

Example 2 Grammar

The euphemism strategy in business letter is not only the lexical euphemism strategy, but also the grammar euphemism strategy which is including the various forms of tense, moods, voice, and sentence structure. Grammar euphemism strategy makes the whole business letter sounds more tactful, euphemism, polite, and friendly.

a. We found the prices of your machines a litter bit higher than acceptable.

b. We found the prices of your machines are so high that we cant accept.

Comprise with example a and example b, example a use comparative structure, and it use “a litter” to decorate the comparative degree to express the prices are hard to accept, but example b express the same meaning directly. It is easy to find that example a is more tactful, in addition, it give some leeway for both parties to do further negotiation.

From the above, the form of euphemism strategies in business letters is flexible and various. In that ease, you can establish steady and friendly business relationship with different partners in any situation.

4.Conclusion

From the direction of pragmatics, as a rhetorical technique, there are both positive effect and negative effect of euphemism. The positive effect is coordinating relationship, appeasing contradiction and avoiding conflict while the negative effect is confusing seeing and hearing, embellishing rudeness and covering essence of things. It is easy to know that business letters which apply the positive effect will help business to go smoothly.

The usage of euphemism strategies in the business letters mainly for two purposes: one is persuading business partners to accept certain conditions, such as enquiry, counter offer and payment, the other one is telling certain negative news, such as refusal and apology.

In fact, the existence and meaning of euphemism can be comprehended only according to the certain speech situation on the certain context. From the definition of euphemism, euphemism is the result of the choice which is gotten after the communicators is thinking according to certain context and certain communication aim. The choice and the understanding of euphemism are influenced directly by the social communication situation. If the social communication situation can be well understudied and applied it properly, the fine situation result could be benefited and the communication could reach success.

In other words，different cultures have different euphemisms. Different cultural background make the same thing bring about different images and emotions. The cultural characteristics of euphemisms remind us that a familiarity with the cultural background of euphemisms is essential to the decoding of euphemisms.

The last but not least, applying euphemism, even starting from good intensions, also should avoid using excessively and affectation. Or it may puzzle the other party and lead opposite results. To understand and distinguish the aims of using euphemism strategies, to comprehend the real significance of euphemism strategies, especially to understand the meaning of it in specific context, and to master the usage strategy of euphemism can promote the business negotiation efficiently.

With the development of euphemism strategy and its application, euphemism strategy will have an outstanding effect on business communication as a complete theory system in the near future.

References

[1] Kramsch, C, Language and Culture, [M].Shanghai: Shanghai Foreign Language Education Press, 2000.

[2] Websters Encyclopedic Unabridged Dictionary of the English Language, [M]. New York: Random House, 1996.

[3] 白亞平.“談英語委婉語的使用范圍和表達方式”. [J].《昭烏達蒙族師專學報》（漢文哲學社會科學版）, 2000年第21卷第6期，77－81.

[4] 丁溪、侯銀霞.《對外貿易英文函電》. [M]. 哈爾濱：哈爾濱工業大學出版社，2003.

[5] 梁魯晉.“英語委婉語的功能”. [J].《齊齊哈爾大學學報》(哲學社會科學版), 2004年第4期，13－16.

[6] 劉純豹.《英語委婉語詞典》. [M]. 北京：商務印書館，2001.

[7] 戚云方.《新編外經貿英語寫作與套路》. [M].浙江：浙江大學出版社，2002.

[8] 王德春.《多角度研究語言》. [M].北京：清華大學出版社，2002.

[9] 袁瑛、劉啟程.“試析英語中的委婉語及其對語境的依賴”. [J].《洛陽工業高等專科學校學報》, 2004年第14卷第1期，72－73.

[10] 劉瑞琴 等編著《英漢委婉語對比與翻譯》[M].寧夏人民出版社2010.11.1