linguistic interaction. He finds that although in our interaction with others, we normally wish it to be conflict-free to satisfy one another?s needs and interests, we are very often faced with situations in which one has to lose, however minimally, for the other to win. In such cases, there is the danger of insult, and consequently, there may be a breakdown of communication, and good social relations will be difficult to establish and maintain, not to say, develop. Leech suggests that while the Cooperative Principle regulates what we say, Politeness Principle maintains the social equilibrium and friendly relations, which enables us to assume that our speakers are being cooperative.
This is especially true in business correspondence writing. We are usually faced with bargaining, claim and failure. Under those circum- stances, if parties adopt the Politeness Principle, a lot of loss would be saved. Therefore, here comes the necessity of Politeness Principle as the guidance of business correspondence writing. In order to make the Polite- ness Principle more concrete, Leech also holds that it is possible to specify a number of general principles for being polite in social interaction within a particular culture.
2.3 Strategies of Realizing Politeness
In order to obtain maximum profit, cultivate and maintain a friendly
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long-term relationship, parties had better make full use of possible and available strategies of politeness they can think of.
Generally speaking, strategies of realizing politeness can be divided from the aspects of grammar, lexis, and you-attitude.
As to grammar, passive voice is one of the most commonly used grammar for the purpose of avoiding impoliteness, rude, or even conflict. Writers resort to passive voice in business correspondence just in order to show that they have no choice but to do something.
English passive voice sentence often puts the actor or subject at the end of the sentence or omits it, which lays little emphasis on the actor or subject. Thus, it is one of the best methods to prevent a tone of blame in business correspondence, which shows the politeness and consideration of the writer and benefits for the construction of the business relationships.
Among lexis, hedging words and phrases stand out. As for hedging words and phrases, or hedges for short, nowadays, Lakoff?s explanation is widely used. Lakoff defines hedges as:
“For me, some of the most interesting questions are raised by the study of words whose meaning implicitly involves fuzziness-words whose job is to make things fuzzier or less fuzzy.”
When conflicts appear between both parties, the writer can apply the hedging words and phrases, such as “a number of”, “some”, “others”,
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which can avoid making the other party lose his face if the mistake is pointed out clearly. This method not only leaves a larger space for both parties to make a further negotiation but also lays a solid foundation for solving the problem at last.
In elementary terms, the you-approach involves the use of pronouns that do not project the writer, but focus on the reader. Avoid first person pronouns such as “I”, “we” and “our”; prefer the second person, and use “you” and “your” liberally.
In a broader sense, the term you-attitude signifies a style of writing in which the communication is reader-centered. The writer has these questions in mind: Who are my readers? How does this transaction begin? What do they expect to gain from it? In other words, what is in it for them? What questions will they want to rise? Audience awareness, as it is called, is one of the keys to successful communication.
The you-attitude recognizes that communication takes place between real persons, not between robots. The language, therefore, is personal, simple and direct. It is free from highfalutin clichés.
It is quite easy to understand politeness and Politeness Principle. However, the specific strategies of applying Politeness Principle in business correspondence writing are by no means an easy thing.
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Chapter 3
Application of Politeness Principle within Passive Voice in
Business Correspondence
Since business correspondence plays a rather important role in international trade, much more attention should be paid when negotiating parties write business correspondence. As we all know, passive voice can be used to deliberately phrase sentences to exclude the true subject, which is of great help in business correspondence when disagreement, conflict, or other unhappy affair occurs. It is not only beneficial to avoid impoliteness and rudeness, but also to maintain and cultivate a friendly and amicable business relation between parties. The application of passive voice in business correspondence reflects Leech?s six maxims of Politeness Principle.
3.1 Application of Tact Maxim
According to Leech, tact maxim means to minimize cost to hearer/reader and maximize benefit to hearer/reader.
Business negotiation between parties by means of business corres- ponddence is very different from face-to-face negotiation. If some in-
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appropriate sentences are used, disagreement, conflict or even the break- down of business relation will inevitably happen. Although the writer un- consciously adopts impolite sentence pattern, unnecessary misunder- standing would appear between parties. Among all the sentence patterns, passive voice sentence is the most safe and tactful one. Taking the fo- llowing sentences excerpted from a business correspondence as an exam- ple:
(1) a: You did not enclose the cheque in your order. b: The cheque was not enclosed with your order.
It is evident that the two sentences are just talking about the same thing, that is, the other party has forgotten enclosing the cheque. However, sentence is an active voice sentence which points out the mistake made by the reader and blame him/her directly. It leaves the reader a sense of impoliteness and blame. And it seems to express the unsatisfaction and complaint of the writer. This kind of sentence makes the receiver lose his face. It violates Leech?s tact maxim, that is, minimize cost to hearer/reader and maximize benefit to hearer/reader. As a result, the negotiation will no doubt end with an unhappy result. While sentence b is a passive voice sentence which sounds polite, comfort and tact. It seems just to state a fact, at the same time, it also lets the reader realize that he/she has made a mistake. This type of sentence saves the other party?s face and minimizes
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