ABSTRACT:With the development of the globalization and China’s entry to the WTO, the international business has been going through a booming period. Foreign trades of domestic enterprises have been enhanced dramatically and a number of enterprises have set up factories and offices overseas. At the same time, many multinational enterprises have entered Chinese market. These companies and their employees use English as the international business language to communicate with each other.  

　　　Business English correspondence is an important carrier of international trade because it is a way of communication used most frequently in international business. Moreover, it is the basic tool to develop foreign trade. Business English correspondence is a common style of international commercial and trading activities. And it serves as a communicative tool in the field of international business. The characteristics of business English correspondence reflect those of international business. Therefore, the wording, syntax, expression style, significance and meaning are the essence of commerce. 

　　　In daily business activities, correspondence is one of the important media, which has many forms and styles. Due to factors such as different relations between businesses, all the writings can be divided into two categories, formal and informal. The variations of these two mainly lie in language. This paper is a comparison and analysis in this respect. In order to conduct the business effectively, we have to improve the quality of our correspondence. Therefore studying the differences between formal and informal business English correspondence has substantial significance.

Keywords: business English correspondence, formal, informal, language variation

摘要:随着世界经济一体化的发展以及中国加入世界贸易组织WTO，国际间商务活动日益频繁，我国很多企业的对外贸易业务增多，有许多企业到海外办厂或设办事处；同时，许多跨国公司进军中国市场，这些公司以及公司员工都要用英语这个最常用的国际商务工作语言进行交流。

　　　商务英语函电是国际贸易活动的重要载体,是国际商务往来最为经常使用的联系方式,也是开展对外贸易及有关商务活动的基础和工具。商务英语函电是国际商贸活动中常见的一种文体,因其产生和服务于各种各样的商务业务范畴。 商务英语函电是商务英语在国际商务领域中的具体应用，其语言特点反映着国际商务的特点。因此其措辞、句法、表达风格、意义和内涵等都具有商业的韵味。

　　　商务英语写作是商务活动的重要媒体之一，形式和语体多种多样。由于公司间贸易关系的亲疏程度不同，商务英语信函可以分成正式和非正式两大类，它们的区别主要从语言上体现出来，本文主要就这方面进行一定的对比和分析。为了实现有效的商务交流与沟通,现在对商务英语应用文的质量的要求也越来越高，那么我们研究正式与非正式商务英语函电的语言区别就有意义了。

关键词: 商务英语写作， 正式， 非正式， 语言差异