Abstract: As an important means of communication in modern international trade activities, English business letters are supposed to establish good images and maintain trade relations with both sides of the trade, so politeness strategies play an important role in English business letters. In order to help people to achieve smooth communication successfully in business deal, the paper tries to explore the application of different politeness strategies under the theoretical framework of Brown and Levinson’s Face Theory to English business letters which include positive politeness strategy, negative strategy bald-on-record strategy and off-record strategy. This paper ends with a conclusion that a good English business letter needs politeness strategies and different English business letters will adopt different politeness strategies. It is also hoped that this study will help the business workers and the learners of English business writing to use the politeness strategies correctly in the writing.

Key words: English business letters; Face Theory; Politeness Strategies

CONTENTS

Abstract

摘要

1. Introduction..1

2. Literature Review...1

3. Theoretical Framework...4

3.1 Face Theory

3.2 Politeness Strategy

4. Analysis of Politeness Strategies in English Business Letters.5 

4.1 Positive Politeness Strategy

4.1.1 Avoiding disagreement

4.1.2 Offering and Promising

4.1.3 Being optimistic

4.2 Negative Politeness Strategy

4.2.1 Being conventionally indirect

4.2.2 Being pessimistic

4.2.3 Apologizing

4.3 Bald-on-record Strategy

4.4 Off-record Strategy

4.4.1 Giving hints

4.4.2 Being vague

4.4.3 Using rhetorical questions

5. Conclusion13

Bibliography.14

Acknowledgements..15