英文索赔信中言语行为的语用分析

A Pragmatic Analysis of the Speech Act of English Claim Letters

作为国际商贸活动书函的重要组成部分,索赔信无疑在贸易往来的过程中发挥着重要的作用,其本质实际上是一种通过语言达到行为目的的活动。成功的索赔信要运用各种语言手段,按照一定的语言策略采取不同的言语行为来实现其交际目的。把Austin和Searle的言语行为理论引入索赔信的研究,通过实证,系统地对索赔信的种类和功能、不同言语行为的词汇、语法和句法特点进行分析,有利于探讨在索赔信的书写过程中,如何灵活运用各种语法、词汇手段,充分利用言语行为的言外之力,礼貌地提出索赔,提高言语交际能力,促进有效的商业交际,以维护正当的商业利益。

As an important part of business correspondence in international trading activities, the claim letter undoubtedly plays a key role in the foreign trading. It is essentially a kind of economic activity through language. Therefore, an effective claim letter depends on various linguistic realizations and the communicative purpose of different speech act has to be achieved through different linguistic strategies. Based on the speech act theory of Austin and Searle, the present paper supplies a brief introduction to the types and functions of claim letters and an analysis of linguistic features of different speech acts. It attempts to investigate how various syntactical and lexical means are used effectively in the writing of English claim letters to achieve the communicative purpose, lodging a claim courteously, and in turn to promote the foreign trading as expected.