| This study focused on Chinese speakers use of English to express pragmatic and rhetorical strategies appropriate for the Chinese audience. The primary area of exploration was the relationship between selected second language (L2) strategies and relevant Chinese socio-cultural norms. Data elicitation tasks were limited to conveying bad news in a business context.; A group of 32 business students in the People's Republic of China responded to three data elicitation tasks: They evaluated and rewrote authentic texts rejecting a job applicant, produced a memo to workers to increase productivity, and wrote a letter denying a customer a price cut. An analysis of the texts revealed a number of common pragmatic and rhetorical choices: use of indirect language, formulaic politeness, honorifics, flattery, distinct text organization patterns and references to relations.; In-depth interviews with participants, class discussions, member checks, and informants demonstrated that L2 was employed by participants in a variety of common strategies appropriate to native language socio-cultural norms. Three primary socio-cultural norms (face, relations, and group affiliation) were identified as motivating pragmatic and rhetorical choices. A comparison of these strategies to American standards of business communication indicated that while some strategies were appropriate for both American and Chinese audiences, some were ineffective or even counterproductive across cultures. |
