Pragmatic Analysis Of Consideration In English Business Letters

Due to the advanced technologies the world becomes flat and so is the business world. Business communication serves as a bridge between international merchants which may ultimately lead to business transactions. How to write an effective and polite business letter is an important part in such communication. A refined and courteous business letter can effectively enhance trust between both parties of the trade, and improve the probability that the commercial affair succeeds. Consideration is one of the Seven Cs writing principles in English business writing. Based on Cooperative Principle, the Face Theory and the Politeness Principle in Pragmatics, the author analyzes specific samples, from the lexical level and discourse level, how Consideration is applied in writing a sincere, courteous and effective English business letters.The author first reviews previous research on the Cooperative Principle, the Face Theory, and the Politeness Principle and then introduces the functions, the categories and the Seven Cs writing principle. Then, the author analyzes sample letters, which are in direct writing style and indirect one, according to different types and functions of letters, and draw a conclusion that:Consideration reflects the application of the three theories in Pragmatics, which is important in conveyance of business purpose and development of courtesy in a business letter as well, and should be paid attention to and adopted flexibly.