A Pragmatic Study Of Vague Language In International Business Negotiation

Since the Fuzzy Set Theory was proposed by Zadeh in 1965, it has been widely applied to a variety of disciplines, including linguistics. Much systematic descriptive study on vagueness has been made by researchers,but little interpretive study has been conducted. Business English is of special significance for people who are engaged in international business affairs. However, face-to-face negotiation is crucial in the process of any transaction. Many people hold the point of view that the language used in business negotiation should be concrete, clear and accurate in order to avoid misunderstandings and disputes. In fact, any single improper use of language may lead to economic loss. Therefore, systematic study of vague language in business negotiation has been largely neglected. In reality, the use of vague language is a universal phenomenon in international business negotiation. The present study focuses on the deliberate use of vague languages in international business negotiation as analyzed by Verschueren's Adaptation Theory and Grice's Cooperative Principle.This thesis consists of six chapters: Chapter 1 is a brief introduction to the thesis. It presents the research background, rationale, questions, and overall organization. Chapter 2 focuses on literature review of vagueness and negotiation. Chapter 3 is the theoretical analysis and presentation of the thesis based on the Adaptation Theory and the Cooperative Principle. Chapter 4 interprets vagueness in international business negotiation using Adaptation Theory and Cooperative Principle. The investigation is based on the specific contexts when vague language is used and how these vague expressions adapt to negotiators'motivation. Furthermore, it explores how negotiators flout Cooperative Principle by employing vague language to achieve negotiation intentions. Chapter 5 studies the pragmatic functions of vague languages used in business negotiation. Chapter 6 concludes the thesis. After concluding the major findings of this study, its implications and research prospect, the limitations of the thesis and suggestions for further research are discussed.