A Pragmatic Analysis Of Verbal Communication In International Business Negotiations: A Relevance-theoretic Approach

In this thesis, we give a pragmatic analysis of verbal conunuuication in international business negotiations in the light of the Relevance Theory. In negotiations, we argue, language operates at two levels: the logical level and the pragmatic level. It is not only what is said and how it is said that matters but also what additional, veiled, or subsurface information is intended, conveyed, or perceived in reception. The Relevance Theory serves as underlying principles in our analysis and description of the case study. We identify two characteristics of international business negotiation communication: interdependence and mutual adjustment. We also make an in-depth look at the communication process of international business negotiation. Based on our case study, we discover the importance of the choice of contexts, sharing information, emphasizing commonalties between negotiating parties and minimizing differences, and the significance in the efforts to try to modify the cognitive environment of the other party, thus achieving the desired contextual effects and optimal relevance. We conclude that negotiators who are aware of the rationale of perception and the ostensive-inferential process in the negotiation communication and making use of it are more likely to communicate more accurately and effectively in international business negotiations.