The comparison of linguistic between Business English and General English

Abstract

As an international business communication tool, business English has got more and more attention by people, and it is used more and more widely. So as a business English major student, I must understand the difference between business English and general English from different point of views. Although business English is very professional, it also comes from general English and oral communication is indispensable in business occasions so it is extremely not easy to combine humor and proper. Business English is a branch of special purposes English. It is a kind of form for the communicative competence in a particular occasion, namely to use English for communication in business occasions. It not only has the expertness of business activities, but also interlinks with general English. This article starts from the meaning of English language characteristics, through the analysis and research in vocabulary, sentence and text to let more and more scholars understand the connotation and experience its essence in social intercourse.

Keywords: business English; general English; Comparison; communication; essence

摘 要

商务英语，作为国际商务交流的主要载体，已越来越受到人们的关注。其运用范围也越来越广泛，对整个经济社会所起的作用越来越显著。商务英语源于普通英语，是特殊用途英语的一个分支，是在特定的场合，即商务场合运用英语进行交际，所以它是一种交际能力的体现形式，既具有商务活动的专业性，又与人们所使用的普通英语息息相通。研究商务英语与普通英语的区别，可以使其在商务场合的交流过程中运用得恰到好处。从英语语言特征的涵义出发，通过对两者在词汇、语句及语篇方面的研究比较，旨在使越来越多的学者更好地在社交中体会到其精髓。

（全篇已做修改和调整，ABSTRACT部分根据这段重新翻译）

关键词：商务英语； 普通英语；比较； 交际； 重视（删掉） （换成语言特征； 比较）

Contents

Abstract…………………………………………………………………….1

摘要………………………………..…………..…………………………..2

Table of Contents…………………………………………………………..3

1. Introduction………………………………………………………………4

2. The meaning of characteristics in Business English（根据此部分文章内容来看，标题应该是the meaning of language characteristic）

3. The linguistic feature of Business English………………………………..5

3.1 The vocabulary characteristics of Business English ……………………..5

3.2 The sentence characteristics of Business English……………………....6

3.3 The text characteristics of Business English……………………..….6

（词汇特点，句子特点，篇章特点有专业术语，请参考以下例句后作修改）：

本文在三个层面上对中文和英文新闻报刊文体的特点进行了分析和比较，即：词汇特点、句法特点和篇章特点。

This study has analyzed and compared the features of both Chinese and English journalistic style at three levels : Lexical level, Syntactic level and Discourse level.

4. The linguistic feature of general English…………………………………..6

4.1 The vocabulary characteristics of General English ……………………..7

4.2 The sentence characteristics of General English………………………....8

4.3 The text characteristics of General English………………………….….9

5. The relation and difference (复数)of phraseology between them（whom?）………………12

6. Conclusion……………………………………………………………...12

References……………………………………………………………..….13

Acknowledgements……………………………………………….……....14

The comparison of linguistic between Business English and General English

（翻译成中文是“商务英语与普通英语的语言学对比”？？？）看看你下面的introduction部分就能找到题目正解！

1. Introduction（这部分应该写国内外专家对于你主题的研究现状，以及你论文研究了什么）

Business English comes from general English and is also based on it. So business English completely has the linguistic features of general English. But meantime, as a kind of functional language, business English is also the synthesis between Business knowledge and English with its unique characteristics.

This paper first tries to discuss on the linguistic features of business English including vocabulary, sentence and text features, etc. Business English has its rich vocabulary and huge professional term characteristics which is different from general English,(语病) and the vocabulary and sentence of Business English are complex and diverse. And then it （字体很奇怪!分两个短句来说更清楚）discusses about the linguistic features of general English, comparing with business English from the three aspects.

This paper tries to do some exploration to the difference and relationship between business English and general English by the comparison of their linguistic features.

2. The meaning of characteristics in Business English

The English language characteristic is pointed to the social function variation of language, namely the language style type. Language characteristic is the form of all sorts of languages to adapt to different social activities in the field of communication. According to the definition from relevant experts, they said: “Language characteristic is the language varieties which the same language varieties of users typically use in different cases.” “The essence of the language features is the choice of synonymous variant in some different occasions.” In other words, the stylistic concerns typically not “what to say” or “to what to write” in a particular situation, but focuses on “how to say” or “how to write”, namely people typically choose what language ingredients in some certain occasions.

3. The linguistic feature of Business English

Business English is English people use in business background, it is not is a special（语法语病惨不忍睹！！！） kind of language. It is just has strong tendentiousness and restrictive people in a special field of business activities, in the influence and constraints of the nature, the content, the form and specification in business activities, and in the use of language structure and choice of words. The tendentiousness of language structure and limitations of vocabulary form a number of fixed business English expression pattern, so that the business English has vivid stylistic colors.

3.1.The vocabulary characteristics of Business English

The biggest characteristic in using Business English vocabulary is to use specialized vocabulary precisely, including a large number of professional vocabulary, ordinary or compound words with business meanings and abbreviations etc. Such as common terms of payment FOB and CIF, they have the particular professional content. FOB, free on board, that is the means of exchange which the seller delivers the goods at source and the buyer is responsible for freight. CIF, cost, insurance and freight, that is the means of exchange which the seller is responsible for the freight, insurance premium. Such as: C.W. O, cash with order; B/L, the bill of lading; L/C, letter of credit.

Business English is highly professional, so the characteristic also determines the particularity of business English translation. For the standards and principles of business English translation, whatever is Mr. Yanfu’s “faithfulness, expressiveness and elegance”, Mr. Liu Chongde’s “faithfulness, expressiveness and concern” or Peter new · mark communicative translation method, Nida’s “functional equivalence” can not fit right, but they can be used for reference.

I think that the method of Mr. Liu Fagong’s “faithful-ness, exactness, consistence” fundamentally adapts to the particularity of business English translation principle. Faithful-ness, namely using the right language to express the original information words exactly, not demands the consistence of grammar and sentence structure, but requires the equal on connotation and information. Exactness, that is to choose the right words when converting the original language content to the translated text, and to exactly express the concept, refer to the thing and name, and quantity and unit. Exactness is the core of business English translation. Consistence, namely that concept and terms should maintain unity at any time in Chinese to English translation; it is not allowed to change the same concept or term randomly.

3.2 The sentence characteristics of Business English

There are a lot of passive voice, imperative sentences, non-predicate verbs and modal verbs in Business English. In order to achieve that language is simple, contents are objective and fair and related description and matters are accurate, those above and various kinds of subordinate clause always appear in business English.

For example: In case the contract is concluded on CIF basis, the insurance shall be effected by the Seller for 110% of invoice value covering all risks, war risk, S.R.C.C. risks. (i.e. Strikes, Riot, and Civil Commotions.)

This is a sentence of the insurance contents in the contract, in this sentence it uses the passive voice: is concluded, shall be effected, the predicate verbs: covering all risks, and modal verb: shall, and also used conditional clause guided by “in case”.

3.3 The text characteristics of Business English

The content is careful and considerate, the structure is complicated and the meaning is complete in business English. Due to refer to the benefit of both or several aspects, business contract and documents or the definition, terms and content of a treaty must be precise.

For example: Inspection: It is mutually agreed that the certificate of quality and quantity or weight issued by the manufacturer shall be part of the documents for payment under relevant L/C.

In this sentence, “the certificate of quality and quantity or weight issued by the manufacturer shall be part of the documents for payment under relevant L/C.” is the subject clause; “it” is formal subject; “It is mutually agreed” uses the passive voice, the mean is “Both Parties agree”, but the former is more official than the latter one.

4. The linguistic feature of general English

General English language features involve all language skills, focus on the oral and listening ability. Including English grammar and word formation, reading is learning the basic skills of common English one of training. General English not too many related to English all aspects of the professional term, but ordinary English is the cornerstone of professional English, general English mastery is bad to can influence all the professional English learning.

4.1 The vocabulary characteristics of General English

Courtesy is the symbol of human civilization and an important criteria of human society activities. As a communication activity, interpreting the is also restricted by the rule. Besides, in general English, the politeness principle can lubrication interpersonal relationship, promote harmonious communication and push two sides to a win-win situation. So in the vocabulary use of general English, although it is not so formal as business English, but need to avoid indelicate language. We choose the most authoritative English dictionary “The Oxford Advanced Learner's English-Chinese Dictionary” to parse a specific case. For example:

Easy: ( not usually before noun) ( informal，disapproving)( of woman) willing to have sex with many different people.

Analysis: She is very approachable.

Approachable: friendly and easy to talk to. Such as: Despite being a big star, she’s very approachable.

4.2 The sentence characteristics of General English

From the degree of sentences, there are many obvious difference between general English and business English, but our daily conversation can reflect the characteristics best in general English statements. It is different from business English in the sentence structure, words and expressions. When expressing, people can speak and talk at the same time. People can also change the term, the sentence pattern and fix them at any time, even cut in, pause, retell and speak non-grammatical sentences, use some fuzzy meaning words.

General spoken English often uses simple sentences and incomplete structure sentences. For example:

1)why was necessary do you think?

2)-Do you go to school?

- Yeah before, not now.

3)Elen: Helo there, Robbie. What ale you doing up thislate?

Robbie: Reading.

Elen: Reading? At this hour? Ah, come on, Robbie. Wh atare you doing up this late?

Robbie: Things on my mind.

We can see that these sentences are very short. On the one hand, because we can not ready to say priorly as well as to think about the content of the expression and to give the most perfect statements, it is more difficult when speaking. On the other hand because if the sentence is too long, it will bring memory and reaction difficulties. According to the capacity of short-term memory, we can only temporarily remember a sentence about seven words, so the sentence can not be very long in general spoken English.

4.3 The text characteristics of General English

Humor is human daily discourse words often arise in the form of a kind of language communication. It is extremely popular is from people in the daily life of the need to laugh and loved. Humor words can build atmosphere cheerful, ease tension stress, lubrication social relations, laugh at absurd folly, or satire social evil. No matter when and where, it will be in the language communication process arises spontaneously. For example:

A man went into a butcher’s shop and finding the owner’s wife in attendance, in the absence of her husband, thought he would have a joke at her expense, and said, “Madam, can you supply me with a yard of pork?"

“Yes, sir,” said she. And then turning to a boy, she added, “James, give that gentleman three pigs’ feet!”

Analysis: The man said that he wanted to buy “a yard pork” to touch the butcher's wife, meaning to make a joke with her, but he was retorted on the contrary. She let the shopboy to bring him “three pigs’ feet”, her words were obviously witty. “Feet” is a homonym so it has at least two meanings: 1) refer to the plural form of “foot”; 2) refer to the pig's knuckles. The women's answer used semantic characteristics of “feet” and hit back to the man's unruly cleverly. Three feet is equivalent to a yard--excellent response. However, the “three pigs’ feet” is not the man's original intention. We can imagine, in this case, that the man understood he was shooting himself.

5. The relation and difference of phraseology between them

Business English has a clear purpose and objectivity. Since business English is a kind of special use English, it applies only to business occasions, thus has the specific training goal. While general English is one of our daily communication tools, is the natural expression way of thinking in the interaction of the formation, and it is not for some specific single purpose which is different from business English. If you can not learn and use business English well, it is possible to offend error and misunderstood risk. So general English language foundation is the premise and guarantee to learn business English.

Different conjunctive words: to discusse the construction of “results”. for example, general English always uses “and” or “so”, and in business English we use “therefore, thus, hence, as a result, accordingly, consequently”, etc.

We use participial phrase , participles and absolute construction to do adverbials in business English, and in general English, compound sentence or subordinate clause is commonly used.

the form of prepositions and clausal structure are often used in business English, and in general English,we use elliptical sentence and incomplete sentence, etc.

6. Conclusion

In this paper, the business English and common English language characteristics, as well as other aspects are discussed and the difference between the comparison, this paper expounds the as a special use English business English, it has the characteristics of its own, with the ordinary English in goal, compared evaluation, the teaching material, the outline, teaching method and other aspects, were different. To make the learners to better understand and master the special use English. In order to really master business English, we must be in good English language foundation, under the premise of strengthening business knowledge learning, both supplement each other, can promote the improvement of business English.

References

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[3] 石华丽. 商务英语与普通英语的比较[J].佳木斯教育学院学报,2010,(2).

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Acknowledgements

I would like to express my sincere thanks to many people who have helped me through various ways for my thesis writing.

Firstly, I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude to my supervisor, Teacher Li Yanyan, for her constant encouragement and guidance. She has walked me through all the stages of the writing of this thesis. Without her consistent and illuminating instruction, this thesis could not have reached its present form.

Secondly, I should give my hearty thanks to all the other faculty members of the Department of English for their patient instructions in various courses and their precious suggestions for my study here.

Lastly, my thanks would go to my beloved family for their loving considerations and great confidence in me all through these years. I also owe my sincere gratitude to my friends and my fellow classmates who gave me their help and time in listening to me and helping me work out my problems during the difficult course of the thesis.

商务英语论文-详细指导篇