Abstract: Business English letters are playing an important role in international trade activities. According to the cooperative principle proposed by an American linguistic philosopher Grice, this thesis discusses the application of the cooperative principle in business English letters and analyzes the reflection and function of four maxims in six main business English letters. The author finds that proper implementation of quality maxim, quantity maxim, relevant maxim and manner maxim can achieve effective business communication, thereby avoiding unnecessary loss in business activities.

Key words: business English letter; cooperative principle; communication; pragmatic principle

Contents

Abstract

摘要

1  Introduction-1

2  Literature Review-1

2.1 The Definition of Cooperative Principle-1

2.2 Previous Study on Cooperative Principle at Home and Abroad-2

3  The Maxims of Cooperative Principle in Business English Letters-4

3.1 Quality Maxim-4

3.2 Quantity Maxim-5

3.3 Relevance Maxim-8

3.4 Manner Maxim-9

4  The Application of Cooperative Principle in Six Major Business English Letters-10

4.1 Letters for Building Business Relationship-11

4.2 Inquiry Letters-13

4.3 Offer Letters-15

4.4 Counter-offer letter-18

4.5 Acceptance Letter-18

4.6 Confirmation Letter-19

5  Conclusion-21

References-23