Топик: Лингвистический фон деловой корреспонденции (Linguistic Background of Business Correspondence)

Accuracy is important. Pay special attention to titles, names and addresses, references, prices, and enclosures.

Writing of business letters is highly complicated science. It is not enough for a good business letter writing to know lexics and grammar, but you should comprehend the whole range of such things as: occasions on which the particular letter is written, the style of letter, useful expressions, and accepted idioms. There are certain rules which not everybody could learn since they have to be felt by correspondents. Letter writing requires long practice and experience.

In spite of the difficulties of business correspondence, we as teachers of the English language must be able to prepare our students to be proficient in any sphere of the language.

In order to do that we must primarily know how to teach the “golden rule” which must be followed by every business correspondent that the official letter should be formal, courteous, tactful, concise, expressive, and to the point.

Contents

Introduction …………………………………………………………….…… 3

Part I.

The basic forms of communication …………………………………………… 5

1. Non-verbal communication………………………………………….. 5

2. Verbal communication ……………………………………………… 6

3. Language barriers to business communication……………………… 9

Part II.

Types of business communication ………………………………………….... 11

1. The types description………………………………………………... 11

2. Business writing (letters, memos and reports, other documents)…... 12

Part III.

Types of business correspondence …………………………………………… 15

1. Correspondence on social situations

(appointments; travel arrangements; invitations; job applications; goodwill letters; etc) ………………………….. 15

Correspondence on business situations

(inquires; quotations; sales letters; orders; complaints; acknowledging of payment; etc) ……………………………. 20

Part IV.

Structural and lexical peculiarities of business letters ………………………… 30

1. Structure of a business letter ……………………………………….. 31

2. Content of a business letter ………………………………………… 36

3. Rules and manners of writing a business letter …………………….. 40

4. Style of a business letter……………………………………………. 44

5. Lexics of business letters

(frequent phrases; cliches; abbreviations, etc.) …………….. 48

Conclusion ……………..……………………………………………………… 58

Mini-dictionary of business correspondence ……………………………………………….. 60

Bibliography …………………………………………………………………………………. 64

In a man’s letters you know, Madam, his soul lies naked, his letters are only the mirror of his breast, whatever passes within him is shown undisguised in its natural process. Nothing is inverted, nothing distorted, you see systems in their elements, you discover actions in their motives. ----Samuel Johnson (1709–84), English author, lexicographer

Letters are above all useful as a means of expressing the ideal self; and no other method of communication is quite so good for this purpose. … In letters we can reform without practice, beg without humiliation, snip and shape embarrassing experiences to the measure of our own desires. … -----Elizabeth Hardwick (b. 1916), U.S. author, critic.

Politeness is as much concerned in answering letters within a reasonable time, as it is in returning a bow, immediately. ----Lord Chesterfield (1694–1773), English statesman,