跨境电商平台交际话语中违反合作原则现象及对策研究

论文总字数：36067字

摘 要

随着网络的普及和发展，B2C（企业对消费者）已成为一种主要的商业模式，跨境电商在线交流话语是以计算机为媒介的交流模式，对跨境电商交流活动有着非常重要的作用。本文以格莱斯的“合作原则”（简称“CP”）为理论基础，以跨境电子商务在线交流话语案例为语料，深入分析B2C模式中话语的特点以及其违反合作原则的现象，提出解决无意违反合作原则造成误解的对策，以促进跨境电商在线交流顺利进行。

关键词：合作原则；跨境电子商务；B2C；交际话语

Contents

1. Introduction 1

2. Literature Review 2

2.1 Definition and four maxims of CP 2

2.2 Research on CP 3

2.3 Research on online communication discourse 5

3. Violation of CP in Online Communication Discourse 6

3.1 Characteristics of online communication in B2C mode 6

3.2 Deliberate violation of CP in online communication discourse 8

3.3 Unconscious violation of CP in online communication discourse 10

4. Countermeasures for Unconscious Violation to Achieve Successful B2C Online Communication 11

4.1 Create templates with the maxim of quantity and the maxim of quality 11

4.2 Record the information of customers with the maxim of relation 12

4.3 Understand cultural background well with the maxim of manner 13

5. Conclusion 14

Works Cited…………………………………………………………………...16

1. Introduction

With the rapid development of Business to Customer (B2C) mode in cross-border e-commerce, efficiency of online transactions improves a lot. On platforms such as Taobao, Amazon and so on, where computers are used as media, instant communication between sellers and buyers is established. Discourse of online communication differs from other traditional forms of business communication, such as e-mail, face to face negotiation or fax. In general, discourse of online communication is real-time, colloquial and symbolic while traditional ones are time-consuming and formal. Despite its advantages, there are still some problems of online communication. On one hand, as a lingua franca, misuse of English, such as grammar or spelling errors, together with absence of intonation, facial expression and body language, causes the misunderstandings among buyers and sellers from different countries. On the other hand, due to the limitations of computer system, computer-mediated communication (CMC) has the characteristics of language fragmentation and interactivity disconnecting.

In the 1970s, on the basis of the differences between formal logic and natural language logic, Grice proposed a guiding discourse principle named Cooperative Principle. He believed that smooth communication lies in the cooperation between the speaker and listener.

In fact, there are various discourse analysis based on CP. Taking the example of Chen Xiaoli, she combined CP with discourse in English teaching and proposed the effective strategies that can help both parties constantly coordinate to achieve mutual understanding and improve teaching ability. (Chen 201-202) In short, different researchers usually use CP as a tool to make the discourse smoother, especially in the fields of novels, movies, business negotiations and so on. And in respect of online communication, Wang Chun analyzed it from the perspective of discourse paste. She concluded that it is like intertextuality as a language technique and makes online communication more creative. (Wang 75-78) In addition, most authors study on online language education or translation and so on. However, from the analysis of different theses, there is little research combining CP with online communication in B2C mode. Thus, based on CP, this thesis analyzes the violation and application of online communication discourse on cross-border e-commerce platform. The purpose is to put forward the appropriate strategies to promote the smooth online communication of cross-border e-commerce.

1. Literature Review

2.1 Definition and four maxims of CP

Cooperative Principle is a particular explanation of the theory of discourse implicature, which is proposed by American philosopher H.P. Grice. He conceived this idea in the early 1950s. As his lecture “Logic and Conversation” was delivered at Harvard University, Cooperative Principle became well-known to us all.

Under normal circumstances, conversation is not composed of a series of incoherent and disorganized words because participants in the conversation are somehow aware of their common goals, or at least a mutually general direction. In the process of communication, words that are not suitable for the purpose or direction of the conversation are deleted, so that the conversation can proceed smoothly. Thus, a general principle requires that both parties in the conversation should obey to “make your contribution as it is required, at the stage at which it occurs, by the accepted purpose or direction of the talk exchange in which you are engaged.” (Grice 47).

Emulating the German philosopher Kant’s (1911) four categories in his categorizing system, namely “quantity”, “quality”, “relationship”, and “model”, Grice proposed four corresponding criteria and related sub-criteria in conversation:

The maxim of quantity:

1. Make your contribution as informative as is required.
2. Do not make your contribution more informative than is required.

The maxim of quality:

1. Do not say what you believe to be false.
2. Do not say that for which you lack adequate evidence.

The maxim of relation:

1. Be relevant.

The maxim of manner:

1. Avoid obscurity of expression.
2. Avoid ambiguity.
3. Be brief (avoid unnecessary prolixity).
4. Be orderly.

In a word , as Levinson believed, “these maxims specify what participants have to do in order to communicate in a maximally efficient, rational, cooperative way: participants should speak sincerely, relevantly and clearly based on providing sufficient information”. (Levinson 102).

2.2 Research on CP

Since Cooperative Principle was proposed, scholars at home and abroad have done a lot of researches on the theory of CP and began to analyze different discourses with CP theory.

From the perspective of theoretical development, In 1975, Grice further explained what the two parties in conversation should “cooperate”. In Grice definition, cooperation in conversation is in fact the common purpose of the the two parties whether it is a pleasant conversation or an argument. Afterwards, in the process of studying CP, famous scholars hold two views: one is the doubting party and the other is the defending party. Represented by Keysar, Kecskes, Ladegaard and so on, the former one believed that CP is a kind of ideal state, in many cases of actual communication, speech is not cooperative. For example, speakers rarely consider the recipient’s state of mind to eliminate the ambiguity words because they over-estimate their expression effect, and recipients also understand the meaning of the speaker from their own perspective. Just as Ladegaard believed that understanding implications must firstly know the social and psychological conditions when communication occurs. (2008) Therefore, the latter one responded that Grice’s CP is just in the narrow sense, which involves only linguistic or formal cooperation. To put it simply, taking the example of Saeed, (2004) he clarified Grice’s idea and held that it is wrong to understand “cooperation” too broadly. It does not mean rational and ideal cooperation in communication but several ideal types of assumptions helping listeners to infer the speakers real meaning.

From the perspective of application of CP, in China, many scholars have used CP in analyzing different discourses such as literature, drama, official documents, advertisement, legal documents, contract, etc.. Combining Cooperation Principle with Politeness Principle, Liu Juan proposed that there are many reasons for violating the principle of cooperation, but in many cases it is out of courtesy or to save face. Based on this, she analyzed the dialogue between characters in A Doll’s House and draw a conclusion that from the perspective of pragmatics, making full use of CP and Politeness Principle can make readers better understand personal characters. (Liu1-2)

Huang Shan and Yi Chunyan analyzed the vagueness in diplomatic discourse so as to investigate how the use of vagueness violates CP and how diplomats manage to achieve various pragmatic purposes. They believed that the frequent use of vagueness violates CP, especially the maxim of quantity and the maxim of manner. They conclude that diplomats can take advantage of vagueness to reserve some information, avoiding answering directly to sensitive issues. (Huangamp;Yi 88-95)

In commercial discourse, the majority of researchers tend to study business letters and business activities. For instance, Li Changbiao held the view that business letter was an interactive carrier of the “writing and reading” mode in the absence of the writer and the reader, and is a process of explicit and implicit cognitive communication. Therefore, using reciprocal letter and open letters as corpus, he constructed the conceptual framework on the basis of CP theory to reveal the process of communication without participants. The research shows that there are three kinds of mutual cooperation: recognition, real conflict and false conflict. Different from special research on CP, the author only uses it as an intermediary to explore a new way to generalize the characteristics of business letters. (Li 473)

Chen Zhaohui believed that in business letters, observing Cooperative Principle may ensure smooth communication. And Politeness Principle required the writer to respect the “face” of the receiver so that the business activities will be carried out effectively. (Chen 33-34)

Hassan Atifi and Sacha Mandelcwajg specialized in the maxim of quantity in CP in the field of newsgroup discussions. For one thing, they stressed the importance of the maxim of quantity in newsgroup discussions. For another thing, they dealt with the characteristics of CMC and with the applicability of CP in CMC. (Hassan Atifi amp; Sacha Mandelcwajg 330-340)

From analysis at home and abroad, we can learn that scholars mainly pay more attention to textual languages rather than dynamic languages. The so-called dynamic language refers to those real-time communication. Comparatively, these languages are more arbitrary.

In conclusion, many researchers usually analyzes the reasons for the violation of CP which causes the failure of communication, but seldom puts forward the specific solutions. In addition, despite the booming development of cross-border e-commerce, there is little research on it. Thus, this thesis will do research on CP in cross-border e-commerce platforms with new angle of view.

2.3 Research on online communication discourse

With the rapid development of cross-border e-commerce, there are two types of online communication on this platform: B2B and B2C. The former one refers to the business model in which two enterprises negotiate and trade through the Internet. The latter means the trade between enterprises and consumers. With regard to online language under these two patterns, several researchers made the following analysis.

In B2B mode, Zhong Hua believed that under the new situation of “Belt and Road”, cross-border e-commerce English negotiation is different from the traditional one, and its main purpose is to achieve a new win-win cooperative negotiation mode. In the online negotiation, he proposed to use standard language and polite language skillfully, and to fully consider the other party’s cultural factors. (Zhong 166)

In B2C mode, Lou Shujuan analyzed the customer service on cross-border e-commerce platform, and suggest sellers to take the following tips into account: mastering the frequency of reply, grasping the reply time, establishing the online communication language template, and maintaining the relationship with customers. All of these play a vital role in trade.(Lou 42-43)

However, online discourse is mostly analyzed from a general point of view rather than specific measures, such as to create a language template, but not to clarify the details of how we create the template. Linguistically, the analysis of the characteristics of B2C language is even less, particularly the language of customer service. Therefore, the author takes CP as the theoretical basis, analyzing the causes of its pragmatic failure, and puts forward effective solutions.

1. Violation of CP in Online Communication Discourse

3.1 Characteristics of online communication in B2C mode

The online communication discourse used in the transaction process of cross-border e-commerce platform is a new electronic medium discourse form, and it is a business discourse with computer as the medium. It refers to the use of English for real-time communication between merchants and customers through Internet chat tools or e-mail in B2C.

3.1.1 Real-time

The most typical characteristic of online communication discourse is real-time. Nowadays, there are some effective applications, like QQ, Wechat, etc.. As long as both sides have the same applications installed, then connect the network online, it can be similar to face-to-face communication, to chat with voice, text, video and so on, the communication between two parties is almost at the same time. When the message is sent at the A-end, You can see it at the B-end very quickly (within 0.05 to a few seconds). These are so-called the “real-time communication tool”. Since the appearance of real-time communication tools which are not only time-saving but low-cost in 1998, it has been used by the majority of individual users and has become an indispensable part of network life. At the same time, more and more enterprises have begun to realize that instant messaging tools can bring a great deal of productivity. With the help of its application, it can improve the speed of business cooperation. Real-time communication has initiated a new field of network application for enterprises.

3.1.2 Colloquialism

As the development of B2C English is based on the Internet, most people believe that it is a kind of network language, which is arbitrary and colloquial. In the instant chat tool, the communication speed between the two sides is relatively fast, some words combination is used to replace the normative mode, and this phenomenon is more obvious in non-English speaking countries. For example, when a Chinese seller is chatting with a Korean, here is the colloquial language: Buyer (19:09:21): Hello, thanks info! Can you do for me pleas, less expensive, if buy two, thank you very much.

The written language should be: Buyer (19:09:21): Thank you for your recommendation, if you offer a discount, I will buy two.

Although the style is more colloquial, the buyer conveys clear meaning equally.

What’s more, another manifestation of colloquialism is that there are abbreviations, acronyms, or lower-case letters at the beginning of a sentence. First of all, in cross-border e-commerce online communication, abbreviations are widely used. For example, r=are, u=you, plz=please, frm=from, whr= where, add=address, cos=because, pcs=pieces, thks/thx =thanks and so on. Quick communication provides the possibility to solve the buyer’s problems in time, offers better pre-sales, sale and after-sales service to customers, and promotes the smooth progress of cross-border platform transactions.

Secondly, acronyms in online communication is very common, here are the following typical acronyms: “LOL” instead of “lough out loudly”, “OMG” instead of “Oh, my God”, “KIT” instead of “keep in touch”, “TTUL” instead of “talk to you later”, and so on. In a statistical study of the language features of IM (Instant Message) and SMS (Short Message Service), there are four acronyms in the database corpus of 1,146 words of instant communication. As a result, “LOL” is the most common one.

Thirdly, grammar states that the first word of a sentence should be capitalized, but it is very common for the first letter to be lowercase in cross-border e-commerce online communication. Some proper nouns, such as “I”, “DHL”, “Aliexpress”, “Alibaba”, “China Post”, are not capitalized. Actually, the chief purpose of discourse is to transfer information. Switching between uppercase and lowercase will affect the speed of conversation, so in the online communication, lowercase is very common.

3.1.3 Symbolism

In face-to-face communication, people can emphasize a certain content or express their emotions by changing the tone, stress, pause and other factors of the language. However, on the network e-commerce platform, it is inconvenient for both parties to use face-to-face communication mode, so both buyers and sellers use various language symbols to express their emotions, such as emoji, punctuation, and so on. When a buyer complains that the seller sent the wrong goods, “I want the red, but you send is brown!!!!!”. This description can directly convey the anger of the buyer to satisfy the speaker’s intention. In addition, the smile symbol like ^_^, sad symbol like :( and so on, which can also achieve the same conversational effect.

3.2 Deliberate violation of CP in online communication discourse

3.2.1 Violation of the maxim of quality

To be specific, the maxim of quality suggests that speakers should not speak anything they believe to be false or things that lack adequate evidence. “The observance of the quality maxim is the most important matter”. (Jiang Wangqi 39)

Additionally, there are three main rhetorical methods in the maxim of quality. First of all, irony is a linguistic method that helps achieve emphasis by reserving the opposite of what one intends to say. Analyzed in terms of the CP, irony apparently flout the maxim of quality owing to its characteristics. According to Leech (1983), irony is an apparently friendly way of being offensive. Different from exaggeration, irony completely reverses normal logic of things, turning black into white, bad into good. The second one is hyperbole. It stress something deliberately with the help of overstatement or exaggeration. Effective hyperbole is more than just to emphasize something in exaggerated terms. It can be used to stress tones or ridicule at something. The last one is personification, which can change abstract objects into things with human qualities or emotions. All of these three figures of speech can create humorous atmosphere or relieve embarrassment if being used properly. Therefore, online communication is no exception. To some extent, these kinds of deliberate “violation” can defuse embarrassment. Here is the example:

(1) Buyer (17:54:40): hi!

(20:47:35): where r u hiding?

Seller (20:54:42): hi friend.

Buyer (20:55:22): Oh, not sure what’s up too lately, i thought u disappeared from Earth.

Seller (20:56:03): yeah yeah! Hhhhhh! :-) deep in water some days.

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