Abstract

Business negotiation is one of the economic activities conducted by companies for the purpose of making profits as well as meeting the needs of the opposite party. It is a fundamental step which influences the result of the operation of companies. There are many facts affecting the result of business negotiation, of which the most important is the eloquence of the negotiators. The negotiators’ eloquence largely depends upon the choice and use of pragmatic strategies, which are indispensable parts in business negotiation. Pragmatic strategies include politeness, vagueness, euphemism, verbal humor and so on. Among these strategies, verbal humor plays a very significant role. However, although there are many studies on verbal humor both at home and abroad, few scholars has paid their attention to the combination of verbal humor and business negotiation. As a result, this thesis aims to study the application of verbal humor in business negotiation.

This thesis mainly discusses the nature, pragmatic features and pragmatic functions of verbal humor in business negotiation, which serves many practical functions, for negotiators can learn from this thesis and know how to employ verbal humor to change the serious atmosphere during negotiation and solve many difficult issues. In a word, it will help negotiators to do the best during the course of business negotiation.

Key words: verbal humor; business negotiation; pragmatic functions

Contents

Abstract

摘要

1 Introduction-1

2 Literature Review-2

2.1 Verbal Humor-3

2.1.1 The Definition and Classification of Verbal Humor-3

2.1.2 The Pragmatic Features of Verbal Humor-4

2.2 Previous Studies-6

2.2.1 Studies Abroad-6

2.2.2 Studies at home-8

3 The Application of Verbal Humor in Business Negotiation-8

3.1 The Production of Verbal Humor in Business Negotiation-9

3.1.1 The Role of Cooperative Principle in Verbal Humor Production-9

3.1.2 Case Analysis of Cooperative Principle in Verbal Humor Production-10

3.2 Pragmatic Functions of Verbal Humor in Business Negotiation-11

3.2.1 The Function of Laughter-eliciting-11

3.2.2 The Function of Coping-12

3.2.3 The Function of Saving the Face-14

4 Conclusion-15

References-17