Characteristics of Politeness Expressions in Chinese Business Negotiation Dialogues and Pedagogical Implications for Vietnamese Students
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.70088/sb4ffk25Keywords:
politeness expressions, business Chinese, negotiation dialogue, pragmatics, Chinese language teachingAbstract
This article investigates the characteristics of politeness expressions in Chinese business negotiation dialogues and proposes pedagogical implications for Vietnamese students. Drawing on pragmatics, politeness theory, and discourse analysis, the study examines linguistic devices used to express politeness, including formal address terms, indirect interrogative structures, mitigation expressions, politeness expressions in complaint handling, and the discourse structure of business negotiation dialogues. The research data consist of model dialogues and representative examples related to quotations, delivery arrangements, payment terms, packaging, contract signing, and complaint handling. The article also uses survey results from students currently learning Business Chinese to provide practical evidence for the proposed teaching implications. The findings show that politeness expressions do not merely convey information but also help reduce imposition, maintain face, mitigate conflict, and sustain cooperative relationships. Based on these findings, the article suggests teaching expressions according to communicative functions, analyzing model dialogues, comparing direct and indirect expressions, organizing role-play activities following negotiation procedures, and emphasizing pragmatic error correction in spoken Business Chinese practice.References
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Copyright (c) 2026 Nhu Quynh Nguyen (Author)
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