分析英语中的模糊语言Vague language
英语论文 商务谈判英语中的模糊性语言语用分析
XX科技大学题目Pragmatic Research on Hedge of English inInternational Business Negotiation商务谈判英语中的模糊性语言语用分析姓名院系外国语学院专业英语指导教师2012年5月20日AbstractHedge is the essence of the natural language. As an important component and general phenomenon of language which reflects the objective world and expresses human thoughts, hedge is widely used in various aspects and fields. Up till now, Chinese and foreign researchers have carried out many researches on hedge in language, mainly about the semantics, motives, and discourse analysis. However, there are still few systematic studies on pragmatic significance and positive pragmatic functions of hedge in business conversation which is the main concern of this essay.In section one, this article gives the definitions and the research achievements about hedge home and aboard，then it discriminates some similar definitions. Section two studies the application of hedge to business English. Section three gives pragmatic interpretation on hedge in business English. Section four concentrates on the pragmatic effects of hedge in English for business negotiation.The final part is the conclusion, summarizing the research content, importance and the limitations in the present research.KEY WORDS: hedge; business English negotiation；pragmatic interpretation摘要模糊性是自然语言的属性。
浅谈英语中的模糊语言
浅谈英语中的模糊语言摘要：模糊语言是语言的一种现象，是英语语言中的一个组成部分并广泛存在于口语和书面语中。
本文从模糊的概念出发，通过论述模糊语言的特征、翻译和功能，阐述模糊语言在外交、广告、国际贸易和新闻报道等领域的运用，最后达到顺利完成日常交际的作用。
关键词：模糊语言；英语；运用“模糊”一词在《现代汉语词典》中的解释是表达对象的不确定性，不清楚或不分明。
罗素(Russell)在1923年的《模糊》(“Vagueness”)的文章中把模糊定义为“当用于描述的体系与被描述的体系之间的关系不是一对一，而是多对一时，这个描述就是模糊的”。
模糊语言广义是指语言的模糊性，狭义指具有模糊性的语言单位：模糊词语和模糊结构。
模糊语言的基本特征就是语言上的模糊，此外在语义上也有模糊不确定性和语义上的变异性两个特征。
1模糊语言的翻译翻译是以“信”为要旨，但是由于翻译的情形复杂多变，如果不深刻体会语言这种工具所表达出的意境，加之不能灵活运用语言表达的丰富性来进行语际翻译，而一味地追求字面上的“实”，很可能会陷入“虚”的泥沼中。
模糊语言的翻译方法有以下几种：1.1对等法对等法实际就是一种以模糊对模糊，以精确对精确的翻译方法。
比如：Everybody’s business is nobody’s business，“一个和尚挑水喝，两个和尚抬水喝，三个和尚没水喝。
”英汉两种语言的表达方法各异，当英汉模糊概念表达不一致时，则采用译入语的模糊表达来转译原语的模糊表达。
1.2直译法用一种语言中的模糊语去翻译另一种语言中的模糊语，以保留模糊信息。
比如:Her description of what happenedapproximatedtothetruth，but she still left a fewdetails out.翻译成“她叙述所发生的事近于实情，但尚遗漏了个别细节问题。
”当英语中的模糊信息存在不对称性时，就需要用另一种语言中的非对等词来达语义相同的模糊信息。
商务英语合同中使用模糊语的功能
商务英语合同中使用模糊语的功能Business English contracts often use vague language to protect the interests of both parties. 在商务英语合同中使用模糊语言通常是为了保护双方的利益。
This can be seen as a way to leave room for interpretation and avoid potential disputes. 这可以被看作是为了给予解释的空间，避免潜在的纠纷。
However, this practice can also lead to confusion and miscommunication if not handled properly. 然而，如果不妥善处理，这种做法也可能导致混乱和误解。
It is important for both parties to clearly understand the implications of using vague language in a contract. 双方必须清楚地理解在合同中使用模糊语言的影响。
Failure to do so can result in unforeseen consequences that may harm the business relationship. 如果不这样做，可能会导致意想不到的后果，损害商业关系。
One of the main reasons why vague language is used in business English contracts is to provide flexibility. 使用模糊语言在商务英语合同中的主要原因之一是提供灵活性。
By leaving certain terms open to interpretation, both parties can adapt to changing circumstances without breaching the contract. 通过将某些条款留给解释，双方可以在不违反合同的情况下适应变化的情况。
英汉互译中模糊语言的显化与隐化翻译
Explicitness and Implicitness of V ague Language in Translationbetween English and ChineseI. IntroductionII. A Brief Introduction to V ague language1.The Definition of V ague Language2.Characteristics of V ague language2.1.Subjectivity and Indeterminacy2.2.Agglutination and V ariability3.Classifications of V ague Language3.1. Linguistic V agueness3.1.1 V agueness at the Level of Phonetics3.1.2 V agueness at the Level of Meaning3.1.3 V agueness at the Level of Grammar3.2.Cultural V agueness4. Functions of V ague Language3.3.V agueness and Politeness3.4.V agueness and Humor3.5.V agueness and AestheticsIII. The Strategies of dealing with V ague Language in Translation1.Factors Influencing V ague Language Translation1.1.Properties of Language: Differences Between English and Chinese1.2.Cultural Difference and Cultural Lacuna2.Explicitness in V ague Language Translation2.1.Precision to Precision2.2.V agueness to Precision3.Implicitness in V ague Language Translation3.1.V agueness to V agueness3.2.Precision to V aguenessIV. ConclusionⅠ.IntroductionThe emergence and development of language has experienced a long time, so dose human‟s understanding of language. People‟s research on language has always laid particular stress on “precision”. The more precise, the better. But the reality is usually unsatisfactory. For the absolute precision is very hard to achieve and now people have found there is no absolutely clear things in the world. In our daily communication, the meaning we imparted is sometimes inevitably inadequate or unclear which lead to the misunderstanding of the receiver. Even facing the same thing different people give different views. That is the vagueness of language.Since the publication of fuzzy sets by L.A.zadeh, un expert on automatic control, many disciplines related to vagueness have sprouted up across the world, as J.Channell states :”Interests in vagueness in language use and meaning has arisen in a number of disciplines: literary criticism, linguistics, psychology, philosophy.”(p5) Among them the study on vague language has gained more and more attentions. In China, Vague Linguistics by Wu Tieping, a famous linguist, may be rated as the foundation stone of the study on vague language. In language communication, vague language is not only unavoidable but also necessary. In many cases, it can make language expression more natural and more appropriate. Just as Kant believes:”vague concepts are more expressive than clear concepts…beauty should be something that can not be explained in words. We cannot always convey what we think by words. ”(Wu Tieping p44) thus it can be seen that vague language has its own advantages in communication.Nowadays communications become more frequent between people of different languages and cultural backgrounds. Therefore translation plays an important role in the exchange of information which is bound to involve the study of language. V agueness in language becomes an inevitable and indispensable phenomenon in translation. Now vagueness has no longer been a new term in translation field and it adds much difficulty to the transfer of meaning from the source to the target language for languages is usually not share the same vagueness. The vagueness of language has much to do with culture, politics, economy and other non-linguistic factors.V ague language widely exists in many aspects of our life. More and more translators have explored the strategies of dealing with vague language in translation. In this paper the author presents two methods: explicitation and implicitation after the analysis of vague language.The author attempts to find the effective ways to deal with vague language in translation upon the basis of a brief understanding of vague language in order to offer help to the translation.II. A Brief Introduction to V ague LanguageThe appearance of vagueness can be traced back to the publication of the article Fuzzy Sets by L.A.Zadeh in which he states that the objects in material world have no definite boundaries. The meaning of vagueness has been enriched with the development of science and technology and the expansion of human activity in time and space. Vague language as a branch of the whole findings is the main focus of this chapter.2.1. The Definition of VaguenessAs for the definition of vague language, different scholars or researchers have different answers, for things become different when we look at them from different angles.Peirce, un American famous philosophy and mathematician, is perhaps the first to try to elaborate the notion in a rigorous way. He says:A proposition is vague where there are possible states of things concerningwhich it is intrinsically uncertain whether, had they been contemplated by thespeaker, he would have regarded them as excluded or allowed by theproposition. By intrinsically uncertain we mean not uncertain in consequenceof any ignorance of the interpreter, but because the speaker‟s habits oflanguage were indeterminate. (Channell p7)Another approach to vagueness is found in Deese‟s work which is more psychologically-oriented. He claims that vagueness is not a concept that applies to language but to the meanings which language expresses. That is, it is the meanings that is vague but not the language itself. He says:…that the correspondence between the ideas possessed by two individualswho are in communication on a common topic is rather poor, a conditionwhich we ordinarily do not notice because we seldom make explicit attemptsto validate a communicated idea against the original. When we do, as in thecase of giving directions to someone about how to do something, we aresuddenly made aware of the discrepancy that exists between …the same‟ideain the minds of two different people.(Channell p8)Upon this question, many domestic scholars has also achieved a lot. Mao Ronggui discusses the esthetic effect of vague language in his Translation Esthetics. He regarded vague language as that “the words has indistinct and wide semantic extension. It is not ”.Generally speaking, vagueness refers to such a fact that there are no clear-cut boundaries between two concepts. It isn‟t a bad thing, far from it, vagueness and precision are, like the two sides of a coin, essential part of language system.2.2. Characteristics of vague languageV agueness is an inherent nature of language. After knowing its definition, it is still unclear that how to judge whether a word is vague or not. So it is meaningful for us to discuss the characteristics of vague language, such as subjectivity, indeterminacy, agglutination and variability, to name a few of them.2.2.1. Subjectivity and IndeterminacyWe all know that opinions vary from person to person. When we describe something or express our views vague language appears. Different experiences and outlooks make everyone see things differently, so the denotation of vague language varies according to his/her own way of understanding. For example, we each have different views on what kind of women is beautiful. When facing the same woman, someone may think she is beautiful while others do not which is resulted from the subjectivity of the word “beautiful”. The reasons of the discrepancy of the comprehension of the same concept lie in different experiences and background.The indeterminacy of vague language refers to the uncertain membership of some cases. Some words are vague when we talk about color words. For instance, everybody knows that the leaves are green in summer and turn yellow gradually in autumn. But if we take one leaf in early autumn it is not easy to tell whether the leaf is green or yellow. It may be a bit green with some sort of a yellow color. So we usually hear such vague words as yellowish green. Another case is that the explanation given by dictionary is thick yellowish white liquor floated on the milk. From the word “yellowish white”we can see the cream may be white with somewhat yellow. In reality, the color words are not clearly divided as the color in spectrum.2.2.2. Agglutination and V ariabilityThe agglutination of vague language means that some vague language is a continuum and there are no clear-cut dividing lines between them. This feature can find its best expression in vague language indicating space or time. Time and space are actually continuums without fixed and unchangeable boundaries to divide them. Each language can divide them according to its own structure. When we talk about time in our daily life, we say morning, afternoon, evening or night. But there are no well-defined borders among them. Although the central area is clear, the peripheral area is vague. Since they happen one after another, sometimes we cannot tell which period we are in, because they often overlap.The variability of vague language refers to two aspects. Firstly, vague language is not always vague. In some cases, it may assume an accurate meaning. V ague words can become precise ones by collocating with other words. For example, the word “long”is vague. There are no rules telling that how long can be regarded as “long”. But it is precise in “long wave”whose wavelength is from 1000m to 10000m in physics. Many terms, although literally vague, are accurate when used in certain field of study. Colors, like red, orange, yellow without distinct boundaries, are prescribed strictly by scientists, namely, red ranges from 6200 to 7000 angstrom, orange from 5920 to 6200, and yellow between 5780 and 5920. From above examples we can see that in academic field it is necessary to define a term rigorously while in our daily life it‟s enough to use them in their vague sense. Secondly, it means the range a vague category covers may vary. The scope of a vague category is either enlarged or narrowed. Generally speaking, this kind of variability comes from some factors such as gender, culture and social status. Let‟s take “night”for example; the scope of night varies as the season changes. That period is long in winter and short in summer. Many words share the same characteristics. A big rat is much smaller than a small elephant. As we can see, the scope of these kinds of vague words changes in consistent with thecontext they are in. There are two people. One is from New Y ork; the other comes from a small village. They are likely to have different ideas on “tall building”. A large number of skyscrapers are found in New Y ork. They may take a building with 40 stories as a tall one, while a building with 10 floors is considered tall for a people from a small village. This situation should be taken into account when we do translation work. For many difficulties in translation originate in the great gap of social difference.Of all the characteristics we have talked about, the indeterminacy is the most prominent one.2.3. Classifications of Vague LanguageThe classification of vague language is helpful for both its study and its translation. But in this matter the scholars didn‟t reach an agreement as its definition does. Some researchers classify it from different levels of language, some others according to the part of speech.Some linguists divide vague language into three parts: vague additives, vagueness by choice of vague words, vagueness by implicative.(具体见翻译的模糊性及翻译中的模糊处理论文) (Channell, 1999: 18) Zhang Qiao, a famous linguist in our country, also thinks that vague language has many types under different classified method. According to the part of speech, there are vague nouns(say past, present, future), vague adjectives(say beautiful, healthy, red) and vague quantifiers(say several, some, a lot of); according to the extension of vague language, there are vague words with indefinite top limit(e.g. a short person, a young person, cold water), vague words with indefinite lower limit(e.g. a tall person, an old people, hot water) and vague words with both indefinite top and indefinite lower limit(e.g. a middle sized person, a middle aged person, warm water).In this paper we‟ll discuss the types of vague language at the linguistic level.2.3.1. Linguistic Vagueness2.3.1.1. V agueness at the Level of PhoneticsThe effect of this kind of vagueness often comes from homophony or hearing delusion. It usually appears in the pun to achieve the intended humor. For example: The professor tapped on his desk and shouted:”Young men, Order!”—the entire class yelled:” Beer!”Translation: 教授敲击桌子喊道：你们这些年轻人吆喝（要喝）什么？学生：啤酒。
浅谈英语中的模糊语言
浅谈英语中的模糊语言摘要：模糊语言是语言的一种现象，是英语语言中的一个组成部分并广泛存在于口语和书面语中。
本文从模糊的概念出发，通过论述模糊语言的特征、翻译和功能，阐述模糊语言在外交、广告、国际贸易和新闻报道等领域的运用，最后达到顺利完成日常交际的作用。
关键词：模糊语言；英语；运用“模糊”一词在《现代汉语词典》中的解释是表达对象的不确定性，不清楚或不分明。
罗素(Russell)在1923年的《模糊》(“Vagueness”)的文章中把模糊定义为“当用于描述的体系与被描述的体系之间的关系不是一对一，而是多对一时，这个描述就是模糊的”。
模糊语言广义是指语言的模糊性，狭义指具有模糊性的语言单位：模糊词语和模糊结构。
模糊语言的基本特征就是语言上的模糊，此外在语义上也有模糊不确定性和语义上的变异性两个特征。
1模糊语言的翻译翻译是以“信”为要旨，但是由于翻译的情形复杂多变，如果不深刻体会语言这种工具所表达出的意境，加之不能灵活运用语言表达的丰富性来进行语际翻译，而一味地追求字面上的“实”，很可能会陷入“虚”的泥沼中。
模糊语言的翻译方法有以下几种：1.1对等法对等法实际就是一种以模糊对模糊，以精确对精确的翻译方法。
比如：Everybody’s business is nobody’s business，“一个和尚挑水喝，两个和尚抬水喝，三个和尚没水喝。
”英汉两种语言的表达方法各异，当英汉模糊概念表达不一致时，则采用译入语的模糊表达来转译原语的模糊表达。
1.2直译法用一种语言中的模糊语去翻译另一种语言中的模糊语，以保留模糊信息。
比如:Her description of what happenedapproximatedtothetruth，but she still left a fewdetails out.翻译成“她叙述所发生的事近于实情，但尚遗漏了个别细节问题。
”当英语中的模糊信息存在不对称性时，就需要用另一种语言中的非对等词来达语义相同的模糊信息。
浅谈模糊语
浅谈模糊语摘要：模糊语言是一种广泛存在于人类语言交际中的语言现象，是语言的基本特征。
交际中模糊语言的使用是语言选择和顺应的结果。
模糊语言的理解对语境具有很强的依赖性。
因此，使用和理解模糊语言，都离不开具体的语境。
关键词：模糊语顺应论语境一、模糊语言的含义及分类在交际中，当人们不能或不愿表达准确的信息时，都要使用模糊语言。
在英语中，模糊语被称为“fuzzy language”或“vague language”。
L.A.Zadeh(1965)认为“概念不确定性是模糊语言的实质，这种不确定性具体表现为所指范畴界限的模糊，量的不确定，情感态度的模棱等方面。
”Channel(2000)在Vague Language 中明确指出：“语言运用中出现的歧义，含混表达的不确切现象都是属于模糊语言范围。
”根据模糊语言的定义，模糊语可被分为语义模糊、自然模糊和语用模糊。
语义模糊是指词语意义本身模糊的情况。
如“高”“矮”的语义就是个模糊概念，多高为高，多矮为矮，不同的情况评判标准不一。
自然模糊是指人们认识、描述或还原现实世界时表现出的模糊状态。
一般情况下，人们在表达事件时往往趋大不趋小，趋泛不趋精，选择的时空范围比较宽泛模糊。
语用模糊是指发话人为达到某种交际目的而又意识地使用模糊语言。
如一位家长对他的孩子说“Someone’s eaten the icing off the cake.”发话人清楚是谁吃了蛋糕上的奶油，但没直接责备，而是用了模糊的不定代词someone，以维护孩子的面子。
语用模糊是建立在语义模糊和自然模糊基础之上的。
二、模糊语言的产生Verschueren(1999) 在《语用学新解》中提出了颇有影响的语言顺应论。
顺应论有两个主要的论述：（1）使用语言的过程就是选择语言的过程；（2）语言使用就要从语境、语言结构等方面，动态地根据不同的心理意识程度而做出的某种顺应。
交际中语言的使用是一个连续的选择过程，不管这种选择是有意识的还是无意识的，也不管它是处于语言内部还是语言外部的原因。
模糊语言简介
摘要：模糊性是人类语言的基本属性之一，商务语言的模糊性及其语用功能在实际商务交际中非常重要。
探讨商务英语中的模糊语言现象及其语用功能，以期恰当运用模糊语言，从而达到更好的商务交际效果。
本文对商务英语中模糊语的语用功能进行分析，作者希望能够给读者提供一些启示。
关键词：模糊语言;商务英语;语用功能1 模糊语言的概述传统语言学的基本准则要求语言表达清楚、正确。
但是由于客观实体边界的不明确性，人们对事物观察的不同角度或缺乏全面的认识，导致语言使用的不一致性，从而使模糊的语言形式成为一种必然的存在。
长期以来模糊语言未受到应有的重视，直到1965 年美国科学家L. Zadeh 在其论文《模糊集合》(Fuzzy Set) 中, 引入“隶属函数”这个概念, 用于描述差异的中间过渡, 首次成功地运用数学方法描述模糊词项, 标志着模糊理论的诞生。
随后, 语言学家和语言哲学家运用该理论从语义、认知、语用等方面来研究语言的模糊性, 取得丰硕成果, 从而逐渐形成了一门新的边缘学科——模糊语言学。
模糊语言理论对语言中许多模糊现象有着很强的解释力, 为我们提供了一条描述、研究语言的新途径, 其研究成果大大丰富了我们对语言的本质及语言使用的认识, 也给我们正确认识当前外语教学中的模糊概念、有效解决外语教学中的一些难点问题以及培养学生的交际能力等方面带来很多有益的启示。
札德认为：“模糊性所涉及的不是一个点属于集合的不确定性，而是从属于到不属于的变化过程的渐进性”。
MaxBlack认为：“语词的模糊性就表现在它有一个应用的有限区域，但这个区域的界限是不明确的”。
Lakoff 则把作为模糊语言重要组成部分的模糊限制语（hedges）释义为“把事物弄得模模糊糊的词语”，是语言中最普遍、典型的模糊语言。
这些对语言模糊性定义的解释，仁者见仁，智者见智。
但是不管怎样，人们已通过这些定义对模糊语言的形成有了一总的认识与了解。
查德对模糊语言的本质更深刻地指出：“人的大部分知觉过程和思维过程都浸透着模糊性。
浅析商务英语中的模糊语言
浅析商务英语中的模糊语言摘要：模糊性，就是人们认识中关于对象类属边界和性态的不确定性，它是自然语言的一种本质属性。
本文结合会话合作原则分析了商务英语中的模糊语言现象及其语用功能，阐明了模糊语言在商务英语中的运用具有提高商务英语的客观标准性，增强商务英语的机动灵活性，使表达含蓄婉转、礼貌幽默等作用，目的在于使人们更好地利用语言进行商务交际。
关键词：商务英语，模糊语言，语用功能，作用。
一、引言模糊性是自然语言的一种本质属性。
所谓模糊性，就是人们认识中关于对象类属边界和性态的不确定性。
客观世界的事物中，绝大多数没有一个精确的界限，有些事物的含义甚至相当模糊。
没有模糊语言，纯粹由精确语言组成的世界必然是呆板、苍白、无味的。
美国控制论专家、模糊理论创始人L. Zadeh（札德）在1965年《信息和控制》杂志上发表的一篇题为“模糊集”(fuzzy sets)的文章中指出：在现实物质世界中所遇到的客体，经常没有精确规定的界限……这种不能精确划定范围的“类别”，在人的思维中，特别是在模式识别、信息传递和抽象中都起着很重要的作用。
语言是思维的载体，因此，人类的自然语言深深地打上了“模糊”的烙印。
J. Channell指出，模糊词语是为语言交际而特意选择的，使用模糊语言的背后有许多动机。
语义学家沙夫说：“交际需要语句的模糊性，这听起来似乎是奇怪的。
但是如果我们通过约定的方法消除了语词的模糊性，我们就会使语言变得贫乏，使它的交际和表达作用受到限制，结果摧毁了语言的目的，人的交际就很难进行，因为我们用以互相交际的那种工具遭到了损害”。
这就充分说明了模糊语言在交际中的重要性。
强调交际中语言运用的准确性，决不意味着忽略人类语言的另一个重要特征——模糊性。
国际商务英语中不仅存在着精确和模糊两种语言，更因在不同语境中的需求而充分显示模糊语言的多种语用功能。
国际商务英语要求具体简洁、清楚正确，而模糊语言的适当使用，会显得更严谨、准确、礼貌、得体。
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Vague language
Who speaks of vagueness should himself be vague. ----Bertrand Russell Vague language is a language that talks about something without directly saying what it is.
A representation is vague when the relation of the representing system to the represented system is not one-one, but one-many.（当用于描述的体系与被描述的体系之间的关系不是一对一，而是多对一时，这个描述就是模糊的。
）
----Vagueness, Bertrand Russell, 1928
Vague word
1 Words with a similar meaning（意义相近的词）: thread, string, cord, rope They all have the meaning “线，绳子”. But there is no clear line between them. We can’t tell how thick can be called “rope”, and how thin can be called “string”.
2 Words with a different meaning（反义词）: big, small
They are a pair of antonyms, but the limit between them is changeable. For example, “a big track” and “a small plane” have a different criterion towards “big” and “small”.
3 Words with several meanings（一词多义）: bank
“The post office is by the bank.” This sentence can be translated into“邮局在岸边”or“邮局在银行边上”.
Another example: notebook（笔记本；笔记本电脑）
Vague sentence structure（可做表格）
1 Possessive case（所有格）
John’s book: John买的书or John写的书
2 Parallel structures（并列结构）
I left it either on the table or in the drawer.
地点不明确
3 Modal verb（情态动词）
He should be in his room, for nobody saw him left.
他应该在房间里。
仅是推测，并不明确。
Pragmatic function of vague language （模糊语的语用功能）(Just choose some of them)
1 Make the language more tactful and euphemistic（委婉）.
For instance, people try to avoid some taboo（忌讳）with vague language. “Die” can be replaced by “pass away, be no more, depart, fall asleep, join the great majority, pay the debt, depart to god, expire” and so on.
2 It is indispensable in political life.
For a long-term view, there is a large room for Sino-Russian energy cooperation.
这是“从长远的角度出发”预见未来“有很大的合作空间”，但是目前中俄双方谁都不能确定这个合作空间到底有多大，因此谨慎起见，不可以讲得过于具体。
把政策上的灵活性和原则上的坚定性有机结合起来，这是清晰语言所不能达到的效果。
3 Enhance the aesthetic function（审美功能）of literatures.
And fare you well, my only love, And fare you well a while! And I will come again, my love, Although it were ten thousand mile.---- A Red, Red Rose, Robert Burns
在这节诗的最后“ten thousand mile”是模糊语言，并非确数，只是利用它的模糊的语义进行艺术的夸张，表达诗人的决心：不管远行千里万里，最终要回到爱人的身边。
4 In language study, almost all the concepts have vagueness.
“M orpheme”（语素）and “word”（词）: boy单独使用是一个词，不单独使用时如在“boyhood”中就是一个语素。
5 In business English, vagueness is very useful.
(1) In advertising:
Let us make things better. (Philips)
让我们做的更好。
（飞利浦）
The Relentless Pursuit of Perfection. (Lexus)
追求完美永无止境。
（凌志汽车）
Intelligence everywhere.
智慧演绎，无处不在。
（摩托罗拉手机）
上述三例广告中模糊语言better、Relentless、Pursuit和everywhere 的使用，适当地加大了产品的未定性和空白度，激发了人们的理解和想象，产生了独特的，令人回味无穷的效果，使得商务英语广告更加生动、形象、幽默，也加深了买方对广告内容的记忆。
(2) In bargaining:
A1: Your price sounds a bit high.
B1: Our products are moderately priced.
A2: If you can reduce the price, we might place a larger order.
B2: As a gesture of goodwill, we’ll do our best to meet your wishes when opportunity arises.
上述谈判双方为了达成一致的价格，使用了模糊语言。
A1 中使用了a bit（一点儿），B1 中使用了moderately（合理的），分别体现出自己对价格的看法，又为对方留有了面子。
A2 中继续使用might（可能）和larger（大一点儿）的模糊语，抛出了诱饵，但与might 和larger 相符合的程度、范围和界限都是笼统而模糊的，需要对方自己去理解和判断，而不透露出自己的底线。
B2 中则使用了do our best（尽自己最大努力）和when opportunity arises（当条件达到时）的模糊语，是一种条件式的承诺，不是肯定的答复，出于礼貌，语气委婉，从而使对方仍然有着好感和信心，使谈判得以继续。