ABSTRACT

Presupposition is an important issue in the philosophy of language. As a common phenomenon, it is also widely used in English business letters. 

This study is designed to explore the distributions and functions of pragmatic presupposition in different types of business letters namely competitive letters, convivial letters, collaborative letters and conflictive letters. Among them, pragmatic presupposition occurs in convivial letters more frequently than in competitive letters and conflictive letters and the least frequently in collaborative letters. Pragmatic presupposition not only makes the business letters more polite and more concise, but also enhances the coherence of the discourse and highlights important information. 

This study aims to deepen the understanding of presupposition, broaden people's vision of the theory of presupposition, and promote international business communication.

Key words: pragmatic presupposition; business letter; distribution; function

CONTENTS

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

ABSTRACT

摘要

Chapter OneINTRODUCTION-1

1.1 Background of the Study-1

1.2 Purpose of the Study-2

1.3 Organization of the Study-2

Chapter TwoAN OVERVIEW OF PRESUPPOSITION-3

2.1 Presupposition and Presupposition Triggers-3

2.2 Previous Studies on Presupposition-4

Chapter ThreeAN OVERVIEW OF BUSINESS LETTERS-6

3.1 Types of Business Letter and Its Characteristics-6

3.2 Previous Studies on Business Letters-7

Chapter FourPRAGMATIC PRESUPPOSITION IN BUSINESS LETTERS-9

4.1 Presupposition Triggers in Business Letters-9

4.2The Distribution of Pragmatic Presupposition-12

Chapter FiveFUNCTIONS OF PRAGMATIC PRESUPPOSITION IN BUSINESS LETTERS-16

5.1 Being Polite-16

5.2 Being Concise-17

5.3 Achieving Coherence-18

5.4 Highlighting Information-18

Chapter SixCONCLUSION-20

6.1 Major Findings-20

6.2 Limitations and Suggestions-21

REFERENCES-22