This book is a comparative study of vague language based on naturally occurring data of L1 and L2 speakers in academic settings. It explores how L2 learners have diverse and culturally specific needs for vague language compared with L1s, and are generally vaguer.

This is a major descriptive study of linguistic vagueness. It argues that strategies for being vague constitute a key aspect of the communicative competence of the native speaker of English.

In Vague Language, Elasticity Theory and the Use of 'Some', Nguyet Nhu Le and Grace Qiao Zhang present the first comprehensive study of the word 'some', focusing on its elasticity. In particular, they consider how 'some' is both a quantifier and a qualifier, has positive or negative meanings, and has local and global interpretations. They show that the word is used across a meaning continuum and can be used to convey a range of states, including approximation, uncertainty, politeness, and evasion. Finally, they demonstrate that the functions of 'some' are also multi-directional and non-categorical, consisting of four major functions (right amount of information, mitigation, withholding information, and discourse management). Based on naturally-occurring classroom data of L1 (American English) and L2 (Chinese- and Vietnamese-speaking learners of English) speakers, Vague Language shows that L2 speakers used 'some' more than L1 speakers and explores the significance of this, particularly taking account of speakers' language ability and cultural backgrounds. While this book focuses on the single word 'some', the authors' discussion has important implications for language studies more generally, as they call for a rethinking of our approaches to language study and more attention to its elasticity.

This innovative book examines the discourse of reality television, and the elasticity of language in the popular talent show The Voice from a cross-cultural perspective. Analysing how and why elastic language is used in persuasion and comforting, a comparison between Chinese and English is made, and the authors highlight the special role that elastic language plays in effective interactions and strategic communication. Through the lens of the language variance of two of the world’s most commonly spoken languages, the insights and resources provided by this book are expected to advance knowledge in the fields of contrastive pragmatics and cross-cultural communication, and inform strategies in bridging different cultures. This study highlights the need to give the elastic use of language the attention it deserves, and reveals how language is non-discrete and strategically stretchable. This book will be of interest to academics and postgraduate students engaged in elastic/vague language studies, cross-cultural pragmatics, media linguistics, discourse analysis, sociolinguistics and communication studies.

Since its Californian beginnings a generation ago, Neurolinguistic Programming (NLP) has won world-wide recognition as probably the most powerful set of tools available for improving communication, thinking and problem-solving. Derived from the study of leading practitioners in fields as disparate as psychotherapy and selling, NLP is now used extensively in business, management, human resource development and sport. Dr Alder's Handbook brings together in one volume the ideas and skills involved in applying NLP to achieve superior performance at both the personal and the professional level. Part 1 sets out the underlying principles and introduces key concepts such as outcomes, representational systems, anchoring, modelling and reframing, together with the techniques required for putting them to work. Part 2 shows how to use NLP in training, selling, negotiating, interviewing, coaching and presentation. Throughout the text there are examples and exercises designed to help readers profit from, rather than simply understand, the procedures described. Other valuable features include a glossary of terms and a sources and resources section containing an annotated reading list and details of organizations offering NLP training. Anyone seeking a comprehensive guide to NLP theory and practice need look no further.

Intercultural pragmatics addresses one of the major issues of human communication in the globalized world: how do people interact with each other in a language other than their native tongue, and with native speakers of the language of interaction? Bringing together a globally-representative team of scholars, this Handbook provides an authoritative overview to this fascinating field of study, as well as a theoretical framework. Chapters are grouped into 5 thematic areas: theoretical foundation, key issues in Intercultural Pragmatics research, the interface between Intercultural Pragmatics and related disciplines, Intercultural Pragmatics in different types of communication, and language learning. It addresses key concepts and research issues in Intercultural Pragmatics, and will trigger fresh lines of enquiry and generate new research questions. Comprehensive in its scope, it is essential reading not only for scholars of pragmatics, but also of discourse analysis, cognitive linguistics, communication, sociolinguistics, linguistic anthropology, and second language teaching and learning.

Bringing a fuzzy logic-based approach into translation studies and drawing on the theory of information entropy, this book discusses the translation of fuzzy language in literary works and advances a new method of measuring text fuzziness between translation and source text. Based on illustrative examples from the popular novel The Da Vinci Code and its two translated Chinese versions, the study demonstrates the fuzziness measuring method through an algorithmic process. More specifically, information entropy is applied to measure the uncertainty associated with readers’ understanding of the original and its corresponding target texts. The underlying hypothesis is that the probability distribution in which readers will understand identified fuzzy discourse is measurable. By further explicating the validity of the hypothesis, it seeks to solve translational “fuzzy” problems in the translation process and offers an alternative, novel approach to the study of “fuzzy” literary texts and their translation. Hopefully, the argument of the book that the intrinsic uncertainty of fuzzy language can be evaluated through Shannon’s information entropy will open up a new avenue to the quantitative description of the fuzziness of language and translation. This book will be of interest to scholars and students in translation studies, applied linguistics, and literary criticism.

Elastic language carries non-specific and stretchable meaning, as in 'He loves her, kind of'. It is used like a slingshot, targeting various strategic goals. Consolidating current research and charting new directions, this book develops a refreshing theory of elasticity, empirically attested by natural language data from tension-prone encounters between Australian Customs officers and passengers. The theory proposes three principles (fluidity, stretchability and strategy) and offers a systematic look at how elastic language, as a sliding scale, works to balance strengthening and weakening speech tones, to firm and soften a speaker's stance, and to reveal and evade the truth. The comparative analysis of forms, functions, and context confirms that elastic language is fluid, stretchable, and strategic. It serves both cooperative and competitive functions, and social and speech factors impact on its use. This book will appeal to students and researchers working in pragmatics, applied linguistics, sociolinguistics, discourse analysis, and communication.

This textbook provides a comprehensive introduction for students and professionals who are studying English for business or workplace communication and covers both spoken and written English. Based on up-to-date research in business communication and incorporating an international range of real-world authentic texts, this book deals with the realities of communication in business today. Key features of this book include: use of English in social media that reflects recent trends in business communication; coverage of the concept of communicative competence; analysis of email communication; introduction to informal English and English for socialisation as well as goodwill messages, such as thank you or appreciation messages, which are a part of everyday interaction in the workplace; examination of persuasive messages and ways to understand such messages; an e-resources website that includes authentic examples of different workplace genres and a reference section covering relevant research studies and weblinks for readers to better understand the topics covered in each chapter. This book goes beyond the traditional coverage of business English to provide a broad and practical textbook for those studying English in a workplace setting.

�Today’s global citizens operate business and management endeavors on a global scale. Globalization generates an increasing demand for effective communication in diverse cultural contexts and challenges the relevance of culture in operating businesses in the global village. Communication differences are apparent in many scenarios. Expatriates of international organizations operating abroad adopt their native cultural values to motivate employees of foreign cultures with an entirely different perspective. They use one culture’s motives to move people from other cultures. In global marketing communication, the communicators use values systems of their native culture to develop advertising for other cultures. They use categorizations of one culture to describe others. Such divergence in attitudes, perspectives and priorities of suppliers, and customers with different cultural backgrounds have led to many project failures in international organizations. An in-depth understanding of cultural backgrounds and the potential impact on communication of the people one is interacting with can increase the probability of business success among investors, managers, entrepreneurs and employees operating in diverse cultures. However, effective cross cultural business communication needs to recognize and adopt an interdisciplinary perspective in understanding the cultural forces (Leung, K. et al., 2005). Therefore, we need a multidisciplinary paradigm to carry on effective and successful business communication in our contemporary global village. 本_构建有效的跨文化商__通理_模型，__企_商__略、宏_社_文化、__文化在构建企__通_略中的作用与影_，研究_言与文化在信息__与解__程中的作用，以及_通中的有效_言策略和模糊_言策略。同_，本__合理_模型，提出了有效的跨文化___通_略、_告_通_略和_判_通_略，并提供了提高_通效率与效果的技能和方法。