- I'm sorry!
Unfortunately, we often hear this form of address. Speech etiquette and communication culture- not very popular concepts in the modern world. One will consider them too decorative or old-fashioned, while another will find it difficult to answer the question of what shapes speech etiquette meet in his everyday life.
Meanwhile, the etiquette of verbal communication plays a vital role for a person’s successful activity in society, his personal life and the building of strong family and friendly relationships.
The concept of speech etiquette
Speech etiquette is a system of requirements (rules, norms) that explain to us how to establish, maintain and break contact with another person in a certain situation. Speech etiquette norms are very diverse, each country has its own peculiarities of communication culture.
- speech etiquette - a system of rules
It may seem strange why you need to develop special rules of communication and then stick to them or break them. And yet, speech etiquette is closely related to the practice of communication; its elements are present in every conversation. Compliance with the rules of speech etiquette will help you competently convey your thoughts to your interlocutor and quickly achieve mutual understanding with him.
Mastery etiquette of verbal communication requires acquiring knowledge in the field of various humanitarian disciplines: linguistics, psychology, cultural history and many others. To more successfully master communication culture skills, they use such a concept as speech etiquette formulas.
Speech etiquette formulas
The basic formulas of speech etiquette are learned in early age when parents teach their child to say hello, say thank you, and ask for forgiveness for mischief. With age, a person learns more and more subtleties in communication, masters various styles speech and behavior. The ability to correctly assess a situation, start and maintain a conversation with a stranger, and competently express one’s thoughts distinguishes a person of high culture, education and intelligence.
Speech etiquette formulas- these are certain words, phrases and set expressions used for three stages of conversation:
- starting a conversation (greeting/introduction)
- main part
- final part of the conversation
Starting a conversation and ending it
Any conversation, as a rule, begins with a greeting; it can be verbal and non-verbal. The order of greeting also matters. youngest first greets the elder, the man greets the woman, the young girl greets the adult man, and the junior greets the elder. We list in the table the main forms of greeting the interlocutor:
IN ending a call use formulas for stopping communication and parting. These formulas are expressed in the form of wishes (all the best, all the best, goodbye), hopes for further meetings (see you tomorrow, I hope to see you soon, we’ll call you), or doubts about further meetings (goodbye, farewell).
Main part of the conversation
Following the greeting, a conversation begins. Speech etiquette provides for three main types of situations in which various speech formulas of communication are used: solemn, mournful and work situations. The first phrases spoken after the greeting are called the beginning of the conversation. There are often situations when the main part of the conversation consists only of the beginning and the ending of the conversation that follows.
- speech etiquette formulas - stable expressions
Solemn atmosphere, approaching important event involve the use of speech patterns in the form of an invitation or congratulations. The situation can be either official or informal, and the situation determines what formulas of speech etiquette will be used in the conversation.
A mournful atmosphere in connection with events that bring grief suggests condolences expressed emotionally, not routinely or dryly. In addition to condolences, the interlocutor often needs consolation or sympathy. Sympathy and consolation can take the form of empathy, confidence in a successful outcome, and be accompanied by advice.
In everyday life, the work environment also requires the use of speech etiquette formulas. Brilliant or, conversely, improper performance of assigned tasks can become a reason for criticism or censure. When carrying out orders, an employee may need advice, for which it will be necessary to make a request to a colleague. There is also a need to approve someone else’s proposal, give permission for implementation or a reasoned refusal.
The request must be extremely polite in form (but without ingratiation) and understandable to the addressee; the request must be made delicately. When making a request, it is advisable to avoid the negative form and use the affirmative. Advice should be given uncategorically; giving advice will be an incentive to action if it is given in a neutral, delicate form.
For fulfilling a request, providing a service, useful advice It is customary to express gratitude to your interlocutor. Also an important element in speech etiquette is compliment. It can be used at the beginning, middle and end of a conversation. Tactful and timely, it lifts the mood of the interlocutor and encourages a more open conversation. A compliment is useful and pleasant, but only if it is a sincere compliment, said with a natural emotional overtones.
Speech etiquette situations
The key role in the culture of speech etiquette is played by the concept situation. Indeed, depending on the situation, our conversation can change significantly. In this case, communication situations can be characterized by the most different circumstances, For example:
- personalities of the interlocutors
- place
- time
- motive
Personalities of the interlocutors. Speech etiquette is focused primarily on the addressee - the person being addressed, but the personality of the speaker is also taken into account. Taking into account the personality of the interlocutors is implemented on the principle of two forms of address - “You” and “You”. The first form indicates the informal nature of communication, the second - respect and greater formality in the conversation.
A place of communication. Communication in a certain place may require the participant to have specific rules of speech etiquette established for that place. Such places can be: a business meeting, a social dinner, a theater, a youth party, a restroom, etc.
In the same way, depending on the topic of conversation, time, motive or purpose of communication, we use different conversational techniques. The topic of conversation can be joyful or sad events; the time of communication can be conducive to being brief or to an extensive conversation. Motives and goals are manifested in the need to show respect, express a friendly attitude or gratitude to the interlocutor, make an offer, ask for a request or advice.
Any national speech etiquette makes certain demands on representatives of its culture, and has its own characteristics. The very appearance of the concept of speech etiquette is associated with an ancient period in the history of languages, when each word was given a special meaning, and faith in the effect of the word on the surrounding reality was strong. And the emergence of certain norms of speech etiquette is due to the desire of people to bring about certain events.
But for speech etiquette different nations some are also typical common features, with the difference only in the forms of implementation of speech norms of etiquette. Each cultural and linguistic group has formulas for greeting and farewell, and respectful addresses to elders in age or position. In a closed society, a representative of a foreign culture, unfamiliar with the peculiarities national speech etiquette, appears to be an uneducated, poorly brought up person. In a more open society, people are prepared for differences in the speech etiquette of different nations; in such a society, imitation of a foreign culture of speech communication is often practiced.
Speech etiquette of our time
In the modern world, and even more so in the urban culture of the post-industrial and information society, the concept of the culture of verbal communication is changing radically. The speed of changes occurring in modern times threatens the very traditional foundations of speech etiquette, based on the idea of the inviolability of social hierarchy, religious and mythological beliefs.
Study of norms speech etiquette in the modern world turns into a practical goal focused on achieving success in a specific act of communication: if necessary, attract attention, demonstrate respect, inspire trust in the addressee, his sympathy, create a favorable climate for communication. However, the role of national speech etiquette remains important - knowledge of the peculiarities of foreign speech culture is a mandatory sign of fluency in a foreign language.
Russian speech etiquette in circulation
Main feature Russian speech etiquette one can call its heterogeneous development throughout the existence of Russian statehood. Serious changes in the norms of Russian language etiquette occurred at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries. The previous monarchical system was distinguished by the division of society into classes from nobles to peasants, which determined the specifics of treatment in relation to the privileged classes - master, sir, master. At the same time, there was no uniform appeal to representatives of the lower classes.
As a result of the revolution, the previous classes were abolished. All addresses of the old system were replaced by two - citizen and comrade. The citizen's appeal has acquired a negative connotation; it has become the norm when used by prisoners, criminals, and detainees in relation to representatives of law enforcement agencies. The address comrade, on the contrary, was fixed in the meaning of “friend”.
During communism, only two types of address (and in fact, only one - comrade), formed a kind of cultural and speech vacuum, which was informally filled with such addresses as man, woman, uncle, auntie, guy, girl, etc. They remained and after the collapse of the USSR, however, in modern society they are perceived as familiarity, and indicate a low level of culture of the one who uses them.
In post-communist society, the previous types of address gradually began to reappear: gentlemen, madam, mister, etc. As for the address comrade, it is legally enshrined as an official address in law enforcement agencies, the armed forces, communist organizations, and in the collectives of factories.
In preparing the article, materials from the Online Encyclopedia Around the World and the RGUI Library were used.
Rules and norms of speech etiquette
Speech communication is the unity of two sides (transmission and perception of information).
Forms of communication are oral and written.
Spheres of speech communication - social and everyday life, socio-cultural, educational and scientific, socio-political, official and business.
With the help of verbal etiquette formulas, we express relationships when meeting and parting, when we thank someone or apologize, in a dating situation, and in many other cases. Each language has its own fund of etiquette formulas. Their composition in the Russian language is most fully described by A. A. Akishina and N. I. Formanovskaya, the authors of numerous works on modern Russian speech etiquette. The conceptual core of speech etiquette is the concept of politeness as an indispensable condition for tolerant verbal communication in various manifestations: tact, goodwill, courtesy, correctness, courtesy, gallantry, courtesy, friendliness, etc.
Rules for talking on the phone: you should distinguish between formal and informal conversations; business calls are made on work phones, informal calls on home phones; it is indecent to call before 9 am and after 22:00; You cannot call strangers; if you have to do this, you must explain who gave the phone number; the conversation should not be long - 3-5 minutes; the subscriber being called is not required to identify himself, even if it is a business telephone; It is not permissible for a caller to start a conversation with questions: “Who’s talking?”, “Who’s on the phone?”
The semantic parts of a telephone conversation: establishing contact (identification, checking audibility); beginning of a conversation (greeting, question about the opportunity to speak, questions about life, business, health, message about the purpose of the call); development of the topic (expanding the topic, exchanging information, expressing opinions); friendly tone, clear pronunciation words, average speech rate, neutral voice volume; end of the conversation (final phrases summarizing the topic of the conversation, etiquette phrases, farewell).
Etiquette standards; technique for implementing etiquette standards
In modern linguistics, the term “norm” is understood in two meanings: firstly, the norm is the generally accepted use of various linguistic means, regularly repeated in the speech of speakers (reproduced by speakers), and secondly, prescriptions, rules, instructions for use, recorded in textbooks, dictionaries , reference books.
Several definitions of normal can be found. For example, S.I. Ozhegov says: “A norm is a set of language means that are most suitable (“correct”, “preferred”) for serving society, emerging as a result of the selection of linguistic elements (lexical, pronunciation, morphological, syntactic) from among coexisting, existing, newly formed or extracted from the passive stock of the past in the process of social, in a broad sense, assessment of these elements." In the encyclopedia "Russian Language" - "Norm (linguistic), literary norm - accepted in social and speech practice educated people rules of pronunciation, grammatical and other linguistic means, rules of word usage."
The definition has become widespread: “... a norm is the linguistic units that exist at a given time in a given language community and are mandatory for all members of the collective and the patterns of their use, and these mandatory units can either be the only possible ones or act as co-existing ones in within literary language options."
In order to recognize a particular phenomenon as Normative, the following conditions are necessary:
- 1) regular use (reproducibility) of this method of expression,
- 2) compliance of this method of expression with the capabilities of the literary language system (taking into account its historical restructuring),
- 3) public approval of a regularly reproduced method of expression (and the role of a judge in this case falls to the lot of writers, scientists, and the educated part of society).
The given definitions relate to the language norm. The concept of speech norm is closely related to the concept of functional style. If linguistic norms are uniform for the literary language as a whole, they unite all normative units regardless of the specifics of their functioning, then speech norms establish patterns of use of linguistic means in a particular functional style and its varieties. These are functional-style norms; they can be defined as obligatory patterns of selection and organization of linguistic means at a given time, depending on the situation, goals and objectives of communication, and the nature of the utterance. For example, from the point of view of linguistic norms, the forms are considered correct on leave -- on vacation, doors -- doors, a student reading - a student who is reading, Masha is beautiful - Masha is beautiful etc., however, the choice of one or another specific form, one or another word depends on speech norms, on communicative expediency.
Speech is closely related to ethics. Ethics prescribes rules of moral behavior (including communication), presupposes certain manners of behavior and requires the use of external politeness formulas expressed in specific speech acts.
Compliance with etiquette requirements when violating ethical standards is hypocrisy and deception of others. On the other hand, completely ethical behavior that is not accompanied by adherence to etiquette will inevitably make an unpleasant impression and cause people to doubt the moral qualities of the individual.
In oral communication, it is necessary to observe a number of ethical and etiquette standards that are closely related to each other.
Rules and norms of speech etiquette at the beginning of communication: address, greeting
Greetings: If the addressee is unfamiliar to the subject of speech, then communication begins with acquaintance. This can happen directly or indirectly. According to the rules of good manners, it is not customary to enter into a conversation with a stranger and introduce yourself. However, there are times when this is necessary. Etiquette prescribes the following formulas: Allow me to meet you; I would like to get to know you; Let's get acquainted. When visiting an institution, office, office, when you have a conversation with an official and you need to introduce yourself to him, the following formulas are used: Let me introduce myself. My last name is Kolesnikov. Official and informal meetings of acquaintances, and sometimes strangers start with a greeting. In Russian, the main greeting is hello. It goes back to the Old Slavonic verb zdravstvat, which means “to be healthy,” i.e. healthy. Along with this form, a common greeting indicating the time of the meeting is: Good morning, Good afternoon, Good evening. In addition to commonly used greetings, there are greetings that emphasize the joy of meeting, respectful attitude, and desire for communication: I’m very glad to see you!; Welcome!; My respect! An illustrative example is one that makes it possible to observe entry and penetration into someone else’s environment by following the etiquette rules of speech and accepted forms of greeting accepted in that environment: “Hello, Iron, how are you? - I told him as unceremoniously as possible. “Things are like in Poland: whoever has the cart is the master,” he answered briskly, as if we had known each other for a hundred years” (Ch. Aitmatov. Scaffold). Well, the hero would have used what is familiar to himself (typical of his own social characteristics) to someone unfamiliar and would have remained a stranger.
It is common for villagers to greet even strangers, sending them a sign of goodwill. Hello makes us happy. Be that as it may, we need an etiquette sign of greeting at least to say: I notice you.
Appeal: Address is one of the most important and necessary components of speech etiquette. The address is used at any stage of communication, throughout its entire duration, and serves as an integral part of it. At the same time, the norm for using the address and its form have not been definitively established, cause controversy, and are a sore point of Russian speech etiquette.
The monarchical system in Russia of the twentieth century maintained the division of people into classes: nobles, clergy, commoners, merchants, burghers, peasants. Hence the address master, madam in relation to people of privileged classes; sir, madam - for the middle class or master, mistress for both and the absence of a single address to representatives of the lower class.
In other civilized countries, addresses were the same for all strata and classes (Mr., Mrs., Miss - England, USA; signor, signorina, signora - Italy; pan, lady - Poland, Czech Republic and Slovakia)
After the revolution, all old ranks were abolished and two new titles were introduced: “comrade” and “citizen”. The word “citizen” comes from the Old Church Slavonic gorozhan (resident of the city). In the 18th century, this word acquired the meaning of “a full member of society, the state.” But in the 20th century, especially in the 20-30s, a custom appeared, and then it became the norm, when addressing arrested, convicted, or prisoners to law enforcement officers and vice versa, not to say comrade, only citizen. As a result, the word citizen for many has become associated with detention, arrest, police, and the prosecutor's office. The negative association gradually became so “grown” to the word that it became an integral part of it, so ingrained in people’s minds that it became impossible to use the word citizen as a commonly used address.
The fate of the word comrade turned out somewhat differently. It came to us from the Turkic language in the 15th century and had the root tavar, meaning “property, livestock, goods.” Probably, initially comrade had the meaning of “trade partner”, then it was supplemented with the meaning of “friend”. WITH late XIX centuries, Marxist circles were created in Russia, their members called each other comrades. During communism, comrade was the main address to a person; later this began to be replaced by words like: man, woman, grandfather, father, boyfriend, auntie, uncle. These addresses may be perceived by the addressee as disrespect and unacceptable familiarity.
Since the late 80s of the last century, the following addresses have begun to come back into use: sir, madam, sir, madam. The appeal, comrade, was left by law as an official appeal to armed forces and other law enforcement agencies, as well as communist organizations, factory and factory teams.
After the greeting, a business conversation usually ensues. Speech etiquette provides for several principles that are determined by the situation. The most typical are 3 situations: solemn, working, mournful.
The first includes public holidays, anniversaries of the enterprise and employees, receiving awards, birthdays, name days, significant dates of the family or its members, presentation, conclusion of an agreement, creation of a new organization. For any special occasion or significant event, invitations and congratulations follow. Depending on the situation (official, semi-official, informal), invitations and greeting cliches change.
Invitation: Allow me to invite you. Come to a holiday (anniversary, meeting..), we will be glad to see you.
Congratulations: Please accept my (most) heartfelt (warm, ardent, sincere) congratulations..; On behalf of (on behalf of) congratulations; I heartily (warmly) congratulate you.
As in all other situations of interpersonal communication, congratulations must be extremely correct, appropriate and sincere. But you need to be very careful with sincerity.
Congratulations are a socially accepted ritual of respect and joy for loved one, but this is not a way of conducting a conversation or correspondence; congratulations should not contain purely personal topics and questions of the addressee of the congratulation. The content of the congratulation is an expression of joy, but nothing more.
A sad situation is associated with death, death, murder and other events that bring misfortune and grief. In this case, condolences are expressed. It should not be dry, official. Formulas of condolences, as a rule, are stylistically elevated and emotionally charged: Allow me (allow me) to express (to you) my (my) deep (sincere) condolences. I offer (to you) my (accept mine, please accept my) deep (sincere) condolences. I share (understand) your sadness (your grief, misfortune)
The listed beginnings (invitation, congratulations, condolences, expressions of sympathy) do not always turn into business communication, sometimes the conversation ends with them.
In everyday business settings (business, work situations), speech etiquette formulas are also used. For example, when summing up the work, when determining the results of the sale of goods, the need arises to thank someone or, conversely, to reproach or make a remark. At any job, in any organization, someone may have the need to give advice, make a proposal, make a request, express consent, allow, prohibit, or refuse someone.
Acknowledgment: Allow me to express (great, huge) gratitude to Nikolai Petrovich Bystrov for the excellent (excellent) organized exhibition; The company (directorate, administration) expresses gratitude to all employees for...
In addition to official thanks, there are also ordinary, unofficial thanks. This is the usual “thank you”, “you are very kind”, “no need for thanks”, etc.
Remarks, warning: The company (directorate, board, editorial office) is forced to make a (serious) warning (remark)..., To (great) regret (chagrin), must (force) to make a remark (condemn). Often people, especially those endowed with power, consider it necessary to express their proposals and advice in a categorical form: Everyone (you) must (obliged) ..., I categorically (persistently) advise (suggest) to do ... Advice, suggestions expressed in this form are similar to an order or orders and do not always give rise to a desire to follow them, especially if the conversation takes place between colleagues of the same rank. The “magic” of speech etiquette is that it truly opens the door to our human interactions. Try saying, for example, in public transport: Move over! Your recipient will most likely interpret this as a rude demand and will have the right not to perform the action. And add the magic please - and the imperative form already expresses a request, and only a request, quite respectful, directed to an equal partner. And there are many more ways to address this situation: Isn’t it difficult for you to move?; If you don't mind, please move and more. etc.
Politeness and mutual understanding: Be mutually polite - the signs in stores urge us. You have to be polite - parents teach their children... What does it mean to be polite, why are we taught this from early childhood, why is it necessary? To answer these questions, first of all, let's consider the relationship between such phenomena as etiquette and politeness. Let us recall that etiquette and speech etiquette are rules and norms of behavior accepted in a particular society, circle of people, including speech behavior (in accordance with the distribution of social roles in official and informal communication settings), which, on the one hand, regulate, and on the other hand, discover and show the relations of members of society along approximately the following lines: friend - stranger, superior - inferior, senior - junior, distant - close, familiar - unfamiliar, and even pleasant - unpleasant. A guy came to the circle and said to his friends: Great, guys! In this case, he chose such signs of speech behavior that put him on an equal footing with others, demonstrate the rudely familiar tone of communication, so characteristic of teenagers, these signs tell others: “I am one of my own, close.” To the head of the circle, even a young one, he cannot say: Great, guy, because in this case the norms of role relationships will be violated, because the senior in position must be given signs of attention corresponding to seniority. Without doing this, a person will be impolite. This means that impoliteness is a manifestation when the addressee is assigned a role lower than the one that belongs to him in accordance with his characteristics. Consequently, violation of etiquette norms always results in impoliteness and disrespect of the partner. Well, what about politeness? Politeness is a moral quality that characterizes a person for whom respect for people has become an everyday norm of behavior and a habitual way of treating others. This means politeness is a sign of respect. Politeness is a willingness to provide a service to someone who needs it, delicacy, and tact. And, of course, timely and appropriate speech manifestation - speech etiquette - is an integral element of politeness. Since politeness is a form of showing respect for another, then respect itself presupposes recognition of the dignity of the individual, as well as sensitivity and delicacy towards another. If you look at the example “Great, guys!” from this point of view, - in relation to familiar teenagers from a peer, it can be noted that in this greeting and address there is no special reflection of respect, there is only a sign of entering into verbal contact of “one of our own”, “equal” in a relaxed, familiar relationship. This means there is no special politeness here.
Politeness is also necessary when conducting business communication.
Firstly, you must treat your interlocutor with respect and kindness. It is prohibited to offend or insult your interlocutor with your speech, or to express disdain. Direct negative assessments of the communication partner’s personality should be avoided; only specific actions can be assessed, while maintaining the necessary tact. Rude words, a cheeky form of speech, an arrogant tone are unacceptable in intelligent communication. Yes and with practical side Such features of speech behavior are inappropriate, because never contribute to achieving the desired result in communication.
Politeness in communication presupposes understanding the situation, taking into account the age, gender, official and social status of the communication partner. These factors determine the degree of formality of communication, the choice of etiquette formulas, and the range of topics suitable for discussion.
Secondly, the speaker is instructed to be modest in self-assessments, not to impose his own opinions, and to avoid being too categorical in speech.
Moreover, it is necessary to put the communication partner in the spotlight, show interest in his personality, opinion, and take into account his interest in a particular topic.
It is also necessary to take into account the listener’s ability to perceive the meaning of your statements; it is advisable to give him time to rest and concentrate. For this reason, it is worth avoiding too long sentences, it is useful to take short pauses, and use speech formulas to maintain contact: you, of course, know...; you might be interested to know...; as you can see...; pay attention...; should be noted... etc.
The norms of communication also determine the behavior of the listener.
First, you need to put other things aside to listen to the person. This rule is especially important for those specialists whose job is to serve clients.
When listening, you must treat the speaker with respect and patience, try to listen carefully and to the end. If you are very busy, it is permissible to ask to wait or reschedule the conversation for another time. In official communication, it is completely unacceptable to interrupt the interlocutor, insert various comments, especially those that sharply characterize the interlocutor’s proposals and requests. Like the speaker, the listener puts his interlocutor at the center of attention and emphasizes his interest in communicating with him. You should also be able to express agreement or disagreement in a timely manner, answer a question, or ask your own question.
When the conversation ends, the interlocutors use formulas for parting and stopping communication. They express wishes (All the best to you! Goodbye!); hope for a new meeting (See you in the evening (tomorrow, Saturday); I hope we will not be parting for long. I hope to see you soon); doubt about the possibility of meeting again (Goodbye! It’s unlikely we’ll see each other again. Don’t remember it badly!).
In addition to the usual forms of farewell, there is a long-established ritual of compliments. A tactfully and timely compliment, it lifts the mood of the recipient and sets him up for a positive attitude towards the opponent. A compliment is said at the beginning of a conversation, during a meeting, acquaintance, or during a conversation, when parting. A compliment is always nice. Only an insincere compliment, a compliment for the sake of a compliment, an overly enthusiastic compliment are dangerous. The compliment refers to appearance, testifies to the recipient’s excellent professional abilities, his high morality, and gives an overall positive assessment
- - You look good (excellent, wonderful).
- - You are (so, very) charming (smart, resourceful, practical).
- - You are a good (excellent, wonderful) specialist.
- - It’s a pleasure (excellent, good) to do business (work, cooperate) with you.
- - It was nice to meet you!
- - You are a very nice (interesting) person (interlocutor).
The absence of a farewell ritual or its vagueness or crumpledness does not in any way indicate that the person left “in English”; it speaks either of a negative, hostile or hostile attitude of the person, or of his banal bad manners.
Etiquette norms also apply to written speech.
An important issue in business letter etiquette is the choice of address. For standard letters on formal or minor occasions, the address “Dear Mr. Petrov!” For a letter to a superior, a letter of invitation or any other letter by important issue It is advisable to use the word “respected” and call the recipient by name and patronymic.
In business documents, it is necessary to skillfully use the capabilities of the grammatical system of the Russian language.
For example, the active voice of a verb is used when it is necessary to indicate the active person. Passive voice It should be used when the fact of performing an action is more important than mentioning the persons who performed the action.
The perfect form of the verb emphasizes the completeness of the action, and the imperfect indicates that the action is in the process of development.
In business correspondence there is a tendency to avoid the pronoun “I”. The first person is expressed by the ending of the verb.
Through letters, information is exchanged, offers are made, negotiations are conducted, etc. Sometimes information and reference documentation simply confirms facts and events that you just need to take note of.
Thus, a service letter is a generalized name for documents of various contents, drawn up in accordance with GOST, sent by mail, fax or other method.
Without exaggeration, we can say that this is one of the most common types of official documents, therefore, the success of resolving specific issues, and therefore the entire enterprise as a whole, will largely depend on how accurate, literate, and correct the text of the message is.
Business correspondence must comply with the requirements.
Accuracy, unambiguity of the statement. All words must be used in accordance with their lexical meaning.
Logic Each letter represents:
- - statement of the essence of the issue;
- - speech action;
- - conclusion.
Literacy- a necessary part of any document
Correctness. Business correspondence is correct if it follows the etiquette framework and has a friendly or neutral tone of presentation.
Official business style is one of functional styles modern Russian literary language: a set of linguistic means, the purpose of which is to serve the sphere of official business relations(business relations between organizations, within them, between legal and individuals). Business speech is implemented in the form of written documents, built according to rules common to each of their genre varieties. Types of documents differ in the specifics of their content (which official business situations are reflected in them), and, accordingly, in their form (the set and layout of details - the content elements of the document text); They are united by a set of language tools traditionally used to convey business information.
Virtual Communication Etiquette
Generally, virtual world, at times, amazes with its anarchic communication, sometimes turning into flooding (sending more than two messages per second, often with primitive content). In addition to the official rules of online conversation that everyone tries to follow, there is a so-called “unwritten code of communication” similar to real-world etiquette. Here you should also say hello before starting a conversation, avoid unnecessary flooding, and do not overuse exclamation marks, and also avoid using too many CAPITAL LETTERS, the use of which will give your interlocutor(s) an ambiguous opinion about you. You should not use a large number of emoticons (English Smile - smile), which are digital (letters - encoded numbers) expression of emotions. As proof of my rightness, I will give a quote from www.bash.org.ru: “I am verbose and a master of polemical argument, a master of the ligature of words and an illusionist of speech. I am a verbal walking dictionary of synonyms of the Russian language. I can make a Balinese platypus from any okapi, even if they are not found in Bali. I can sell the Eskimos a wagon of potatoes without a wagon and potatoes, but with high boots and a bag of snow. But even I am not omnipotent, and I can only shake my head at a remark at the level of “:)))))).” Violation of the “unwritten code of communication” will reveal the interlocutor as an inexperienced or “too young” user; it is unlikely that you will be able to have a fruitful conversation with him, and his messages will simply be an eyesore. (“Sirs, Peers, know when to stop” (c) A. Conan Doyle). It is worth restraining your emotions, expressing yourself to the point, and being moderately verbose, then communicating with you will not be a burden to others.
Virtual communication
Nowadays, in addition to the traditional methods of face-to-face communication, there are also many virtual ones. For example, communication via short message service (SMS), which involves communication between people who have mobile phones. ICQ (ICQ for short) is computer program, allowing you to type and see messages from one or more people on the monitor. These are the main methods of virtual communication, but there are still many branches (IRC, Skype, forums, etc.) The problem with this kind of unreal communication is the lack of direct contact with the interlocutor, which makes it impossible to understand the person with whom you are communicating sufficiently to trust him. In essence, letters forming words on your screen are an expression of the thoughts of the interlocutor. But this is not enough for full communication, because there is no visual contact and the voice of the interlocutor cannot be heard (Skype is an exception). Another missed point in virtual communication is emotions. In netiquette there is a way to express some primitive feelings (sadness, smile, laughter), but it’s worth thinking about whether a colon with a closing bracket “:)” can convey the smile of a white-toothed beauty? Hardly. And there is no way to observe the uncontrolled reaction of the interlocutor’s body to any of your statements (be it embarrassment that contributes to redness of the face). We will not see this, which leads to inferior communication. There is also no possibility to feel the timbre of the voice, beat and other aspects of phonetics. It all comes down to monotonous clattering on the keyboard. The life of conversation, the playfulness of demagogues, the aesthetics of dialogue are lost. What remains of communication etiquette are a few bytes of rules hanging alone on the official IRC communication website, which almost no one reads.
It is vital for any person to know good manners. The norm of behavior should be the manifestation of good manners. Cultured man must know the rules of etiquette and comply with them. The ability to present yourself, as well as make a good impression, will give you the opportunity to gain confidence and feel comfortable in absolutely any society.
What is speech etiquette? Speech etiquette - rules of polite communication and speech behavior. The ability to master speech etiquette helps to achieve authority, trust and self-respect. The constant use of speech etiquette in a business community leaves a positive impression of the organization on partners and clients and accumulates a positive reputation.
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Photo gallery: Speech etiquette - rules of polite communication
Greetings.
When meeting, you should say hello not only to someone you know, but also to someone you don’t know, if you need to contact this person with some request or question. Certain rules of communication and norms of etiquette exist not only in relation to the forms of greetings, but also to the conditions under which it is more appropriate to use one or another form.
Usually the first to greet:
- man - woman;
- younger - older;
- a younger woman - an older one, as well as an older man;
- junior employees - senior employees;
- latecomer - waiting;
- the one who enters the room - those already present;
- the one who passes - the one standing;
- passing by - overtaking.
Under the same conditions, the more polite person greets first.
A woman entering a room with guests already gathered there must be the first to greet those present, without waiting for the men to greet her. In the meantime, men should not wait for a woman to come up to them and say hello. It will be better if the men themselves rise up and meet her halfway.
If a person enters a room where there are guests invited by the owner, it is necessary to greet all the guests at once or each of those present separately. Approaching the table, a person must greet those present and again greet each of his neighbors at the table, sitting down in his place. In this case, in both the first and second cases, it is not necessary to shake hands.
When greeting a lady, as well as a person of senior status or age, a seated man must stand up. If he greets people passing by with whom he does not intend to talk, the man may not stand up, but only sit up.
At formal receptions, the host or hostess is greeted first, then the ladies, first the older ones, then the younger ones; after - more senior men, and only then the rest of the guests. The host and hostess must shake hands with all guests invited to their home.
If there are married couples at the reception, then the women greet each other first, then the men greet them, and only then the men greet each other.
A woman walking with a man greets a woman walking or standing alone first. If you are standing with someone and your companion greets a stranger, you need to greet him too. If you meet someone you know in the company of a stranger, you need to say hello to both of them. It is also necessary to greet everyone in the group you approach.
Performance.
There are a number of rules of polite communication that must be followed when meeting people and making introductions. A man, no matter what age or position, is always the first to introduce himself to a woman. Those older in age (as well as in official position) should be represented younger women and men, a familiar person - a less familiar one (provided that they are of the same gender and age). If two people have the same position, then the younger one should be introduced to the older one, the subordinate to the boss, if there is only one person, then he is introduced to the couple or a whole group, society, the woman should also be the first to be introduced to the married couple. In this case, you first need to say the name of the person introducing yourself. You can’t just bring people up to each other and say, “Get to know each other.” It is rude to force people to identify themselves.
If a man sits while being introduced, he must stand. A woman does not have to stand up, except for those moments when she is introduced to an older lady (or position). After introductions, people should exchange greetings or, more likely, handshakes. The first person to extend his hand is the one to whom they are introducing themselves. Giving a couple of fingers or their tips instead of a hand is impolite. If a lady or a person senior in rank or age does not shake hands, you need to bow slightly.
Conducting a conversation.
The tone of the conversation should be absolutely natural, continuous, smooth, but in no case meticulous and playful, this means that you need to be knowledgeable, but not pedantic, cheerful, but you should not make noise, you need to be polite, but you cannot exaggerate politeness .
In “high society”, communication etiquette allows you to talk about everything, but you cannot delve into anything. When talking, all serious polemics should be avoided, especially when talking about religion and politics.
No less a necessary condition for a well-mannered and polite person is the ability to listen. If you know how to listen carefully to a story without interrupting the narrator, and be able to show your interest in the place with questions like: “And what happened next? "," This is incredible! How could this happen? ”, “And how did you deal with this? ”, then any person will be pleased to talk with you.
Do not try to overwhelm your interlocutor with erudition. Nobody wants to feel stupider than others. But if you don’t know about something, don’t be shy to talk about it. Most people like to talk about something that their interlocutors do not know.
In society, you cannot start talking about yourself until you are specifically asked to do so. But even in this situation, you need to be modest and not overestimate yourself and your capabilities.
You should not talk at a long distance, this will attract the attention of people around you, but you should not communicate “closely”.
It is important for a modern person to have a certain culture and behave correctly with others, regardless of their social status. To do this, his speech must be correct and polite, and the rules of speech etiquette must be followed.
A good conversationalist is one who knows how to listen carefully, without interrupting and listen respectfully, sincerely empathize and be interested in the story.
What does it mean to be able to persuade a business partner to your point of view and influence him so that he does what is needed in your interests, while respecting his own interests, that is, this is the ability to find common language with your partner.
The specificity of speech etiquette is that it characterizes both everyday language practice and the language norm. Indeed, the rules of speech etiquette are used in everyday life by any native speaker (including those who have poor command of the norm), easily recognizing these formulas in the flow of speech and expecting their interlocutor to use them in certain situations. Elements of speech etiquette are absorbed so deeply that they are perceived by the “naive” linguistic consciousness as part of the everyday, natural and logical behavior of people. If you do not know the rules and requirements of speech etiquette, and do not comply with them (for example, addressing an adult stranger as “you”), others may perceive them as wanting to offend, as bad manners.
The basis of speech etiquette are speech formulas, example character, which depend on the situation and on the characteristics of communication. Any act of communication has a beginning, a main part and a final part. In this regard, speech etiquette formulas can be divided into 3 main groups:
1. Speech formulas for starting communication;
2. Speech formulas used in the communication process;
3. Speech formulas for ending communication.
Rules and norms of speech etiquette at the beginning of communication: address, greeting.
Address is one of the most important and necessary components of speech etiquette. After all, appeal serves as an integral part of communication and is used throughout the entire communication.
From time immemorial, circulation has performed several functions. The main one is to attract the attention of the interlocutor. This is a vocative function.
Since, as appeals they are used as proper names, and names of people by degree of relationship (father, uncle, grandfather), by position in society, by profession, by position, by age and gender (old man, boy, girl), the address, in addition to the vocative function, indicates the corresponding attribute.
So, appeals can be expressive and emotionally charged, containing an assessment: Irochka, Irka, a bungler, well done, well done. The peculiarity of such addresses is that they characterize both the addressee and the addressee himself, the degree of his education, his attitude towards the interlocutor, emotional state. The following words of address are used in informal communication; only some of them, for example proper names (in their basic form), names of professions, positions, serve as addresses in official speech.
Greeting: If the interlocutors are unfamiliar with each other, then they begin communication with an acquaintance. This can happen directly or indirectly. According to the rules of good manners, it is not customary to enter into a conversation with a stranger and introduce yourself. However, there are situations when it is still necessary to introduce yourself. Etiquette suggests some formulas:
Allow me to get to know you.
I would like to meet you (you).
Let me get to know you.
I would be glad to meet you.
Let's get acquainted.
Let's get to know each other.
When visiting any institution or office, when you have a conversation with an official, you need to introduce yourself to him using one of the formulas:
Let me introduce myself.
My name is Alexander Gennadievich.
Mikhail Sidorov.
Ekaterina Ivanova.
If the visitor does not identify himself, then the one to whom they came asks himself:
What is your (your) last name?
What is your (your) name, patronymic?
What is your (your) name?
What is your (your) name?
Official and informal meetings of acquaintances, and sometimes strangers, begin with a greeting.
In Russian, the main greeting is hello. It comes to us from the Old Slavonic verb zdravstva, which means “to be healthy,” i.e. healthy. Also, in addition to this form of greeting, a greeting is common that indicates the time of the meeting: Good morning, good afternoon, good evening.
Speech etiquette of greetings also provides for the nature of behavior, i.e., the order of greetings. First to greet:
Man - woman;
Younger (younger) in age - older (elder);
A younger woman - a man who is significantly
older than her;
Junior in position - senior;
A member of the delegation is its leader (regardless of whether the delegation is local or foreign).
The initial formulas of communication are opposed to the formulas used at the end of communication. These are formulas for parting, stopping communication. They wish:
All the best to you!
Goodbye;
I hope to see you again: See you this evening (tomorrow, Friday). I hope we won't be apart for long. Hope to see you soon.
Speech etiquette, one way or another, is connected with the situation of verbal communication and its parameters: the personalities of the interlocutors, the topic, place, time, motive and goals of communication. First of all, it represents a complex of linguistic phenomena that are focused on the addressee, although the personality of the speaker (or writer) is also taken into account. This can best be demonstrated by the use of You - and You - forms in communication. General principle is that you are a form that is used as a sign of respect and greater formality of communication; You are a form, on the contrary, it is used in informal communication between equals in age and position. However, the implementation of this principle may involve various options depending on how the participants in verbal communication are related by age and/or service hierarchy, whether they are in family or friendly relationships; on the age and social status of each of them, etc.
Speech etiquette is revealed in different ways. It depends on the topic, place, time, motive and purpose of communication. So, for example, the rules of verbal communication may differ depending on whether the topic of communication is a sad or joyful event for the participants in the communication; There are specific etiquette rules associated with the place of communication.
Speech etiquette provides for several principles that are determined by the situation. The most common 3 situations are: solemn, working, mournful. Solemn occasions include public holidays, anniversaries of the enterprise and employees, receiving awards, birthdays, name days and significant dates of the family or its members, presentation, conclusion of an agreement, creation of a new organization, etc. For every special event and significant date, invitations and congratulations follow. Depending on the situation (official, semi-official, informal), invitations and greeting cliches change.
Invitation:
Allow me (allow me), I will invite you.;
Come to the celebration (anniversary, meeting..).
Congratulation:
Please accept my (most) heartfelt (warm, sincere) congratulations..;
On behalf of (on behalf of) congratulations;
I sincerely (warmly) congratulate you.
As in many other situations of interpersonal communication, congratulations must be extremely correct, appropriate and sincere. Congratulations are a socially accepted ritual of respect and joy for a loved one, but this is in no way a way of conducting a conversation or correspondence; congratulations should not contain purely personal topics and questions of the addressee of the congratulation.
A sad situation is associated with death, death, murder and other events that bring misfortune and grief. In this case, condolences are expressed. It should not be dry, official.
Formulas of condolences, as a rule, are stylistically elevated and emotionally charged:
I want to express (to you) my (my) sincere condolences.
I offer (to you) my deepest condolences.
I share (understand) your sadness (your grief, misfortune).
The listed beginnings (invitation, congratulations, condolences, expressions of sympathy) do not always turn into business communication, sometimes the conversation ends with them.
In everyday business settings (business, work situations), speech etiquette formulas are also used. For example, when summing up the results of work, when determining the results of a sale of goods, there is a need to thank someone or, conversely, make a remark. At any job, in any organization, someone may have the need to give advice, make a proposal, make a request, express consent, allow, prohibit, or refuse someone.
Here are the speech cliches that are used in these situations.
Gratitude:
Let me (let me) thank you;
The company (directorate, administration) expresses gratitude to all employees for…
In addition to official thanks, there are also ordinary, unofficial thanks. This is the usual “thank you”, “thank you”, “you are very kind”, “no need for thanks”, etc.
Politeness and mutual understanding.
Let's consider the relationship between such phenomena as etiquette and politeness. Since politeness is one of the concepts of morality, let us turn to the Dictionary of Ethics, which defines politeness as follows: “... a moral quality that characterizes a person for whom respect for people has become an everyday norm of behavior and a habitual way of treating others.” This means politeness is a sign of respect. Politeness is both a willingness to provide a service to someone who needs it, and delicacy, and tact. And, naturally, timely and appropriate speech manifestation - speech etiquette - is an integral element of politeness.
If politeness is a form of showing respect for another, then respect itself presupposes recognition of the dignity of the individual, as well as a sensitive and sensitive attitude towards another.
Rules and norms of speech etiquette at the end of communication: farewell, summarizing and compliments.
End of communication: At the end of a conversation, the interlocutors use formulas for parting and ending communication. They wish:
All the best to you!;
Goodbye!;
Hope for a new meeting (See you in the evening (tomorrow, Sunday);
I hope for a short separation. Hope to see you soon.
In addition to the usual forms of farewell, there is a long-established ritual of compliments. A tactfully and timely compliment lifts the mood of the recipient and sets him up for a positive attitude towards the interlocutor.
A compliment is said at the beginning of a conversation, during a meeting, acquaintance, or during a conversation, when parting. A compliment is always nice. Only an insincere compliment, a compliment for the sake of a compliment, an overly enthusiastic compliment are dangerous. The compliment refers to appearance, speaks of the recipient’s good professional abilities, his high morality, and gives an overall positive assessment:
You look good (wonderful).
You are (so, very) charming (kind, beautiful, practical).
You are a good (excellent, wonderful) specialist.
It’s a pleasure (excellent, good) to do business (work, cooperate) with you.
It was very nice to meet you!
You are a very nice (interesting) person (interlocutor).
When parting and saying goodbye, according to custom, there are verbal clichés. They are called parting words. They originate from antiquity, when they were almost spells, for example, “the path is like a gulley,” “neither fluff nor feather,” etc. It was believed that a happy journey or the success of some business depended on parting words. Now the parting words have been simplified: “Goodbye”, “All the best”, “Farewell”, “You will be healthy”.
Features of speech etiquette during distance communication: communication via telephone, Internet.
Scientific and technological progress has introduced a new culture of communication into etiquette - communication using the telephone. N.A. Akishina in her book “Speech Etiquette of Russian Telephone Conversations” writes:
“The etiquette of a telephone conversation requires a short course of time, which is caused by the following reasons: the impossibility of a conversation with many subscribers at once, the daily routine of the recipient of the call is unexpectedly and unplanned, the telephone is intended to resolve urgent issues, the time of the telephone conversation is paid.
As can be seen from the above, telephone conversation“is a form of oral spontaneous dialogue carried out using technical means.”
Unlike contact oral speech communication, a telephone conversation is mediated. The interlocutors do not see each other, and therefore communication takes place without such important means nonverbal communication, such as somatism (gestures, posture, facial expressions), reliance on the situation, the significance of the spatial location of the interlocutors, and this leads to the activation of verbal expression.
Among the etiquette requirements for oral speech, the intonation of the statement occupies an important place. A native speaker can accurately identify the entire range of intonations - from emphatically polite to dismissive. Although it is important to determine which intonation corresponds to speech etiquette and which goes beyond it, general view, without taking into account the specific speech situation it is unlikely to work. The same statements pronounced with different intonations express different oppositions: in meaning, in actual division, in stylistic shades, and including in expressing the attitude of the speaker to the listener.
This relationship can determine which intonation structure should be used in a given case and which should not. Thus, in accordance with etiquette rules, intonation should not indicate a dismissive or patronizing attitude, an intention to lecture the interlocutor, aggression or challenge. This is especially true for various kinds of interrogative statements.
In addition to intonation, oral speech is distinguished from written speech by the use of paralinguistic signs - gestures and facial expressions. From the point of view of speech etiquette, the following paralinguistic signs are distinguished: those that do not carry a specific etiquette load; required by etiquette rules (bows, handshakes, etc.); having an invective, offensive meaning.
At the same time, the regulation of gestures and facial expressions covers not only the last two categories of signs, but also signs of a non-etiquette nature - up to purely informative ones; cf., for example, the etiquette prohibition of pointing a finger at the subject of speech.
In addition to all this, the requirements of speech etiquette can extend to the paralinguistic level of communication as a whole. For example, in Russian speech etiquette it is prescribed to refrain from too animated facial expressions and gestures, as well as from gestures and facial movements that imitate elementary physiological reactions.
At the same time, it is significant that the same gestures and facial movements can have different meaning in different linguistic cultures.
Conclusions on the first chapter
Every native speaker should strive to improve his own speech culture; he must know and understand the expressive means of the Russian language, be able to use them, be able to use the stylistic and semantic riches of the Russian language in all its structural diversity. When using speech etiquette, there is a transfer social information about the speaker and his addressee, about whether they are familiar or unfamiliar, about official and social status, about personal relationships, about the setting in which the conversation is being conducted (official or informal), etc.
Any society at any moment of its existence is heterogeneous, multifaceted, and that for each layer and layer there is both its own set of etiquette means and neutral expressions common to all. And there is an awareness that in contacts with another environment it is necessary to choose either stylistically neutral or means of communication characteristic of this environment.
schoolboy speech etiquette teacher
When they speak to people, they should be polite, polite, reasonable,
rather than talking a lot. Then listen and don’t interrupt other people’s speeches, but let everyone speak out and then present your opinion. If a sad thing happens and a sad speech happens, then you should be sad and have regret. On a joyful occasion I will be joyful
This is how an unknown author instructs the youth of Peter the Great’s times "Youth of the Honest Mirror"
Speech etiquette has always existed in one form or another. The culture of communication has ritual, sacred roots. For our ancestors, the word had sacred power. They believed that speech affects people and the world around them. It was believed that only with the help of words can certain events be caused or avoided. Expressions that we now perceive as simple formulas politeness, used to be wishes that, according to the speaker, had quite material power. For example, thank you - “God bless”, “hello” - “be healthy”. Can you imagine how responsibly you need to approach your speech with such a worldview? Even in ancient times, there were prohibitions on certain words and phrases, which we now perceive as swearing, abusive, and we also try not to use.
In a broad sense, speech etiquette enables people to communicate successfully with each other. In this meaning, it is associated with the postulates of information transfer, which were formulated by the Anglo-American researcher Herbert Paul Grice in 1975:
- the message must be truthful and have a basis (quality);
- the message should not be too short or lengthy (quantity);
- the message must be valuable to the recipient (attitude);
- the message must be understandable and not contain unclear words and expressions (method of delivery).
Speech etiquette as a system manifests itself at different levels of language:
- at the dictionary level this is special vocabulary, set expressions ( Please, Thank you, I'm sorry, I beg your pardon, Goodbye), accepted forms of address ( comrade, madam, sir);
- at the grammatical level - plural for polite address (for example, the pronoun You), replacing imperative sentences with interrogative ones ( Could you please help me?);
- at the stylistic level - cultural speech, literacy, refusal of obscene words, use of euphemisms;
- at the intonation level - depending on the intonation, the same phrase can sound either polite or offensive;
- at the level of correct pronunciation: for example, you should say “ Hello" instead of " Hello";
- at the organizational and communication level: you cannot interfere in someone else’s conversation, interrupt the interlocutor, etc.
Speech etiquette in business communication
Dale Carnegie, author of the world bestseller “How to Win Friends and Influence People,” wrote that a person’s success in financial affairs depends approximately 15% on professionalism and 85% on communication skills. And the master is certainly right. Speech is the most important part of a business image. The ability to use words to convince, win over, and lead is a key skill successful person. Let's look at the applied rules of speech etiquette that will help you at work.
Theater begins with a hanger, and the culture of communication begins with a greeting. If the meeting participants do not know each other, they need to introduce themselves to each other. The head of the host party calls himself first, then the chief among the guests. Next they introduce their colleagues. If a large delegation has arrived, it is necessary to prepare a list indicating the full names and positions of all participants.
At a business meeting, the younger one is introduced to the older one, regardless of gender. If you've met your partner before, it's best to introduce yourself again. If someone has not identified themselves, you can ask them to do so. Try to remember names right away so as not to look discourteous later.
It is customary to shake hands as a sign of greeting and agreement at a business meeting. The age-old question: who should give a hand first? Here they are, these people:
- the person to whom you are introduced;
- one who is higher in position and older in age;
- a woman, and she may not participate in the handshake at all, the choice is hers.
General principles
