The Phatic Function of Communication in Romanian Business Negotiations
The Phatic Function of Communication in Romanian Business Negotiations

Summary/Abstract: Both linguists and business people consider phatic communication an important element of business interaction. This article emphasizes the role of the phatic function in business negotiations. It capitalizes on the inventory of the phatic elements identified in spoken Romanian and focuses on those contributing significantly to relevant stages of negotiations. On the basis of real life situations, it is shown how various linguistic elements (vocatives, verbs and verbal phrases, interjections, adverbs, tag-questions and conventional dialogues) are involved in the operation of the communication channel making it work in accordance with the negotiators' communicative intention. Therefore, the quality of interaction and, consequently, success and failure in negotiations may depend on the negotiators' ability of using phatic elements effectively.

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