1。 Introduction 

With the development of globalization, communications and all-around cooperation between the China and America are on the rise。 As apology is an indispensable part in communication, better knowledge of apology can ensure better intercultural communication。

Apology is a complicated language phenomenon。 When A’s behavior offends B’s face, B needs to redeem face to relieve this threat。 Apology is a way that can take to redeem face when offends other’s face。 Apology can eliminate offender’s uneasiness and alleviate his guilty conscience。 Apology can not only defuse contradictions and harmonize relationship but also purify soul and enhance inpidual moral cultivation。 In all, the apology can maintain face and evince good manners。来自优O尔P论R文T网WWw.YoueRw.com 加QQ7520`18766

There are different forms of apology from different angels。 There are verbal apology and nonverbal apology (according to different conditions), oral apology and written apology (according to different ways of transmission), and formal apology and informal apology (according to different styles)。

The speech acts play an important role in social interactive behavior and it must be interpreted as an aspect of social interaction。 In this regard, apology, one of the universal speech acts of human beings attracts the attention of pragmatists and sociolinguists。

There are many researches have done over the past years and most of the researches have made achievement。 Based on these achievements, the thesis aims at helping people be better aware of the differences of apology between China and America and help people make appropriate apologies in intercultural communication。 This thesis are consisted of five parts。 Part one is the definition and function of the apology。 Part two is the review of researches made by our predecessors and the introduction of the ways of research。 Part three discusses the difference between the Chinese and Americans。 It includes the difference of apology between the students in university and between the superior and subordinate from the frequencies and strategies。 Part four explores the reasons for the existence of differences in apology。 Part five is conclusion。 

2。 Literature Review

2。1 The definition of apology

Apology has narrow sense and broad sense。 Narrowly speaking, it refers to sentences that includes sorry or forgive and so on words。 However, in terms of board sense, J。 Holmes defines it as such a verbal behavior: if A is person who needs to make an apology and B is offender, the apology means that A makes an apology to B to make up his offensive conduct so A can redeem his face。 (Jia 374) Only in this way can they restore verbal behavior。 Based on this theory, Foster adds that apology may happen only two essential conditions are set up。 Firstly, speaker admits that he is responsible for his behavior。 Secondly, the speaker’s own behavior leads to consequence that offends listener’s so he wants to send the message of regret。 Apology is a verbal behavior that if A offends B, he can maintain B’s face by apologizing and he can make up the consequence that caused by offence, so that he can restore harmony with B。 (Jia 189)

 2。2 Previous studies on apology abroad论文网

In the late 1970s, foreign scholars made some researches about apology and they put many theory model and ways of research。 

G。 N。 Leech puts forward a set of general guidelines about the polite principles and others relating to it。 This set of guidelines was shared by all society and all groups。 However, the similarities of the polite principles that all the society and all groups were obeyed are deserved to be studied and discussed further in a way。 As a result, G。 N。 Leech classified the polite principles that in communication into the following six principles。 The first is Tact Maxim that means hurt other less as far as possible and benefit others more。 The second is Generosity Maxim that means benefit oneself less and benefit others more。 The third is Approbation Maxim that means dispraise other less and praise them more。 The fourth is Modest Maxim that means dispraise oneself more and praise oneself less。 The fifth is Agreement Maxim that means decrease the pergence less and increase the agreements more。 The last one is Sympathy Maxim that means decrease the dislike and increase the sympathy。 (Jia 287-293) The conclusion that speakers give others more convenience when speaking in order to make others feel that they are respected in communication, and favorable impression from others can be gained at the same time。