American Journal Of Philological Sciences
248
https://theusajournals.com/index.php/ajps
VOLUME
Vol.05 Issue06 2025
PAGE NO.
248-250
10.37547/ajps/Volume05Issue06-66
Rules for The Preparation of Diplomatic Documents
Isayeva Gulora Fakhriddinovna
Teacher of Uzbekistan state world language university, Uzbekistan
Received:
25 April 2025;
Accepted:
21 May 2025;
Published:
23 June 2025
Abstract:
Diplomatic documents are documents used in official relations between states, drawn up in accordance
with the norms of international law. They are used to establish cooperation in political, economic, cultural,
military, or other spheres between states, international organizations, or their representatives, to conduct
negotiations, conclude agreements, or regulate relations. Known types of diplomatic documents include notes,
statements, memorandums, official letters, and communiqués.
Keywords:
Etiquette, official style, letter, note, statement, memorandum, documents, diplomacy, neutral words.
Introduction:
Diplomatic correspondence first began to
take shape in the 10th-12th centuries, when it was
called "label" and had its own linguistic patterns and
semantic structural structures. Even today, diplomatic
documents are distinguished by their substantive and
formal-linguistic features. In the process of preparing
such documents, not only the expression of the
content, but also the order in which it is presented is of
great importance. Therefore, the preparation of such
texts requires a high level of knowledge, linguistic
competence and professional skills.
In diplomatic correspondence, it is important to
correctly select the type of document based on its
content, to fully and accurately follow the rules of
writing, and to take into account the traditions of the
country to which the document is being sent. A
diplomatic document, of course, requires a response.
No matter what type of document is sent, the response
must be of the same type. Even a personal letter with a
signed name and patronymic is considered
disrespectful to respond with a signed personal letter.
Diplomatic documents are rarely left unanswered and
are considered a negative situation.
In diplomatic documents, it is absolutely impossible to
make any mistakes in the name of the country to which
the document is being sent, in writing the position,
name, surname and patronymic of the person, and in
the forms of addressing him.
It should be noted that German diplomats are among
the most experienced, advanced and leading in the
world, as they are distinguished by their behavior,
knowledge, eloquence and literacy. These aspects are
reflected in the legal completion of diplomatic
documents and compliance with language rules. In
addition, German diplomatic documents differ in
content and form from those of many of its neighboring
countries, and one of the main factors for this is the
specific features of the German language, since the
riches of this language are effectively used to express a
thought clearly, fluently, logically and at the same time
generalized, without metaphorical meanings. In this
language, which further increases the importance of
diplomacy, in many cases, undoubtedly, international
terms from Latin, Greek, French, and English are used.
The convenience of this language as a language of
diplomacy should be confirmed by another example, as
is known, in diplomatic documents, special attention is
paid to countries, geographical names, and high-
ranking persons and positions, and they are given with
a capital letter, in accordance with the laws of the
German language.
In diplomatic formal style, this is taken seriously, so
special calligraphers are hired for diplomatic service,
and they must have excellent literacy and writing skills,
especially when writing the names of countries and the
names of high-ranking officials.
Official invitations sent by the Federal President are
American Journal Of Philological Sciences
249
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American Journal Of Philological Sciences (ISSN
–
2771-2273)
decorated with a golden eagle, the symbol of the office
of the President.
The Federal Chancellor and federal ministers use
invitations with a colorless Federal Eagle in their official
letters.
Similarly, heads of German diplomatic missions and
consuls abroad are entitled to use invitations in the
same form for official events.
If such invitations are sent in foreign countries, they are
sent in the language of the host country, or in German
if they are intended for German citizens.
If a written invitation is sent to remind of an invitation
that was previously made orally and accepted, then in
this case the invitation does not use expressions such
as “u.A.w.g.” (“um Antwort wird gebeten” –
a response
is expected) or “R.s.v.p.” (“Répondez, s’il vous plaît” –
please respond), but instead uses the symbol “p.m.”
(“pour mémoire” –
for reminder).
Diplomatic documents must also be impeccable in
appearance. They must be written evenly on high-
quality paper, without errors, no letters must be erased
or corrected, and the seal must be in its place. In the
past, the letter was necessarily certified by the ruler’s
seal. The royal seal was considered a sign of
sovereignty, and documents sealed with such a seal
could only be responded to with a second royal seal.
This, of course, was an expression of the equality of
countries. Even now, diplomatic documents are sealed
with the state emblem. They are mainly written on
paper with the image of the state emblem. Special
attention is paid to the correct and proper placement
of the seal. It is required that the seal is not crooked,
and the image of the emblem on it, as well as the image
of the signature, is clearly visible. The envelope in
which diplomatic documents are sent must be the
same size as the letter (paper). It is not recommended
to send diplomatic documents by mail; they can be
delivered in person or sent by courier. The courier must
hand over the envelope to an authorized person and
receive a receipt from him.
No matter how important the form and appearance of
diplomatic documents are, attention should be paid to
the main part, its content. It is necessary to express the
idea clearly, correctly, logically, reasonably, taking into
account the characteristics of the other party. There
should be no ambiguity or vague presentation of
evidence in these documents, since it is impossible to
correct it later or provide separate corrected
information.
Diplomatic correspondence is conducted by the
Ministries of Foreign Affairs in the state language of the
country in question and a translation into an
international language is attached. Embassies can also
conduct correspondence in their state languages or the
language of the country in which they are located. can
conduct in the language. In diplomatic documents, the
emphasis should be very strong on words. Their
language should be simple, fluent, free from figurative
meanings, the word should be absolutely consistent
with the content, and no other meaning should be
understood from it. Expressions like “ther
e seems to be
more to this than meets the eye” have no place in
diplomatic documents. If there is any subtlety or
ambiguity in the meaning of a word, it is best to replace
it with another word.
Thus, diplomatic documents have their own lexical-
stylistic, grammatical, morphological and syntactic
features.
In terms of lexical-stylistics, diplomatic correspondence
has its own system of terms, fixed stable combinations,
various means of expression such as synonyms,
antonyms. It should be noted that while official letters
are required to be free from emotionally colored
words, diplomatic correspondence, on the contrary, is
characterized by its richness in emotionally colored
words, the presence of words of praise and
compliments. Words of praise are one of the necessary
parts of notes-statements, which are the most basic
type of diplomatic correspondence. According to their
more or less frequent use, these documents are also
divided into certain types. For example, in diplomatic
notes, the frequent use of honorific expressions such as
“His Excellency”, “Dear Sir”, and “You may rest assured
of my highest consideration” adds a tone of cordiality
and friendliness. Conversely, limited use of such
expressions gives the correspondence a more formal
and restrained character.
In diplomatic correspondence, it is customary to prefer
positively connoted and literary-style words rather
than stylistically neutral synonyms. For example,
instead of “I inform”, one would use “I wish to express”,
instead of “time” “occasion” or “opportunity”, instead
of “once” —
“on one occasion” or “once only”, instead
of “position” —
“post” or “office”, and instead of
“thanks”—
“gratitude” or “appreciation”. Similarly,
“happy” might be replaced with “pleased” or
“honored”.
In diplomatic notes, idiomatic expressions used
figuratively
—
such as “with utmost willingness,” “we
were overjoyed,” “do not be disheartened,” “acting in
unison,” and “united as one div and soul” —
as well
as proverbs and wise sayings, are widely employed.
Such fixed expressions serve to elevate the tone of the
correspondence and enhance its emotional impact.
Historically, folk idioms were frequently used in
American Journal Of Philological Sciences
250
https://theusajournals.com/index.php/ajps
American Journal Of Philological Sciences (ISSN
–
2771-2273)
diplomatic documents, and even today, they can often
be found in certain types of official or personal
correspondence between high-ranking individuals.
Generally speaking, in diplomatic documents, it is
words that can either make friends or create enemies.
As our people wisely say: "A spoken word is like an
arrow released." A well-chosen and timely word can
bring
nations
closer
and
help
resolve
misunderstandings. Conversely, an inappropriate or
poorly chosen word may lead to negative
consequences.
Therefore,
when
engaging
in
diplomatic
correspondence, one must always bear in mind our
people's wise sayings, such as "He who does not
respect language, does not respect the people," and
"Every word has its weight, and every phrase has its
place."
As
mentioned
above,
diplomatic
writing
is
characterized by its specific terminology. Since much of
this vocabulary is of international origin, many terms
are used without translation.
This particular form of formal style also possesses
distinctive grammatical features. In diplomatic
correspondence, statements are often expressed from
the first or third person perspective; consequently,
predicates tend to appear in either the first or third
person form.
It is worth emphasizing that passive constructions are
frequently employed in diplomatic letters. Even when
an action is taken by the first person, it is often
expressed in a passive or impersonal manner
—
for
instance: “a decision was made by us” rather than “we
decided.”
Moreover, sentence structure in diplomatic writing
tends to rely heavily on coordinating conjunctions such
as “and,” “as well as,” and “also,” while complex
sentences are often connected through subordinating
conjunctions like “because,” “therefore,” “as a result,”
and “thus.” In addition, participial constructions —
using endings like -ing or -ed
—
are commonly used to
create smooth and formal transitions between clauses.
Introductory words and phrases are also widely used in
diplomatic writing, serving to soften the tone, express
politeness, or signal the intent and scope of the
message.
At first glance, the difference between starting a note
with “It is hereby stated that...” and “I have the honor
to inform you that...” may appear insignificant.
However, such nuances can, in fact, have a
considerable impact on intergovernmental relations. A
blunt or overly direct formulation, or the absence of
honorific expressions, may suggest existing tensions or
a lack of goodwill between the states.
If one country adopts such a tone in its diplomatic
communication, the other party is likely to reciprocate
in a similar manner, potentially leading to a cooling of
bilateral relations.
Currently, the following types of diplomatic
correspondence are widely used in intergovernmental
communications:
1.
Notes and statements
2.
Official letters
3.
Cover letters
4.
Semi-official personal letters
5.
Aide-mémoires
6.
Diplomatic (protocol) records
7.
Memoranda
In addition to these traditional and universally
recognized documents, there are other forms of
communication commonly used by many states,
though they may not adhere to a strict format. These
include declarations, addresses by heads of state, and
telegrams.
REFERENCES
Günter Bentele. Diplomatische Kommunikation:
Strategien, Techniken, Praxis. 2010, Springer Verlag.
Wolfgang
Höpner.
Diplomatie
und
Verhandlungsführung, 2005. Nomos Verlag.
Jürgen Schwarz. Diplomatische Korrespondenz, 2012.
De Gruyter- Verlag.
Harold Nicholson. Diplomacy, 1967. Oxford University
Press.
Cornelius van Minnen. Diplomatic Handbook: A Guide
to the Practice of Diplomacy, 2013, Palgrave Macmillan.
Belyakov M.V. Terminology diplomacy: lexicographical
problems. Vestnik RUDN, series theory language.
Semiotics. Semantics. 2012, No. 2,
–
S.84.
Ponomaryova E.V. Lexico-stylistic aspects perevoda
diplomaticheskikh tekstov (na materiale siteov MIDa
Rossii i Germanii). St. Petersburg, 2017. - C.30.
Heller K. Der Wortschatz unter dem Aspekt des
Fachwortes-Versuch
einer
Systematik.
//
Wissenschaftliche Zeitschrift der Karl-Marx Universität,
Leipzig.
