The aim of this paper is to present the sociolinguistic and linguistic approaches of theinternational negotiation in its details and of the argumentation in general. Several authors arethus mentioned: in alphabetical order, Jean-Michel Adam, Klaus Brinker, Karl Bühler, OswaldDucrot, Erving Goffman, Roman Jakobson, Catherine Kerbrat-Orecchioni and Eddy Roulet. In allcases of negotiation the question is to “save the face”, a notion taken from E. Goffman, and to keepa trust relationship and insurance with one’s interlocutor.