This is the first edited collection focusing exclusively on how second language users interpret and engage with the processes of email writing. With chapters written by an international array of scholars, the present volume is dedicated to furthering the study of the growing field of L2 email pragmatics and addresses a range of interesting topics that have so far received comparatively scant attention. Utilising both elicited and naturally-occurring data, the research in this volume takes the reader from a consideration of learners’ pragmatic development as reflected in email writing, and their perceptions of the email medium, to relational practices in various email functions and in a variety of academic contexts. As a whole, the contributions incorporate research with learners from a range of proficiency levels, language and cultural backgrounds, and employ varied research designs in order to examine different email speech acts. The book provides valuable new insights into the dynamic and complex interplay between cultural, interlanguage, pedagogical, and medium-specific factors shaping L2 email discourse, and it is undoubtedly an important reference and resource for researchers, graduate students and experienced language teachers.
Author(s): Maria Economidou-Kogetsidis, Milica Savić, Nicola Halenko
Series: Pragmatics & Beyond New Series
Edition: 1
Publisher: John Benjamins Publishing Company
Year: 2021
Language: English
Pages: 266
Email Pragmatics and Second Language Learners
Editorial page
Title page
Copyright page
Table of contents
Acknowledgements
Second language email pragmatics: Introduction
Volume Part I: Email literacy and pragmatic development
Volume Part II: Relational practices in email communication
Concluding remarks
References
Part I. Email literacy and pragmatic development
Chapter 1. Reformulation on Chinese EFL learners’ email literacy: A preliminary exploration
1. Introduction
2. Methods
2.1 Participants
2.2 Instrument
2.3 Procedures
2.4 Data analysis
3. Results
3.1 Research question 1
3.2 Research question 2
3.3 Research question 3
4. Discussion
5. Pedagogical implications and conclusion
References
Appendix A. Internship advertisement
Appendix B. The pretest email written by the participants
Appendix C. The pretest email reformulated by a native speaker
Appendix D. The native speaker model email
Chapter 2. L2 emails of complaints: Strategy use by low and high proficiency learners of English as a foreign language
1. Introduction
2. The study
2.1 Research questions
2.2 Participants
2.3 Data collection
2.4 Data analysis
3. Results
3.1 Research question 1: What pragmatic strategies did the low- and high- proficiency learners employ to carry out the acts of direct and indirect complaints in emails?
3.2 Research Question 2: What cognitive processes did the low- and high- proficiency learners engage in when performing the email writing task?
3.2 Research Question 2: What cognitive processes did the low- and high- proficiency learners engage in when performing the email writing task?
4. Discussion and conclusion
Funding
References
Appendix 1
Appendix 2
Appendix 3
Appendix 4
Appendix 5
Appendix 6
Chapter 3. Long-term instructional effects on learners’ use of email request modifiers
1. Introduction
2. Background
3. Method
3.1 Participants
3.2 Instructional targets
3.3 Instructional procedure
3.4 Data collection procedure
3.5 Data analysis and statistical procedure
4. Results and discussion
4.1 Learners’ frequency of request modifiers
4.2 Learners’ variety of request modifiers
4.3 Learners’ confidence in judging the appropriateness of email request modifiers
5. Conclusions, limitations and pedagogical implications
Funding
References
Appendix 1. Sample activity with five modifier versions (adapted from Zheng and Xu 2019)
Appendix 2. Sample of controlled activity (adapted from Chen 2016)
Appendix 3. Sample email scenario included in the DCT
Chapter 4. Experts and novices: Examining academic email requests to faculty and developmental change during study abroad
1. Introduction
2. Background research
2.1 L2 English request development and study abroad
2.3 Chinese-speakers’ L2 email requests
3. Methodology
3.1 Participants and email data
3.2 Email analysis
4. Findings
4.1 Distinctive features of expert and novice English user request emails (RQ1)
4.2 Examination of changes in novice L2 user email requests (RQ2)
5. Discussion
6. Pedagogical implications
7. Conclusion
References
Part II. Relational practices in email communication
Chapter 5. Phatic communion in Chinese students’ gratitude emails in English: Production and perception
1. Introduction
2. Literature review
2.1 Research on email pragmatics
2.2 Phatic communion
2.3 L2 pragmatic research on gratitude
3. Methodology
3.1 Participants
3.2 Instruments
3.3 Data analysis
4. Findings
4.1 Production of phatic communion in gratitude emails
4.2 Perception of phatic communion in gratitude emails
5. Discussion
6. Conclusions
References
Chapter 6. The effect of first language pragmatics on second language email performance: The case of Greek students’ email requests
1. Introduction
2. Setting the scene: L2 learners and native-speakers’ emails to faculty
3. Methods and procedures
3.1 Data and participants
3.2 Email analysis
2.3 Scoring and statistical analysis
4. Results
4.1 Request head-acts: Strategies and substrategies
4.2 Lexical/phrasal and external modifiers
4.3 Forms of address/salutations
5. Discussion
6. Conclusions
References
Chapter 7. Email communication in English and in German: A contrastive pragmatic investigation of German university students’ emails sent to university staff in their native and foreign language
1. Introduction
2. Literature review
2.1 Greetings
2.2 Closings
3. Methodology
4. Results and discussion
4.1 Greetings
4.2 Closings
5. Conclusion
References
Appendix 1.
Chapter 8. In search of the missing grade: Egalitarianism and deference in L1 and L2 students’ emails to faculty members
1. Introduction
2. Background: Student’s email requests
3. The “missing grade” situation
4. Method: Data, population and analytic tools
5. The findings
5.1 Opening sequence
5.2 Closing sequence
5.3 Content sequence
6. Discussion
7. Conclusions and implications for language teaching
References
Chapter 9. “You are the best!”: Relational practices in emails in English at a Norwegian university
1. Introduction and background
2. Methodology
2.1 Context
2.2 Data
2.3 Data analysis
3. Results
3.1 Opening sequences
3.2 Closing sequences
3.3 Relational moves outside openings and closings
3.4 Examples
4. Discussion
5. Conclusion
References
Index
