COHESION AND PRAGMATICS: INVESTIGATING (IM)POLITENESS STRATEGIES IN EMAIL COMMUNICATION
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Abstract
This study found that ‘(im)politeness’ is not a stable notion. Interactions are constantly renegotiated based on contextual cues. The purposes and (im)politeness meanings of speech acts vary depending on the situation. Interactants’ assessments of an act might be influenced by previous interactions, including norms interpersonal relationships, and background knowledge. The verbal meaning of an act may differ from its context-specific meaning. This study reveals that computer-mediated paralanguages, such as emoticons and written laughing, have a significant role in determining (im)politeness and building intercultural understanding in emails.
The article concludes with suggestions for using email in language teaching and learning. Email correspondences with individuals from diverse backgrounds can help language learners build pragmatic language skills and intercultural understanding. This thesis recommends additional study on the pragmatic functions of paralinguistic cues in computer-mediated communication.
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References
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