Language and Culture

Seminars, week 5: Linguistic style on the Internet

 

Email style

 

 

16 Andrew Road,

Inverness,

 IV90 OLL.

Phone: 01463 34454

 

13th February 2000

 

The Personnel Manager,

Pandy Industries PLC,

Florence Building,

Trump Estate,

Bath,

BA55 3TT.

 

Dear Sir or Madam,

 

I am interested in the post of Deputy Designer, advertised in the “Pioneer” of 12th February, and would be glad if you could send me further particulars and an application form. I am currently nearing the end of a one-year contract with Bolney & Co, and have relevant experience and qualifications, including a B.Sc. in Design Engineering and an M.Sc. in Industrial Design.

 

Thanking you in anticipation, I remain,

Yours faithfully,

 

A Aziz

 

From http://www.askoxford.com/betterwriting/letterwriting/sampleletters/

 

 

 

 

  1. It is often said of email that although it has to be produced with a keyboard and read on a screen, as a style it has more in common with speech than with writing.  The above is a sample written letter offered as an example for non-native speakers learning English.  I invite you to translate it into ‘email style’.

 

From:S. C. xxXxxxxx@xxxxxx . xxxxxx. corn

Subject:info on pares,etc(papers that is)

To:msdanet@pluto.mscc.huji.ac.il

Date:Mon. 5 Sep 94 12:37:18 EDT

 

iHi,

 

just got the email message from the IJVR (?) sorry, only subscribed recently, and may have inverted letters) re: the special edition, and the call for papers am quite curious, and could greatly/would greatly appreciate if you could forward further info.. . . also, anything on some research in the area -   I am working on a new college course with a colleague, on virtula reality, cyberspace, the virtua world, and we are looking for data, evcerywhere. She did a paper last year on the nuances and politicis and culture of email. . . . its going into a cs journal, shortly; perhaps it may be modifiable and adaptable to your issue? Also-I notice from your letter Prof. Rafaeli’s connectionn with bus. admin I also treach management, and have been looking for some extra info to help put together a course proposal forusing internet to do business research. .. . any suggestions? lye found a few syllabi online that are slightly in that area, but not totally. .looking forward to hearing from you, and best wishes in the new year to all. 

 

.S.C.xxxxxxxx@xxxxxx . xxxxxx. Corn

 

From: Brenda Danet, Cyberplay, Oxford 2001, p.72

 

 

  1. Make a list of all the linguistic features of this email which seem to you to either identify it as an email (as distinct from a traditional typed letter) or to demonstrate trends in the development of email as a new genre of English writing.