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Article published In: Applied Pragmatics
Vol. 6:1 (2024) ► pp.86–114

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Analysis of external modification devices and framing moves in request emails

The case of Chinese learners of Japanese

ORCiD logo with link | New York University
Published online: 28 November 2023
DOI logo with link
https://doi.org/10.1075/ap.22001.sun
Abstract
The purpose of this study was to examine the pragmatic competence of writing request emails by Chinese learners of Japanese (CLJs). The study focused on the features of the external modification devices and framing moves of request emails by CLJs when compared to emails by native speakers of Japanese (NSJs). Data were collected from 104 CLJs and 53 NSJs, using an Electronic Writing Discourse Completion Test questionnaire. One-way ANOVA results showed that as the CLJs’ levels of proficiency in Japanese increased, their use of external modification devices and framing moves tended to increase. In addition, a Fisher’s exact test showed that as the CLJs’ proficiency increased, a distinct statistical difference only existed in the use of individual framing moves, but not in that of individual external modification devices. This study provides conceptual categories and utterances used in both external modification devices and framing moves for teaching email communication to CLJs.
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
  • 2.Literature review
    • 2.1External modification devices of requests in interlanguage pragmatics
    • 2.2Request emails and framing moves
  • 3.Method
    • 3.1Participants
    • 3.2Research design and data collection
      • 3.2.1Questionnaire
      • 3.2.2Procedures
    • 3.3Classification scheme
    • 3.4Data analysis
  • 4.Results
    • 4.1Descriptive statistics of the three groups’ use of external modification devices and framing moves
    • 4.2Differences in framing moves across groups
      • 4.2.1Results of framing moves by fisher’s exact test
      • 4.2.2Differences in supportive moves and aggravating moves across groups
  • 5.Discussion
    • 5.1CLJs’ structural moves and language use in writing request emails
    • 5.2Strategies that could be affected by chinese sociocultural norms
    • 5.3Differences between NSJs and CLJs in their language use in email writing
  • 6.Conclusion
  • Acknowledgments
  • Notes
  • References
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