A Cross-cultural Pragmatic Study on Openings and Closings in Upward Academic Request Emails

This study reports on a study of the use and forms of openings and closings, as rapport-management
strategies in academic request emails to university instructors by graduates, who formed three
discourse communities, i.e. Chinese, British and Chinese English speakers. Using discourse analytic
techniques, a total of 187 emails from 155 postgraduates were analyzed and a number of similarities
and differences or divergences were identified. The findings suggest that the discursive practices
were subject to intricate and dynamic relations between a number of macro- and micro-contextual
factors, and some technical features of emails against different socio-cultures. It is hoped that the
results will contribute to enhancing knowledge in the field of rapport management and electronic
communication across cultures.