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Person- versus content-oriented approaches in English and German email responses to customer complaints : a cross-cultural analysis of moves and first-person pronouns

Rebecca Van Herck, Babette Dobbenie and Sofie Decock (UGent)
(2021) INTERCULTURAL PRAGMATICS. 18(2). p.203-243
Author
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Abstract
This cross-cultural study examines the differences in communicative styles between English and German email responses to customer complaints by analysing their discourse structure (through a rhetorical move analysis) and the frequency of first-person references (Iandweand their different forms). The framework is given byHouse (House, Juliane. 2006. Communicative styles in English and German.EuropeanJournal of English Studies10(3). 249–267.), who suggests that English speakers tend to use a more interpersonal (i.e., people-oriented) communicative style, while German speakers show a preference for a transactional (i.e., content-oriented) style. In addition,first-person references within the genre of email responses to complaints are associated with either the customer service agent’s personal or corporate identity. The data consist of 150 English and 84 German authentic emails. The results of the move analysis reveal that the discourse structure of both data sets is mainly similar, but the few differences point into the direction of support for House’s framework, in particular the dimension on addressee- or content-orientation. Although agents generally use more we than I-references in both data sets, thus exhibiting mainly a corporate identity, they tend to use the opposite in some moves (e.g., Apology), which points to pronominal shifting across move level, as suggested in previous research (Zhang, Yi &Camilla Vásquez. 2014. Hotels’ responses to online reviews: Managing consumer dissatisfaction. Discourse, Context and Media 6. 54–64.). Overall, the German agents use more we-references compared to their British colleagues. Finally, agents use pronominal shifting within move level to distance themselves from the company.
Keywords
Linguistics and Language, Communication, Language and Linguistics, computer-mediated communication, email responses to customer complaints, first-person pronoun, interpersonal and transactional moves, move analysis, online complaint management, SERVICE RECOVERY, COMMUNICATION, IMPACT

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MLA
Van Herck, Rebecca, et al. “Person- versus Content-Oriented Approaches in English and German Email Responses to Customer Complaints : A Cross-Cultural Analysis of Moves and First-Person Pronouns.” INTERCULTURAL PRAGMATICS, vol. 18, no. 2, 2021, pp. 203–43, doi:10.1515/ip-2021-2003.
APA
Van Herck, R., Dobbenie, B., & Decock, S. (2021). Person- versus content-oriented approaches in English and German email responses to customer complaints : a cross-cultural analysis of moves and first-person pronouns. INTERCULTURAL PRAGMATICS, 18(2), 203–243. https://doi.org/10.1515/ip-2021-2003
Chicago author-date
Van Herck, Rebecca, Babette Dobbenie, and Sofie Decock. 2021. “Person- versus Content-Oriented Approaches in English and German Email Responses to Customer Complaints : A Cross-Cultural Analysis of Moves and First-Person Pronouns.” INTERCULTURAL PRAGMATICS 18 (2): 203–43. https://doi.org/10.1515/ip-2021-2003.
Chicago author-date (all authors)
Van Herck, Rebecca, Babette Dobbenie, and Sofie Decock. 2021. “Person- versus Content-Oriented Approaches in English and German Email Responses to Customer Complaints : A Cross-Cultural Analysis of Moves and First-Person Pronouns.” INTERCULTURAL PRAGMATICS 18 (2): 203–243. doi:10.1515/ip-2021-2003.
Vancouver
1.
Van Herck R, Dobbenie B, Decock S. Person- versus content-oriented approaches in English and German email responses to customer complaints : a cross-cultural analysis of moves and first-person pronouns. INTERCULTURAL PRAGMATICS. 2021;18(2):203–43.
IEEE
[1]
R. Van Herck, B. Dobbenie, and S. Decock, “Person- versus content-oriented approaches in English and German email responses to customer complaints : a cross-cultural analysis of moves and first-person pronouns,” INTERCULTURAL PRAGMATICS, vol. 18, no. 2, pp. 203–243, 2021.
@article{8701307,
  abstract     = {{This cross-cultural study examines the differences in communicative styles between English and German email responses to customer complaints by analysing their discourse structure (through a rhetorical move analysis) and the frequency of first-person references (Iandweand their different forms). The framework is given byHouse (House, Juliane. 2006. Communicative styles in English and German.EuropeanJournal of English Studies10(3). 249–267.), who suggests that English speakers tend to use a more interpersonal (i.e., people-oriented) communicative style, while German speakers show a preference for a transactional (i.e., content-oriented) style. In addition,first-person references within the genre of email responses to complaints are associated with either the customer service agent’s personal or corporate identity. The data consist of 150 English and 84 German authentic emails. The results of the move analysis reveal that the discourse structure of both data sets is mainly similar, but the few differences point into the direction of support for House’s framework, in particular the dimension on addressee- or content-orientation. Although agents generally use more we than I-references in both data sets, thus exhibiting mainly a corporate identity, they tend to use the opposite in some moves (e.g., Apology), which points to pronominal shifting across move level, as suggested in previous research (Zhang, Yi &Camilla Vásquez. 2014. Hotels’ responses to online reviews: Managing consumer dissatisfaction. Discourse, Context and Media 6. 54–64.). Overall, the German agents use more we-references compared to their British colleagues. Finally, agents use pronominal shifting within move level to distance themselves from the company.}},
  author       = {{Van Herck, Rebecca and Dobbenie, Babette and Decock, Sofie}},
  issn         = {{1612-295X}},
  journal      = {{INTERCULTURAL PRAGMATICS}},
  keywords     = {{Linguistics and Language,Communication,Language and Linguistics,computer-mediated communication,email responses to customer complaints,first-person pronoun,interpersonal and transactional moves,move analysis,online complaint management,SERVICE RECOVERY,COMMUNICATION,IMPACT}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  number       = {{2}},
  pages        = {{203--243}},
  title        = {{Person- versus content-oriented approaches in English and German email responses to customer complaints : a cross-cultural analysis of moves and first-person pronouns}},
  url          = {{http://doi.org/10.1515/ip-2021-2003}},
  volume       = {{18}},
  year         = {{2021}},
}
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