TY - JOUR
T1 - Convergence in the rhetorical pattern of directness and indirectness in Chinese and U.S. business letters
AU - Wang, Junhua
PY - 2010/1
Y1 - 2010/1
N2 - This article examines rhetorical patterns in claim letters from two universities, one in China and one in the United States, to see whether these patterns are convergent. A genre-based textual analysis of the claim letters, written by two different cultural groups of participants, found that both groups of letters display a similar rhetorical preference for directness and indirectness. The author explores how local contextual factors have contributed to these groups of participants' preference for similar rhetorical patterns and calls for the integration of contextual factors in intercultural rhetoric research, practice, and pedagogy.
AB - This article examines rhetorical patterns in claim letters from two universities, one in China and one in the United States, to see whether these patterns are convergent. A genre-based textual analysis of the claim letters, written by two different cultural groups of participants, found that both groups of letters display a similar rhetorical preference for directness and indirectness. The author explores how local contextual factors have contributed to these groups of participants' preference for similar rhetorical patterns and calls for the integration of contextual factors in intercultural rhetoric research, practice, and pedagogy.
KW - Claim letter
KW - Contextual factors
KW - Convergence
KW - Directness and indirectness
KW - Indigenous language practices
KW - Intercultural rhetoric
KW - Rhetorical pattern
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U2 - 10.1177/1050651909346933
DO - 10.1177/1050651909346933
M3 - Letter
AN - SCOPUS:70450270669
SN - 1050-6519
VL - 24
SP - 91
EP - 120
JO - Journal of Business and Technical Communication
JF - Journal of Business and Technical Communication
IS - 1
ER -