SALUTATIONS AND SIGNING OFFS IN NATIVE AND NONNATIVE'S INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS ELECTRONIC MESSAGES

Abstract

The study is an analysis of electronic messages transmitted by international native and nonnative buyers and sellers of different products. The aim is to identify the salutations and signing off formulas, the underlying contextual factors behind the use of these formulas, and how these factors influence the people's choices. The study also sheds light on the differences and similarities between native and nonnative speakers in the use of such formulas. It is expected that 1) the purpose of communication, the topic, the medium, and social distance play part in the way greetings and closings are formed, and 2) nonnative speakers show more concern about the conventional standards of commercial letters than the native speakers.