University of Helsinki,
Department of Teacher Education
Research Report 1992/99
Seppo Tella
Talking Shop Via E-Mail: A Thematic and
Linguistic Analysis of Electronic
Mail Communication
(249 + 43 pages)
Abstract
The linguistic purposes were (i) to focus on contents (themes and topics),
and (ii) to analyse the way the target language (English) was used in e-mails.
Communicativeness and the roles of the communicator (writer--reader) became
central , emphasising the multidirectional character of e-mail communication
. The basic tenet of communicativeness and a naturalistic communicative
learning environment in classrooms was connected to the question of the
degree of initiative and free negotiable topic choice.
The research method was based on an
ethnographic approach complemented by a thematic and linguistic analysis
on contents and language.
The research problems included issues
concerning content (themes and topics) and language used in e-mail communication.
The Finnish participants consisted of six classes (Form 1 or 2) in three
senior secondary schools, with four teachers of English (mother tongue:
Finnish). The foreign participants consisted of schools in Britain and the
USA (with further contacts in Austria, Canada, the former Federal Republic
of Germany, the former German Democratic Republic, Iceland, Japan, and Sweden).
Data was gathered during fieldwork (November 1989--May 1990).
New contents and focuses on methods
of work were achieved. Process-led collaborative e-mail communication encouraged
writing and exchanging ideas across the world in open-ended linguistic situations
in an information-rich learning environment A collaborative effort made
writing more public, drawing social and negotiation skills into focus. The
modes of writing also became more versatile. From students' viewpoint, negotiable
topic choice was in harmony with the official curriculum. E-mails formed
a new repository of teaching and learning materials.
E-mails written on-line resembled oral
communication (elliptical language, colloquialisms, casual style, focus
on cohesion). Non-verbal communication was replaced by textual visualisations.
Off-line writings showed more textual and linguistic coherence and were
more hierarchically organised wholes. Phatic use of language (contact establishing
and supporting) was essential to the functionality of the communication
channel. Artistic, emotive, and poetic language was widely used besides
referential or informative use of the target language.
Keywords: Electronic mail, Communications Networks, Computer-Mediated
Communication, Computer-Assisted Language Learning, Foreign Language Teaching,
Written Text Production, Senior Secondary School.