Message Design and Recipients’ Perception in Intercultural Emails: Iraqi Non-Native English Speakers’ Emails to Australian Native Speakers

This study investigates the relationship between English non-native speakers’ linguistic behaviour in email communication and native speakers’ attitudinal reactions. Authentic email messages were collected from Iraqi non-native English speakers and evaluated by Australian English native speakers in terms of clarity, style, structure and appropriateness. The email messages were analysed at the discourse level and matched with Australian participants’ evaluations. The results showed that in addition to canonical moves of subject line, opening, request and closing, non-canonical moves, such as establishing the background, introducing self, promoting further contact and thanking/appreciating the recipient, were used more frequently in positively evaluated emails than in negatively evaluated ones. The results were discussed in terms of the limitations of email as a text-based communication channel and the role of non-canonical moves in adding positive effect to the email message.