A GENRE ANALYSIS OF STUDENTS' WRITING E-MAIL: A CASE STUDY AT A STATE UNIVERSITY

Abstract

This study analyzed the structure and rhetorical patterns of students' academic email writing using genre analysis within the systemic functional linguistics (SFL) framework. The research addressed student's inconsistency in applying academic email conventions, particularly politeness strategies, which could reduce communication professionalism. It specifically investigated the frequency and consistency of rhetorical moves, focusing on politeness and structural completeness. Using a qualitative case study approach, six authentic academic emails written by university students were examined to identify their rhetorical structure and social functions. The findings revealed that opening salutations, self-introductions, purpose statements, and formal closings were consistently present in all emails, while politeness expressions appeared in only five cases. This suggested that although students generally understood basic email structure, their use of politeness strategies remained inconsistent. The study highlighted the importance of integrating genre-based instruction and recommended explicit teaching of academic email writing to enhance student's pragmatic competence and professionalism in academic communication.