An Analysis of Stylistic Variables in Electronic Mail

A stylistic analysis of 200 samples of electronic mail memorandums gathered from four organizations examines patterns of rhetorical choice common to electronic mail, finding a general inattentiveness to providing logical frameworks for readers.

Abstract

This article presents the results of a stylistic analysis of 200 samples of electronic mail memorandums gathered from four organizations. Through systematic counting of textual features such as sentence and paragraph length, grammatical types of sentences, sentence openers, and diction, the study examines patterns of rhetorical choice common to electronic mail. In this sample, writers combined elements of formal and informal discourse but preferred simple coordinate sentence patterns, brief paragraphs, and active verbs. Additionally, the serial structuring of message content and reluctance to coordinate and subordinate ideas into appropriate rhetorical patterns indicate a general inattentiveness to providing logical frameworks for readers.