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The influence of culture and identity on the writing of cover letters : insights from the South African context
Thesis (MA)--Stellenbosch University, 2024.
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| Format: | Thesis |
| Language: | en_ZA |
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Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University
2024
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| _version_ | 1867613878018375680 |
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| access_status_str | Open Access |
| author | Meyer, Iola Elizabeth |
| author2 | Bernard, Taryn |
| author_browse | Bernard, Taryn Meyer, Iola Elizabeth |
| author_facet | Bernard, Taryn Meyer, Iola Elizabeth |
| author_sort | Meyer, Iola Elizabeth |
| collection | Thesis |
| dc_rights_str_mv | Stellenbosch University |
| description | Thesis (MA)--Stellenbosch University, 2024. |
| format | Thesis |
| id | oai:scholar.sun.ac.za:10019.1/130220 |
| institution | Stellenbosch University (South Africa) |
| language | en_ZA |
| last_indexed | 2026-06-10T12:43:08.148Z |
| license_str | Other — see source repository |
| provenance_str_mv | Harvested via OAI-PMH from SUNScholar — Stellenbosch University Repository |
| publishDate | 2024 |
| publishDateRange | 2024 |
| publishDateSort | 2024 |
| publisher | Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University |
| publisherStr | Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University |
| record_format | dspace |
| source_str | SUNScholar — Stellenbosch University Repository |
| spelling | oai:scholar.sun.ac.za:10019.1/130220 The influence of culture and identity on the writing of cover letters : insights from the South African context Meyer, Iola Elizabeth Bernard, Taryn Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. Dept. of General Linguistics. Cover letters English language -- Study and teaching Language and culture -- South Africa Intercultural communication -- South Africa UCTD Genre analysis Thesis (MA)--Stellenbosch University, 2024. ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Genres are cultural activities and practices which have become fixed over time in terms ofstructure, or “moves” (Swales, 1990; Bhatia, 1993), and other linguistic features. Researchershave long established there is cultural variation across genres (Hou, 2013:46) but much lessattention has been given to the ways in which individual identities and contexts influenceproduction of a particular genre of text. For this reason, the following study investigates oneparticular genre within the South African context: the cover letter. To date, no other researchhas examined this topic in this context.In order to investigate this, student participants with diverse socio- cultural and linguisticbackgrounds were recruited from a South African university, and asked to write a cover letterin response to a job advertisement. The move structure analysis of the letters was guided byBhatia (1993) and Swales (1990), while linguistic features related to persuasion were analysedwith a framework drawn from Hyland (2005) and Hyland and Tse (2004). Once the initialanalysis was completed, participants were invited to a semi-structured interview. This was toboth to gain further insight into the participants’ culture and identity, and discuss factors whichinfluenced structural and linguistic choices.In terms of structure, the South African cover letters were found to be relatively similar to thosefrom studies conducted in other countries (representing other nationalities and cultures).However, data from interviews indicated greater nuance in explaining why individualparticipants made particular generic and linguistic choices. Theoretically, the study contributesto an understanding of the methodological approach to genre analysis, one more aligned withnon-essentialist and constructivist approaches to culture and identity. On a more practical level,this study sheds light on factors influencing the communicative choices and preferences of adiverse group of South Africans in the job-seeking process. AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Genres is kulturele aktiwiteite en praktye wat oor tydperk vasgestel is in terme van struktuurof ‘bewegings’ (Swales, 1990; Bhatia, 1993) asook ander linguistiese eienskappe. Navorsershet lankal vasgestel dat daar kulturele verskille oor verskeie genres bestaan (Hou, 2013:46),maar minder aandag is aan individuele identiteite en agtergrondinvloede van ‘n spesifieketeksgenre geskenk. Vir hierdie rede, ondersoek die studie ‘n spesifieke genre in die Suid-Afrikaanse konteks: die dekbrief. Geen navorsingstudie het al voorheen hierdie spesifiekegenre en konteks ondersoek nie.Studente met diverse socio-kulturele en linguistiese agtergronde vanaf Suid-AfrikaanseUniversiteit het ingestem om aan die studie deel te neem en daar is van hulle verlang om ‘ndekbrief in reaksie op werksadvertensie te skryf. Die struktuuranalise is deur Bhatia (1993) enSwales (1990) gelei, terwyl linguistiese eienskappe wat verband hou met oorreding deurraamwerk van Hyland (2005), Hyland asook Tse (2004) evalueer is. Deelnemers is na semigestruktureerdeonderhoud genooi, nadat die eerste analise afgehandel is. Die doel hiervan was,om verdere insig in deelnemers se kultuur en identiteit te kry en om faktore wat struktureleasook linguistiese keuses beïnvloed, te bespreek.Die Suid-Afrikaanse dekbrief was relatief vergelykend met ander studies in ander lande (waarverkeie nationaliteite en kulture betrokke was). Data van verskeie onderhoude het voorsieningvir groter begrip oor geringe verskille gemaak en dit het gehelp om te verduidelik hoekomindividuele deelnemers sekere algemene en linguistiese keuses maak. Teoreties gesproke, dradie studie tot die metodologiese benadering van kultuur en identiteit by. Op ‘n meer praktiesevlak, help die studie om faktore aangaande die kommunikasiekeuses en voorkeure van diversegroup Suid-Afrikaners in die werksoekfase uit te lig. Masters 2024-03-02T12:35:56Z 2024-04-26T09:40:44Z 2024-03-02T12:35:56Z 2024-04-26T09:40:44Z 2024-03 Thesis https://scholar.sun.ac.za/handle/10019.1/130220 en_ZA Stellenbosch University 170 pages : illustrations, includes annexures application/pdf Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University |
| spellingShingle | Cover letters English language -- Study and teaching Language and culture -- South Africa Intercultural communication -- South Africa UCTD Genre analysis Meyer, Iola Elizabeth The influence of culture and identity on the writing of cover letters : insights from the South African context |
| title | The influence of culture and identity on the writing of cover letters : insights from the South African context |
| title_full | The influence of culture and identity on the writing of cover letters : insights from the South African context |
| title_fullStr | The influence of culture and identity on the writing of cover letters : insights from the South African context |
| title_full_unstemmed | The influence of culture and identity on the writing of cover letters : insights from the South African context |
| title_short | The influence of culture and identity on the writing of cover letters : insights from the South African context |
| title_sort | influence of culture and identity on the writing of cover letters insights from the south african context |
| topic | Cover letters English language -- Study and teaching Language and culture -- South Africa Intercultural communication -- South Africa UCTD Genre analysis |
| url | https://scholar.sun.ac.za/handle/10019.1/130220 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT meyeriolaelizabeth theinfluenceofcultureandidentityonthewritingofcoverlettersinsightsfromthesouthafricancontext AT meyeriolaelizabeth influenceofcultureandidentityonthewritingofcoverlettersinsightsfromthesouthafricancontext |