E-mailhilsner: Relation, variation og akkommodation

Abstract

In this paper, we present a study of how Danish language users choose to greet each other in emails. The study is based on an online survey with 1311 anonymous respondents. The study shows that the choice of greeting forms is no trivial matter but something that prompts much consideration. Greeting forms are expressions of phatic communication, but they are also signals of how the senders assess the relation between themselves and the receiver. As a consequence of this, we see that accommodation is a driving force in the choosing of greeting form.