Empirical research on economic letter writing is minimal. There is a need to explore the use of various distinctive elements of writing a business letter in order to learn and explain them profoundly, so as to provide sufficient background on how to correspond effectively in economic references. We take a keen interest in Latvian letter writing culture and the concepts employed in writing letters such as application letters, contract letters, government and business letters, as well as translations of Latvian business letter references into English. This expounds on the gradual adaptation of Latvians to the English language and highlights how rich Latvian language culture is.
This paper examines the different components involved in writing a business letter. It also delves into the context of English globalization as a corporate lingua franca, highlighting its nativization in various business writing cultures. The research background focuses on the Latvian style and genre.
Differences in the style and format of economic letters in Latvia are pivotal in understanding the changes of culture, language, and their adoption of English as a second language. Research shows that cultures around the world are adopting English as their lingua franca to facilitate the gradual incorporation of their communication genres into English-speaking cultures. This allows them to become part of the league of English-speaking cultures without compromising their social-cultural linguistic structures.
In Latvia, the capital letter is overused in writing, making it a norm in Latvian speech. Surprisingly, this norm was adopted from an English convention. The complexity of adapting norms and incorporating them to suit the cultural structure of a society’s language requires research. Additionally, the shift in cultural beliefs and openness to the English language is of interest. This can be examined by analyzing various styles of letter writing.
The exploration of English as a lingua franca in the context of business writing and Latvian style economic letter writing is important. This helps us understand the significance of using English as a mode of communication for economic issues and also allows for a thorough understanding of Latvian economic correspondence.
Business letters, also known as economic letters, play a crucial role in corporate relations. They are written to address specific issues that require resolution. These issues may include establishing business contacts within and outside the country, buying or selling products and services, advertising, and other business-related activities. It is essential to consider ethical principles when composing a business letter to ensure that the intended message is conveyed effectively through the correspondence.
When writing a business letter, it is important to consider ethical considerations. The letter should be short and concise, with content that relates directly to the subject of business. The writer’s knowledge and relationship with the addressee should guide the editing and arrangement of the letter’s content.
Latvian business letters have unique aspects that are of interest to researchers due to their recent adoption of English as a second language. Further empirical research is needed to understand how they are adapting English to suit their cultural lingua when writing economic letters.
This paper explores the differences and basics of writing an economic letter from an English perspective. It also analyzes the Latvian context of economic letter writing to rationalize the need for a standard business letter in business communication. The findings of this paper project a growing interest in using English, by adapting some aspects of grammar to suit native language culture.
Business Letter Writing and an Analysis of Latvia’s Concepts
English has become almost universal, with more and more people learning it as a second language. This trend is due to globalization, rapid migration, cultural cohesion, intermarriage, and the merging of the corporate world through the internet.
Good Business English involves clear and effective writing that accurately conveys the intended message. The conventions for writing letters are based on ethical considerations that cannot be compromised due to the importance of business communication.
According to Ivanova (2007), business communication is a crucial aspect of business relations. Therefore, business correspondence becomes essential in maintaining these relationships. This includes the methodology of writing the letter, its contents, and arrangement which give an idea of the overall personality of the writer as well as their proficiency in language (Ivanova, 4).
Business text in an international context should have common stylistic idiosyncrasies, regardless of the genre. These idiosyncrasies include brevity and conciseness, economic use of language, proper arrangement and structure of the letter, usage of special lexis and phraseological clichés, and narrative nature (Ivanova, 44).
Latvian business letters conform to key aspects of communication in economic references. They utilize basic concepts that project business letters as the primary means of conveying corporate progression. Ivanova argues that business letters should have specific features that distinguish them from other types of correspondence, giving them a functional style.
These styles are functional:
- Objectivity
- Formality
- Specificity and accuracy
- Rationale
- Imperativeness
- Politeness
Latvian business letters conform to the formal aspect of writing, making them communicative and concise. This ensures that the essence of communicating through writing is effective.
However, it is notable that there are differences in the format of business letters in Latvia. Application letters are written in reverse, while company communication using business letters follows a top-down approach. However, Latvia is working hard towards implementing the European strategy.
In Latvia, CVs are structured in reverse chronological order with marital status usually given under the heading of personal details. Skills and extracurricular activities are included at the bottom of the CV (labour.com 2007, pg 1).
Latvians are gradually adopting English as a second language due to external pressures. The diversity of Latvian style when writing business letters has made them subjects of debate and cross-examination by scholars since business” covers various contexts such as marketing and application letters among others.
The use of different styles in text while conforming to basic phraseologies and idiosyncrasies is an interesting paradigm. Empirical research on these paradigms sheds light on the context of English use in Latvia, as well as the use of English in writing business letters in Latvia.
The Context of Business Letter Writing in Latvia
The Latvians began using English in the early nineties due to closer interaction between European societies. This close interaction has resulted in the use of English in Latvia and different methodologies for writing and structuring documents using English but in a Latvian format. The English language has become a basic tool for international communication, particularly in business.
A notable controversy in Latvian writing is the overuse of capital letters. According to Birzniece (2006), this affects both English and Latvian usage. Sometimes, authors whose first language is not English shift new capitalization standards or norms of Latvian to their English texts. This assumption disregards the fact that any language is culturally laden and that norms of orthography carry meaning (Birzniece 2006:58).
The use of capital letters in Latvian texts is a complex issue, particularly when it comes to letter writing. The style of the prose sheds light on these paradigms. Overuse of capital letters is common in Latvia, which has sparked interest and empirical research. According to Birzniece (2006:58), this overuse is observed in personal pronouns, specifically the second person plural pronoun jūs.” Birzniece explains that the Latvian language has two forms of the second person singular personal pronoun: the real singular “tu” and plural “jūs.” The plural form is used when addressing several people or a single person with respect, formality, or seniority.
This norm is present in many European languages. In Latvian orthography, the standard textbooks suggest capitalizing the second person plural pronoun in personal writing. Therefore, the use of capitalized tu” and “jūs” in all case forms is expected only in a limited range of writing such as personal letters, invitations, and applications. This practice is done to show respect and demonstrate formality to the person being addressed and to honor them (Birzniece 2006:58 and Romane 2000:59).
Romane’s observation is paramount in the cross-examination of English pedagogy in Latvia. He notes that the capitalized 2nd person pronoun is a functional norm in many cases of writing. Through a broader business writing context, Romane observes the same case in many Latvian contemporary business texts, such as bank brochures. His summation is that this pronoun practically always appears in uppercase when addressing a potential client who is important but still not recognized by the text writer.” No difference is observable between texts addressing many personalities and those directed to specific individuals.
When compared to standardized business writing, it is observed that other forms of idiosyncrasies, apart from pronoun context, style and format, are the same as Basic English format. Writing business letters involves a few basic concepts as mentioned earlier; however, various empirical approaches have been highlighted as vital. The types” of letters are categorized by style and format differences leading to two methodologies (styles). Empirical research by George Mason University on the diversity of writing business letters found that there are two methodologies for writing them.
These methodologies must adhere to a specific set of important factors. According to research, a good business letter should be brief, straightforward, and polite. Ideally, it should be limited to one single-spaced typewritten page. Due to its brevity, a business letter is often evaluated based on small yet significant elements such as format, grammar, punctuation, openings and closings. It is not appropriate to use fancy fonts or experimental writing styles in a business letter (George Mason University Writing Center 2006:1).
The two styles for writing effective business letters are:
- Full block style: This method of writing a business letter aligns all text and its elements to the left margin of the paper.
- Modified block style: This method requires writing the text down the middle of the page and aligning the return address, date, closing, signature, and typed name in that same direction. The other elements of the text are aligned to the left margin of the paper. (George Mason University Writing Center 2006:1)
Writing an application letter in Latvia requires certain skills and a good understanding of the culture of business letter writing in the country. It is crucial for the applicant to focus on crafting a convincing letter that will persuade the recruiter to invite them for an interview. A key factor in achieving success is highlighting relevant experience with the English language, which is highly valued in Latvia. Additionally, it’s important to adhere to the basic format of Latvian letters style.
In Latvia, CVs typically follow a reverse chronological order structure. Personal details such as marital status are usually included at the beginning, while skills and extracurricular activities are listed towards the end of the document (www.labourmobility.com).
The Latvian society views the plural form as the norm when talking to those who are unfamiliar. The use of singular or plural carries strong connotations, with the singular often expressing trust, friendship, and liking. However, in some instances, its use is seen as rude. This difference in connotation creates a vacuum in the Latvian concept of distance difference. Geert Hofstede’s argument on distance based on speech perspective highlights the importance of respect during speech and challenges misconceptions about connotation power.
The power distance is derived from the strength of connotation and is an aspect of the difference in age and objective comprehension of age and respect in society. According to Geert Hofstede, power distance is defined as the degree of inequality among people which the population of a country considers as normal: from relatively equal (that is, small power distance) to extremely unequal (large power distance)” (Hofstede 1993: 89). Therefore, it can be concluded that Latvia has a strict differentiation in language between singular and plural personal addresses, indicating higher rather than lower power distance (Birzniece 2006: 60).
Within the business context, the use of capitalized you” is prevalent in all manner of business writing, especially in marketing texts. Marketing texts serve as mediums of communication between sellers and customers. Hence, within the faculties of English pedagogy, they are letters or rather passionate appeals to customers to buy these items. They are letters profiling the products that sellers deem essential in customers’ lives and worth purchasing.
In Latvia, authors have made it a norm to use capitalized “you” in formal business communication. However, within formal English faculties, it is considered incorrect to capitalize “you,” and it’s deemed faulty and confusing in prose. Regardless of learning grammar rules, Latvian English philologists have carried this norm from Latvian orthography making it prevalent in English texts within Latvia (61).
Learning English in Latvia has become essential. While Russian used to be the dominant language, since the 90s, learning English as a second language has become increasingly important. As a result, English has become the most crucial second language (Bond et al., 2001).
Translations of Latvian business letter terminologies.
This is a sample Latvian style government letter. It is an excerpt from the IMF website.
Below is a Letter of Intent from the Government of Latvia, describing the policies they intend to implement in their request for financial support from the IMF. This document is the property of Latvia and is being made available on the IMF website as a service to its users, by agreement with Latvia.
June 15, 2000
Dear Mr. Köhler,
The Supplementary Memorandum of Economic Policies attached herewith outlines the policies that the Government and the Bank of Latvia plan to implement for the remaining period of the program. This economic program is built upon our Memorandum of Economic Policies, dated November 10, 1999. It has been reviewed and updated in consultation with IMF staff during the first review of economic developments and policies under the stand-by arrangement.
Our economic policies are focused on ensuring that the recent renewal of economic growth is durable and that our external position remains sustainable. Our program is built on reducing the fiscal deficit this year and returning to fiscal balance over the next several years. We will combine these measures with efforts to enhance the efficiency, effectiveness, and transparency of the public sector. At the same time, we are continuing to implement structural reforms necessary for Latvia to reach its full economic potential. While we intend not to make any purchases under the stand-by arrangement, we would do so if circumstances warrant.
We believe that the policies described in the attached memorandum are adequate to meet the objectives of our economic program. However, we are committed to taking additional measures to meet these goals should the need arise. Several actions discussed in the memorandum and noted in Table 1 will be taken prior to IMF Executive Board consideration of the first review. The second review of the program will be completed by end-December 2000.
The second review will focus on public sector reform efforts and financial sector developments and oversight, in addition to a comprehensive evaluation of economic performance under the program. The program will also be evaluated based on a number of quarterly performance criteria for end-September and end-December, as well as structural benchmarks proposed in Table 2 attached herewith.
The Context of Latvian Letters
The style of writing business letters in Latvia differs depending on the purpose of the communication. Job applications and vocational letters have different connotations compared to advertising and other forms of business communication, which require a different style. The application letter is the most popular and interesting type of business letter in Latvia. In written communication, Latvians tend to be reserved and very formal. Writing is an important means of communication in Latvia as it represents a more authoritative style. Latvians value accuracy and precision in their business and other correspondence.
We will examine this letter and determine what sets it apart from others. Typically, the letter is written in either English or Latvian and should be typed and printed. It should also be brief and to the point. Latvians place great emphasis on making the purpose of their letters the focal point, which adds flair to their writing.
Genre, style, and formal English are important aspects of business letter writing.
Although previously mentioned, there is still a significant amount of interest in empirical research regarding both English pedagogy and the essential components of writing a business letter. Empirical research has identified the primary areas of focus for business letter writing as being the format, style, and language structure. From an English language perspective, it is important to adhere to specific standards and ethical considerations when composing a business letter.
According to Jenkins and Hinds (1987: 327), the process of business letter writing is a creative discovery that occurs in three recurring stages: pre-writing, writing, and re-writing. This recursive process enables writers to refine their letters until they are polished and effective.
When examining the style of writing business letters from an English perspective, it is important to note that there are two forms: formal and informal. However, it is essential to contextualize these styles within Latvian traditions before applying them in a Latvian business setting.
Full block style is a method of writing a business letter in which the text and all its elements are aligned to the left margin of the paper.
The modified block style requires writing the text down the middle of the page. The return address, date, closing, signature, and typed name should be aligned in the same direction as the text. The other elements of the text should be aligned to the left page margin of the paper (George Mason University Writing Center 2006:1).
Jenkins and Hinds suggest that business letter writing should be viewed as the process of creating meaning. It is an examination of a highly prescriptive form of written communication that increases our understanding of the varied interpretations, the purpose of the customer-corporate partner, and readers’ expectations (327).
A close examination of the elements of a letter shows that they are keys to a successful letter. The return address of the company, which represents the writer, is important to facilitate intended responses reaching them after submission. The second most important element is the date on which it was written. This is followed by inside address, salutation, body, closing, signature and position of the letter writer.
The use of English is widely seen as the key to globalization. According to Laamanen, English can undoubtedly be called a genuine and global lingua franca used as a contact language between people who do not share a native language (4). Graddol suggests that it is the dominant language of international organizations, science, higher education, business, audio-visual cultural products, tourism, technology, and the Internet (1997:8).
Empirical research on the usage of English shows that the correct norms of usage are shifting away from native speakers of English. In fact, cultures are transforming the norms to suit their cultural faculties. Scholars define this as the nativization of English. The nativization of English has helped in globalizing it to the status of lingua franca. This has been achieved through various strategies such as examining whether unclear words or utterances may be ignored in the hope that they will be understood later in interaction.
Abnormal or marked words or phrases may also be made normal” by indicating that one has understood them despite their peculiarity. The strategies used to achieve “normality” and cope with what is often perceived as incompetence in the foreign language differ from person to person.” (Laamanen 2004: 8)
Business communication, from the perspective of letters, is often viewed as a matter of ethics and qualifications. There is a culture within the context of business writing that involves the language-speech relation and its purposeful functions. This further involves the culture of business communications and the types of letters drafted in various English cultures. Besides, there is a profound preference for the type of communication that is replicated in written form. This means that oral and written dialogue are predominant in the sense that they are represented in figures of speech used by letter writers in their communication.
There are also factors that determine connotation, meaning, and brevity when writing a business letter. The letter entirely depends on important factors such as distance between sender and addressee.
In the context of business writing, the principles employed also involve the relationship between the writer and receiver. Individuals who are acquainted with each other may have a different approach to writing their letters. Ivanova argues that understanding the main principles of business communication and mastering idiosyncrasies of business correspondence is a prerequisite for successful professional realization in competent business correspondence (Ivanova 2007: 5).
The style of the letter is formal, with the content explaining the business aspect. The letter uses strict normative language to regulate the writer’s perceptions, needs, and thoughts objectively. The linguistic form is also formal, using terms and expressions similar to legal regulations to convey the seriousness of the writer and their interests in explaining them through the letter (Ivanova 27).
This style is associated with the higher social class due to the rapid changes experienced in the social structure, which subsequently affected both the social and political classes. Ivanova explains that business letter style is characterized by stability, traditional nature, restraint, and standardization of language used to express oneself (27).
The genre of an English business letter depends on the concept of speech activity. This is the writer’s realization of their social and communicative needs while writing the letter. The way they express themselves on paper determines how the receiver will evaluate and interpret their thoughts, as the purpose of writing a letter is to communicate these thoughts effectively.
When a person writes a statement, they aim to convey a message in a concise manner. They rationalize and evaluate the thought before rationalizing it again. According to Jenkins and Hinds (1987: 327), the process of business letter writing is recursive and occurs in three stages: pre-writing, writing, and re-writing.
During the process of rationalizing, it is important to assess personal speech and evaluate the conciseness and command level of written messages. The writer perceives through the screen of text, creates a mission statement in the letter, and evaluates the facts that support this statement. Supporting statements are then formulated to help send the message home (Malderz, A. and Wedell, M. 2007).
Written business messages have evolved to become imperative in their culture. These messages conform to traditional norms and adhere to a strict syntactic structure with numerous participles and gerund constructions. The lexicon is chosen carefully as it is meant for visual perception rather than auditory. Additionally, these messages follow a strict structural organization, including paragraphs, chapters, page numbering, footnotes, indenting, lines, and proper grammar (Ivanova pg 98).
The purpose of this hypothesis is to project the continuum of grammar as an integral aspect of communication in business letters. The underlying context of Latvian business letter writing is an offshoot of English norms.
This hypothesis is derived from the fact that writing in English consists of a set of norms that have been assimilated into various cultures, including Latvian culture. The Latvian writing system and conventions align with those of English, indicating that the tradition of English has been present and adopted in various cultures through education.
Business communication requires adherence to ethical standards and conciseness (Kotler, Philip 2006). Labanova argues that language will unite global communities in the new millennium. A survey on English language acquisition in Latvia supports this perspective. English was introduced to various countries through British colonization, resulting in Canadian English, American English, and Pidgin English. Today, English has become a global lingua franca. As Labanova states: Mankind has just graced the threshold of a new millennium. What will unite people in the future? Probably a common language – most likely the English language” (Labanova 2006:1).
The sentiment is shared by Berg et al who assert that the high status of English as both the language of international communication and an important code of communication in many elite domains might be important in shaping the climate for language shift. Hence, it influences language use patterns of the coming decades” (Berg et al 2001:313-314).
The globalization of grammar has resulted in different perspectives on the norms of English usage. Bamgbose highlights the contradiction in correct nouns and pronouns and various connotations, which creates a pull between English writing norms and culture. According to him, there is a constant tug-of-war between native and non-native English norms (Bamgbose 1998:1).
The use of English is achieved through the absorption of its norms into the language culture of the community in question. Subsequently, society members, or rather native speakers, provide guidance on which norms to use in speech. This is particularly observed when non-native speakers engage in discussion and consider native speakers as providers of correct norms. They insist on maintaining a standard variety based on British and American English as a basis for teaching English as an international lingua franca and as a means of cross-cultural communication (Laamanen 2004: 18, Quirk 1985:5-6, Preisler 1995:342).
This has made English a language of the people, and even native English speakers cannot control or claim it. According to Laamanen, the global diffusion of English has taken an interesting turn: native speakers seem to have lost their exclusive prerogative to control its standardization. In fact, current statistics indicate that they have become a minority. This sociolinguistic fact must be accepted and its implications recognized. What we need now are new paradigms and perspectives for linguistic and pedagogical research, as well as understanding linguistic creativity in multilingual situations across cultures (Seidlhofer 2001 and Laamanen pp18).
British and American English differ in various aspects, including spelling, verbs, tone, and pronunciation. Case studies on different writing structures highlight the significant differences between British and American English. According to Labov, Ash & Boberg (2006), American English is a standard dialect with a set accent that is widely used by the American community and easy to learn.
British English is a uniform language, both in speech and in written form. It is renowned as the Queen’s English (Hargraves, Orin 2003) and is distinct in both dialect and accent. Apart from differences in speech, the two also differ in spelling. Notable examples include words like labour” and “labor”.
The purpose of this paper is to compare and analyze the differences in lexis, grammar, and syntax between Latvian letters and English business letters. The focus is on the benefits of writing English business letters in a global society, with a special interest in the Latvian business letter writing culture.
It can be summarized that special features in written speech are of interest. In Latvian business texts, the use of the capital you” is a symbol of speech that denotes various aspects of intended perceptions, including respect and even disrespect.
We have also explored the differences between American English business letter writing and the American style of business letter writing. Although briefly, the results of the analysis reveal differences in spelling, dialect, and figures of speech. However, this is overshadowed by the similarity in the style of writing business letters. Both use a similar format and style, and over the years have begun to let go of strict grammar rules in both dialects and accents.
From a Latvian perspective, we can assert that there are significant differences in both accent and figure of speech between business letters and related correspondences. The use of plurals, singulars, and subjugation in Latvian writing differs from standard English. This makes Latvian English and its culture of speech and writing quite interesting. Despite the growing interest in researching cultures and the nativization of English in Europe, there is still a need to explore the nativization of the English language in Latvia since the early nineties.
From a Latvian perspective, we have observed gradual changes taking place in the strategic business texts in Latvia. Based on empirical research and the hypothetical perspective of this paper, we conclude that there is an internalization of English norms into Latvian and the absorption of Latvian norms in English language texts. Additionally, there is an overuse of upper and lower case letters within the body of text.
This research suggests that Latvians expect the use of what they believe to be correct, and therefore may not view deviations from the norm in business texts favorably (Bond, Dzintra; Markus, Dace; Stockmal, Verna 200). This is a contentious issue in English pedagogy in Latvia and should serve as a wake-up call to Latvian scholars. Veisbergs argues that language is dynamic and changes over time. He suggests that there should be more flexibility in elevating new tendencies and uses to the level of the norm (Veisbergs 2006: 2).
When writing economic letters from an English perspective, it is important to have both the necessary skills and conformity to idiosyncrasies that determine how easily the intended message will be understood by the recipient. The use of a common format in business letter writing also reflects closely on this typology, with the aim of making English a lingua franca. This perspective is becoming increasingly important in the internationalization of the English language and should be emphasized.
We also conclude that English business letters are notably interesting and require a conscious effort towards brevity and respect. They convey concise information without the use of artistic forms such as idioms or metaphors. This makes business letter writing more of a lesson in conveying important information while maintaining a reliable system of courtesy and precision in writing.
