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Comparative analysis of English letter writing Essay Research background  Business letter writing within an international context is of valuable significant in the business and career sector. An interest on business letter writing culture needs to be explored so as to understand various context of how different cultures within an international perspective write business letters. This means more empirical research on business letter writing methodologies and culture.  This will facilitate the easy comprehension of how to relate and even apply for work in different countries and getting an interview and subsequently a job based on the understanding of business letter culture and methodologies of that specific country.  This means, business letter writing culture has various different concepts, which need to be explored. Empirical research on business letter writing show there are various elements and principals of business letter writing. These elements are distinctive and are meant to supply sufficing background on how to correspond effectively in economic references. The context of business letters lies within the profound difference in culture and use of English in different countries. British, American and Canadian styles have almost similar formats but different style as well as different syntax construction elements.  In Canada, which is the key focus of this paper, there are many similarities in the standard format and style of English business letters but the style, syntax formation and word choice seriously dissent with the Standard English business letter. Our focus on the Canadian business letter writing culture and the concepts employed in writing these economic letters like work application letters, contract procurement letters, government trade concessions and incentives letters as well as translation of Canadian business letter reference translations to English. This profoundly draws out the adaptation of the English language by the Canadian culture and the subsequent nativization of the English language to the Canadian culture. The various elements of writing a business letter explains the context of globalization of English as a corporate lingua franca with emphasis on various business writing cultures and how they use these elements to communicate the various arising economic references. The Latvian context helps in cross-examining differences in the style and format of economic letters within different cultures as well as the inception of standard letter writing styles.   This explains the various contexts of business letter writing whereby, we examine the acquisition of English as a second language in Latvia, the inception of English letter writing in Canada and the different styles and approaches to business letter writing Canada as well as a cross examination on the differences in the formats and styles of economic reference letters in Britain and the America and the Canada.  This research background helps us review the literature on the context of Lavian, British, Canadian and American business letters. On the Canadian context, we explore further, the style, culture and the empirical research and profound review of the society’s perception of English as a second language and the subsequent use of the English language as a standard language to express and communicate business references in the Latvian corporate world. As such we add up existing empirical research with facts and reviews of arising differences, ease of translation and the use of various native Canadian (French, Indian) language style in business letter writing. Introduction  The increasing importance of business letters within an international context is important in improving the level of proficiency in both corporate executives and other persons who wish to write business letters. Business letters reflect to communication between a party and a company/corporation with a reference denoting an economic reference like a contract, application for a job or any other business related reference.  A more prolific description of business letter is ‘a letter written when particular issues on a particular corporate subject need to be resolved. These particular issues include establishing an important business contact in a local business environment and overseas, selling or buying, advertising and other business related activity.   When writing these letters certain principles referred to as ethical considerations are adhered to so as to add panache to the meaning of the letter. These ethical considerations are the drivers of the message of the letter and profoundly explain the role of the paper and the context of the perception, attitude and meaning of the letter writers’ intentions.   Emerging differences in style and format while both these aspects are derived from the traditional English business letter is of interest. It requires more research to explain how communities around the world adapt the English language to suit their native style and internationalize it. This paper explores the Canadian community and their business letter writing styles and formats.   Ethical considerations in business letter writing in Canada are similar to most Standard English formats and styles. According to Artemeva (1998) â€Å"in the global context, English is often used as a medium of communication for both the English-speaking and non-English speaking partners†(Artemeva 1998: 286). Toury explains this context of difference in the culture of writing more profoundly  He asserts that, two languages may possess a roughly corresponding set of styles; however, cultural factors, social context, organizational structure, and the like make the verbal representation of mental sets so highly situated within a particular culture that, even though these mental sets may overlap between one language and another, they rarely match exactly†Toury Gideon 1980). This explains the context of difference in style and format of Canada English letters from the Standard English business letter.  The Canadian context is better understood from the Bahktin and Rodman approach on difference in cultures and their adoption of English by these cultures. They assert that the differences between languages as systems imply certain incompatibilities between utterances produced by speakers and writers of different languages if they choose one shared language as a medium of communication. Artameva explains this context further through expounding on the difference on the sense of business letter translation by a non English speaker employ a rhetoric and a sequence of thought. According to Kaplan, this rhetoric and sequence of thought, â€Å"destroys the expectation of the native reader†(Kaplan 4).  Cultural influences, then, often lead to misconceptions that require to be empirically measured. Various tools of evaluating and overcoming such misconceptions are required. One of the most effective methodologies (tool) of evaluating these misconstruing is the contrastive rhetoric which highlights pragmatic errors that are as a result of interaction of language pragmatic errors that are â€Å"the result of an interactant’s imposing the social rules of one culture on the listeners’ communicative behavior. According to Riley the situation where the social rules of another culture would be more appropriate. He explains that grammatical systems of the Canadians and English are fundamentally different. English is a language in which grammatical meaning is largely expressed through the use of extra words and by changes in word order. Overview on writing letters in Canada and the British and American perspective  According to the Canadian English language proficiency, individual skills in using grammar to communicate is essential Paradigms of business letter writing and also general communication using the written form is of interest to Canadian researchers. There is minimal empirical research on the subject leading to scarce information on both style and various aspects of the concepts employed.  Due to its multi cultural nature, Canada represents an interesting tradition in writing and the gradual adaptation and adoption of English language to its multi culture. The education system as well as the corporate weather and institutions in Canada require individuals to obtain proficiency levels in Canadian English. These levels of proficiency will help these individuals have abilities in general reading and writing skills.   This has led to various institutions in Canada to lobby and support for the post-secondary and employment training programs in which functional reading and writing skills in the multi cultural society to increase the capacity of the labor sector. The labor sector as well as the education sector seeks to have individuals who have proficiency in reading and writing as well as abilities in sentence structure, reading comprehension, English usage, and essay writing.  According to Graves (1997), â€Å"the differences between Canadian British and American cultures as they manifest themselves in business discourse are in the complexity inherent in a multicultural society as in the context of Canada. In Canada there is a concern for and tolerance of others, awareness of class distinctions, concern for the collective over the individual. This distinct Canadian identity affects genres such as the direct marketing letter because the genre depends on shared understandings between writers and readers; these understandings in turn depend upon cultural values†(Graves 1997:2).  Examining the letters written by Canadians and Americans explain the difference in the cultural context of writing letters. Graves argues that Canadians, British and the Americans employ the concept of power distance, directness in the subject of the letter and individualism within the wordings style of the business letters. There are emerging differences in syntax formation and the style of writing the economic letters and most notable, there is the distinctive virtue by the Canadians About their nature. ‘Business communicators need to be aware that Canadians see themselves as culturally distinct, and they need to write differently for Canadian audiences’ (Graves 1997:2-6). Similarities and differences in the paradigms of letter writing in Canada, America and Britain Canada Britain America  ·Ã‚        Canadians stick to traditional British English ( This is in speech and syntax formation)  ·Ã‚        Language is curt and lays emphasis on the context of the purpose of communication due to the diversity of the community  ·Ã‚        The structural aspects of the Canadian letters are contentious. It is borrowed from both Englander and American style. The standard methodology is aligning the name, address and date of the writer and the addressee on the left  ·Ã‚        Britons stick to the traditional Queens English in both syntax and speech formation  ·Ã‚        The language, though aimed at denoting the purpose of the letter is traditional and the writers tries to maintain traditional England tradition  ·Ã‚        The English letter structural aspects are diverse. Name and address can be either left or right.  ·Ã‚        Americans have evolved English to suit their cultural and communication needs  ·Ã‚        There is minimal courtesy and the writer is elaborate, very brief and adhoc in his message through the use of slang words to shorten the letter and get to the point  ·Ã‚        American letter structural aspects reflect on aligning these addresses on the right and the addressee address on the right. Convections and the Canadian context of business letter writing  The genre of Canadian letters and the style is mostly associated with the Scottish emigrants. Numerous Scottish populations moved into Canada to form a Scottish community in the vast multicultural Canada. According to Moir (1984), Scottish repositories have played an important role in the preservation of Canadas written heritage, but few archivists and historians seem to be aware that Canadian institutions have reciprocated this favor to a significant degree. As a result of the increasingly heavy waves of emigration from Scotland that reached North America from the late eighteenth to the early twentieth centuries.  Canada has become a rich but relatively untapped source of manuscript material generated by Scots on both sides of the Atlantic. Analyzing these scripts is by no means near completion, and published inventories only hint at the wealth of material in Scotland that remains to be explored by students of Canadian social and business history in particular (Moir 1984: 146) Logan explains the Canadian letter writing as a profound and interesting. Logan emphasizes that Canadian business letter writers are keen on the subject of the letter and often make sure that the addressee is aware of what they want through the letter. Canadian economic letters are direct to the point and very clear on the subject.  A sample ancient Scottish-Canadian letter obtained from an archive shows the style and emphasis on the backbone of the message by the writer of the letter. As explained by Moir, the letter is part of the letter-books of Martin MacLeod that are in the possession of the Canadian History Department of the Metropolitan Toronto Library. After retiring from the British Army with the rank of captain, MacLeod took up the lease for his fathers sheep farm on Skye. The ensuing correspondence written at Drynock deals with the usual family concerns, especially MacLeods attempts to ensure that his children receive both a sound education on the isolated farm and ample provision for their future subsistence. For the most part, MacLeod was much more preoccupied with the management of his flocks, steadings, laborers, and sub-tenants as they all struggled through the difficult decade of the 1840s. Altho prices have recently been good, and very good yet, from the heavy losses of sheep from Braxy and severe weather as well as from the exorbitantly high prices of shearing materials, for some years of meal, matters were not, as people generally imagine, so easily brought to bear. (Moir, ppr 150) This letter is indicative of the exact subject the writer wants discussed and understood as easily and as fast as possible by the recipient.  The letter below also represents the directness and emphatic nature of the Canadians in their business and general communication through the written form. The letter is from a father in Dumfriesshire to his son in North America: Now Jock, if yere wee1 so much the better, and if yere doing wee1 yer mother and mes Vera glad tae heart’s, and if yere no wee1 were Vera sorry, but we canna help it, and as the postage between American and the Langholm runs pretty high, I must insist that the correspondence be stopped! (Moir, ppr 155)  Modern Canada defines and treats writing business letters as a practice within legislative, administrative, and diplomatic sphere. In Canada, this type of style is used in drawing up documents such as secretary correspondence, official documentation and administrative communication, juridical, diplomatic, legal laws, decrees, treaties, acts, official correspondence, certificates and application letters. Examples of Canadian business letters Sample 1 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT AND ACCEPTANCE OF ORDER  Date: 29th April 2008 To: IAN MUNRO  We are in receipt of your order as contained in the attached purchase order form. We confirm acceptance on said order subject only to the following exceptions:       Clean white, lean, fresh and from Derby On exceptions noted, we shall assume you agree to the same unless objection is received within ten days of receipt of this notice.  Thank you for your patronage.                                                                      Very truly, Sarah Corner Note that, Canadians end their letters with yours truly or truthfully. This is similar to the American style of closing their formal letters.  Sample 2 7890 Montreal Avenue Montreal Metro, ON 7MJ76 4J11 May 2, 2008 Mansfield Manufacturing Company 7080 Rue Prairie Montreal, QX 7CG 8LM23 Please replace the ten pairs of defective Jackboots recently purchased. I followed the guidelines for picking the proper jackboots but the package I was sold contains defective jackboots Perhaps your quality control people can determine why they have deteriorated so much. Youll find the pairs enclosed and you could make me feel better by replacing my ten pairs with quality jackboots. Sincerely, Al Kassim Kassam How Canadian address their envelopes when sending their business letters. Addressed Envelope DAVID KERRY 2889 DANIELS AVENUE NIAGARA FALLS ON L2G 4J5 MONTREAL SAXON COMPANY 1789 RUE MARCONI MONTREAL QC H2S 8K1 Note the block style format of address In Canada, almost everyone nowadays has the skills to write a letter. The style and genre are adapted to increase the ability of the letter to make sense and to impart the required message as intended by the letter writer. The Canadians make a brief introduction, a body of support paragraphs, and a conclusion.  The Canadian are no exception to formal style of structuring a business letter. In fact they conform to the principles of clear and effective writing that projects the exact nature of the message intended. As such, as in the case of British and American letters, Canadian letter business letters have their own specific features, which distinguish them from other letters so as to give them a functional style. These functional styles are: Objectivity Formality Specificity and accuracy Rationale Imperativeness Politeness Besides this structural style and distinctiveness, the Canadian business letter falls in the two commonplace types of letters Full block style: In this method of writing a business letter, the text and all its elements is aligned to the left margin of the paper. Modified block style: This requires writing the text down the middle of the page and aligning the return address, date, closing, signature, and typed name on the same direction (down the text); the other elements of the text are aligned to the left page margin of the paper. (George Mason University Writing Center 2006:1) This is exemplified by the letters below, which shows the structural outlook of the Canadian business letters. Sample of an annotated Business Letter (Note that, this letter is an excerpt from Pearson’s Education of Canada 2002)  134A Quebec Street Devonshire, ON LL3C 1LB6 November 4, 2002 Mr. Allan Cushy Toronto County Council 411 Northern Main Street Toronto, ON L3B 3X4 Dear Mr. Cushy Putting a stop sign on Aqueduct Street will reduce the chances that a speeding car will kill one of our children. Aqueduct Street looked like the quiet, safe environment I wanted for my children. Many of the neighborhood childrenâ€â€including my ownâ€â€enjoy playing along the street, and they sometimes cross it. Because Aqueduct Street runs parallel to a much busier major thoroughfare, car drivers use our street to avoid the heavier traffic and stop lights on Niagara Street. Most of these people are too fast for a residential neighborhood with many families and many children. My concerned neighbors and I feel that a four-way stop created at the corner of Aqueduct and Church would reduce non-residential traffic and slow down all the drivers using Aqueduct Street. The expense would be modest compared to the incalculable cost of a childs injury or death by a speeding motorist out to save a few minutes commuting time. By installing the stop signs, you can help make our street safer for children, as we request in the enclosed petition, signed by all the adults on Aqueduct Street.  Please contact me before the next council meeting on November 15. The residents of Aqueduct Street are worried that heavy non-residential traffic is endangering our children. We urge the City Engineer to place a four-way stop sign at the corner of Aqueduct and Church to help reduce the danger. Sincerely, AQUEDUCT STREET RESIDENTS COUNCIL Solomon Maguire President dbr Enclosure Copy to Councilor Peter Mechling Howard As such, we observe the structural composition of a Canadian business letter follows the following structural format, Heading Date Inside Address Salutation Complimentary Close Organization Name Writers Name Reference to Keyboardist Enclosure Notation Copy Notation Body of Letter Indicate one blank line Sample showing another approach in the format of a Canadian business letter 857 Albuquerque Niagara Falls, ON L2G 4J5 April 13, 2008 Allan Miller 8973 Strobin Avenue Montreal, QC H56L 90SL31 Ref Body of the letter Sincerely Joy Hoffman   Note that, the style and format show the blocks should be aligned to the left hand side as one writes the letter.  Samples of brief business letters/notes to customers Sample 1 Dear Customer Thank you for your order. At this time we cannot fill your order due to an unexpected shipment delay from our overseas suppliers. We will hold your order for arrival of the merchandise, and ship shortly thereafter. Unfortunately, we cannot provide you with a specific shipping date at this time. Thank you for your anticipated patience in this matter. Sample 2 Dear customer Please accept our apology for having shipped merchandise in excess of your purchase order. We have made an adjustment in your account to reflect this error and have arranged for our delivery service to pick up the excess merchandise on 16th May 2008. We are sorry for the inconvenience this has caused you and are most appreciative of your cooperation and understanding in this matter. Thank you for your recent order. Samples of employee business letters Sample 1 *********INTER-OFFICE MEMO********** FROM: CORPRAL MARCUS JENKINS III               DUTY AND REFERRALS OFFICE TO: ALL OFFICERS SUBJECT:  SMITH PERKINS PROMOTION PARTY AND GIFT On Thursday, May 2, 2008 at 4:30 P.M., in the officers mess As you know, Smith has been with us for 12years now, and has been held in high regard by his fellow officers. I am requesting that each officer donate $10.00 so that we might present to Smith a gift memorializing his promotion. We are not yet decided on the type of gift, and your suggestions would be highly appreciated. Look forward to seeing you on Thursday. Marcus Jenkins Sample 3                 NOTICE OF UNSATISFACTORY PERFORMANCE                                   Date: 3rd May 2008 To: Marry Ann Bush     Confirming our meeting relative to certain unsatisfactory aspects of your performance, we expect that in the future you shall improve your performance by the earliest convenience     We have every confidence the problem will not be repeated. John Shawn HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGER Comparative analysis on British and American letters British letters English style of letter writing   Empirical research on both English pedagogy as well as the key elements of writing business letter within the British perspective elicits much interest in English pedagogy.    Due to the originality of the English language from Britain, it is deemed that, the formats and other key elements of writing letters are borrowed from the British culture of writing letters  According to Jenkins and Hinds, the letter writing process takes place in three reoccurring stages. These reoccurring stages are Pre-writing, writing and re-writing. This combination makes letter-writing recursive (Jenkins and Hinds 1987: 327). In many British writing centers writing is taught with a focus on meaning, not form; on process, not product; on authorial intention and audience expectation, not teacher authority or punitive measures; on holistic and human concerns, not errors and isolated skills.  The British have been following two styles and formats in their letter writing methods. Full block style: In this method of writing a business letter, the text and all its elements is aligned to the left margin of the paper. Modified block style: This requires writing the text down the middle of the page and aligning the return address, date, closing, signature, and typed name on the same direction (down the text); the other elements of the text are aligned to the left page margin of the paper. (George Mason University Writing Center 2006:1)  A close examination of the elements of the letter shows that elements of the letter are the keys to a successful letter. The return address of the company the letter writer represents is important so as to facilitate the intended response reaching him after his submission. The second most elements are the date of letter. This is followed by inside address, salutation, body, closing, signature and position of the letter writer.  The British have long used this concept as a tangible aspect of writing their letters. British style is brief, straightforward, and polite. According to George Mason University 2006, British letters follow a certain intrinsic format. This is as discussed below. Below are the structural of a standard business letter and their functions: Return Address: This refers to the letter writers’ address or the address of the company he represents Date: The writer leaves two blank lines after the return address. The writer spells out the month and writes the day, puts a comma, and then inserts the year. Inside Address: The writer leaves two blank lines after the date. He type the address of the person he is writing to. Salutation: The writer starts his letter with Dear, followed by the person’s name or ends this line with a colon if he doesn’t know the name of the recipient. Body: British culture calls for the writer to align the message on the left margin. He skips a line before starting a new paragraph without indenting. Also he makes each paragraph clear and concise. Closing: British style recommends you double space after your last body paragraph, then use a conventional closing, followed by a comma (sincerely yours) Signature: The writers’ signature appears below the closing and if he has no personal relationship with the addressee use both his first and last name. Elements and styles of writing British letters  English letters follow the above-discussed format and structure; however, there is a distinct style in the syntax formation and the type of words and references to use when writing a letter. Practical opening lines of a letter Opening lines in a letter are meant to introduce the writer’s intentions and to make reference to previous correspondence. Opening lines commonly used in the British culture are commonly adapted into other cultures. (see www.speakspeak.com) With reference to your letter dated 15th May 2007, I am glad to inform you that I will consider working with you. I am writing to enquire about the amount of money deposited in my account on 4th April 2008. Your response will be highly appreciated After having seen your advertisement in the daily telegraph, I am hereby applying for the post of executive secretary. After having received your address from you dear friend Johnson Atkinson, I am hereby writing to you about your relatives in Moscow. We/I recently wrote to you about the college in Glasgow. It is my pleasure to inform you that the college is enrolling students and they are waiting for your application Thank you for your letter of 8 May. We are happy to let you know that our company has appointed you to the post of executive sales manager. Thank you for your letter regarding the issue of orders to the Coventry. Its my sincere wish to have the orders delivered as soon as possible Thank you for your letter/e-mail about the price of the motorcycle. I really appreciate your information. In reply to your letter of 8 May, the amount of money I am willing to pay for the car is half that you quoted. (www.speakspeak.com.) Samples of British letters Sample i Nexus Holdings 7115 MJB Thames Avenue London Ref; 0078/2 /5/2008                                                             Managing director                                                                                               Mounilex Trading Co.                                                                                               SLR 543L London Re: Complaint                                                           Dear Sir,  We regret to inform you that your delivery team delayed the supply of gunny bags.  I would appreciate if you sent over one of your representatives to address the issue promptly. Yours faithfully †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦..                                                               †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ Susan Price                                                                             Anthony Hopkins Accountant General.                                                            Managing director Sample ii                                                                                                                 Jack Miles                                                                                                          Trafalgar square Ave                                                                                                          London                                                                                                          Tel 0444 453 675                                                                                                          April 29, 2008                                                                                                          Michael Lawrence                                                                                                          Human Resources dept                                                                                             10TH Broadway Av                                                                                        London Dear Mr. Miles, I am writing in response to your advertisement on Tuesday on the telegraph. I am interested in the position of chief accountant.  I have a bachelor’s degree in Economics from the University of Liverpool and a diploma in advanced accounts studies from Oxford University.  I have enclosed is my resume and a copy of my certificates for your perusal. I am available for an in interview any time you find convenient.  I look forward to hearing from you soon. Yours sincerely †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. Jack Miles Sample iii  HEAD HUMAN RESOURCES OFFICE NEW YORK Tel. 07036781488 OFFICIAL NOTE Ref No. 78/27th April 2008 This official note is issued to Karen Whittaker, occupying a receptionist position in the company, is to certify that Karen has been granted a one month leave.    This is to serve before HR department.                                                                                                          †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦                                                                                                           Greg Morison                                                                                                           HR Manager       There are several other formats of business letters which are used Samples                                                                                               DAVID MARLONE                                                                                                                    RYAN ISLAND                                                                                              PARIS, FRANCE  THE MANAGER BLACKWATER HOLDING 345 HR43 BORDEAUX BORDEAUX FRANCE                                   Dear sir/madam  RE: ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING  This reference concerns the forthcoming general meeting of the directors of Black-water Holdings, which will be held at the Pan-Africa hotel. You are reminded that your attendance is highly expected. Yours faithfully CLARK SANDLINE MANAGER American letter writing context  The American culture has been wiped out by the email trends, which have turned out as the most popular methodologies of writing letters. Baron 2001 argues that ‘given e-mail’s stage wise evolution, it’s hardly surprising that commonplace depictions of the linguistic character of email (such as â€Å"everyone uses emoticons †or â€Å"the email medium leads to flaming†) are not universally applicable to the messages written today by grandmothers, job applicants, customers ordering on-line, or teenage girls chatting through instant messaging’ (Baron 2001:1). This change of style and the traditional methodologies of contemporary writing style I s blamed on three education reform systems; the Harvard, John Dewey and a student-centered curriculum from the 1970s onwards (6). Consequence of these reforms has been a away shift from teaching formal rhetoric to encouraging informal writing, typically placing more value on what the student wants to express than on the actual language (including sentence mechanics) used to express it. This has further led to an increased candor, coupled with growing disregard for the social and intellectual behaviors traditionally associated with upward mobility and education; have to do with contemporary writing style? We said earlier (Figure 6) that email and contemporary writing more generally tend to be characterized by informality of style, a psychological assumption that the medium is ephemeral and a high level of candor’ (7-10).  These changes in syntax and speech structure in writing communication letters are characterized by such inceptions and transformations like the ones below. Homer = home run Albany = AlbaN.Y. nothing = othing  Though these reflect on the traditional style and genre, these letters are still apt in the current American culture however, defunct in the emerging ages of the youth and affluent societies.    The emergence of e-mail culture and hackneyed slang lingo has left the American letter writing culture blunt and rhetorical. In Treimans approach to structural difference in the American English letter writing and speech form to the British one, she explains that American students spoke a rhotic dialect, pronouncing an /r/ in such words as leper, hermit, horde, and gnarl while British students with their nonrhotic dialect, did not include an /r/ in such words. This brings the difference in the pronunciation and spelling in the American style and the British (Treiman 2002: 3).  Various structural, spelling and syntax formation differences in the American letter writing culture embroider a challenging empirical research on the genre of writing letters the American way. Samples of American letters There is minimal structural difference in the academically recommended letter writing styles. The emerging context of difference is blamed on the emerging trends and cultures. These samples are traditional American letter DANIEL ARMANI PO BOX 345 LSP NEW YORK USA 3rd April 2008 JOHN NEBRASKA MANAGER CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE ANALYSTS PO BOX 23454 WASHINGTON DC USA Re: INTELLIGENCE BRIEF RECIEPT Dear Sir,  This reference concerns the latest intelligence brief submitted for your analysis last week. Please acknowledge receiving the brief.                                                                                                          Yours truly                                                                                                          Daniel Armani The structure of this letter is unique. The writers name and address is on the right while the addressee’s names and address is the left side of the letter. The writers conclusion is on the right side and he signs out with a ‘yours truly sincerely’ on the right side of the letter. Sample 2 DANIEL ARMANI PO BOX 345 LSP NEW YORK USA 3rd April 2008 JOHN NEBRASKA MANAGER CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE ANALYSTS PO BOX 23454 WASHINGTON DC USA Re: INTELLIGENCE BRIEF RECIEPT Dear Sir,  This reference concerns the latest intelligence brief submitted for your analysis last week. Please acknowledge receiving the brief.                                                                                                          Yours truly                                                                                                          Daniel Armani                                                      Differences between Canadian, British, Latvian and American letters                                               Notable differences in the genre, style and speech between these nations is mostly observed in the structural form. Also, observations on the letters from either of the nation show differences in syntax and word form which another notable difference is within the format. Below are samples of these letters. Each has a distinct feature from te other and these distinct features will be noted below. Sample of American standards business letter JOHN SMITH RUE MONTAMTRE             125 PARIS, FRANCE 3RD April 2008  THE MANAGER PANAFRIC HOLDING 134 RUE BORDEAUX BORDEAUX                                      Dear sir/madam  RE: REMINDER OF THE 5TH INVESTORS SUMMIT  This reference concerns the forthcoming 5th investor’s summit to be held at the Ritz hotel. You are reminded that we are looking forward to your attendance as a member of the investors club.  For further details kindly please write to us as soon as possible Yours faithfully JOHN SMITH MANAGER Sample British business letter Nexus Holdings 7115 MJB Thames Avenue London Ref; 0078/2 /5/2008 Director  Mounilex Trading Co  SLR 543L London                                       Re: Complaint                                                           Dear Sir,  We regret to inform you that your delivery team delayed the supply of gunny bags.  I would appreciate if you sent over one of your representatives to address the issue promptly. Yours faithfully †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦..                                                              †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ Susan Price                                                                             Anthony Hopkins Accountant General.                                                            Managing director  Sample Canadian business letter                                                                                                          Jack Miles                                                                                                          Trafalgar square Ave                                                                                                          London                                                                                                          Tel 0444 453 675                                                                                                          April 29, 2008                                                                                                          Michael Lawrence                                                                                                          Human Resources dept                                                                                             10TH Broadway Av                                                                                                 London Dear Mr. Miles, I am writing in response to your advertisement on Tuesday on the telegraph. I am interested in the position of chief accountant.  I have a bachelor’s degree in Economics from the University of Liverpool and a diploma in advanced accounts studies from Oxford University.  I have enclosed is my resume and a copy of my certificates for your perusal. I am available for an in interview any time you find convenient.  I look forward to hearing from you soon. Yours truly †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. Jack Miles  Sample Latvian letter Mr. Roy Lawrence 12187 Manchester 54 MJB Manchester UK May 26, 2002 The General Electric Company 15456 Dawson Park Way College Park, FL 33133 Manchester UK Dear Customer Service Representative: I recently purchased one of your sockets for my television cable extension. Unfortunately, after viewing the components that came with the product, I discovered that four of the parts were missing. Also, the instructions that came with the tent are in Portuguese and Russian, but not in English, the language I speak. These two unforeseen problems have resulted in the socket remaining unused.  I am writing to request replacements for the missing parts, and a copy of the full set of assembly instructions (in English) for the model I purchased. If reasonable arrangements are not made within ten business days, I will return the socket to the store I purchased it from and expect a full refund. To assist you in processing my request, I am including a copy of my sales receipt and a list of the missing parts. I have purchased other electrical appliances manufactured by your company in the past, and have always been impressed with the quality. I sincerely hope this that any future purchases I make will live up to the standard. Sincerely,  Roy Lawrence                         Enc: 2, Differences between American and British Style of letter writing and the Canadian and Latvian context Major differences are observed in the spelling. British spelling is different from the American spelling although most words are spelled the same way globally. The difference between the British spelling and the American spelling is small. Words ending with -ize in American English are spelled with -ise in British English (sympathize, sympathise); the words that end in -or in America end in -our in Britain (honor, honour; It is notable that many consonants that are single before suffixes in America are doubled in Britain (traveled, travelled) this is observed in the basic writing of various texts. Summary British spelling when writing letters American spelling when writing letters Emphasise Sympathise Honour Colour Emphasize Sympathize Honor Color  Traveled Leveled Catalogue Travelled Levelled Catalog  Much pedagogy on the grammar context focus on the UK style however it is also important to have insights of the other countries. In the UK, it is in order to write the senders name before the address in business letters. Another observations regarding differences between American and British business writing style is that while it is unusual in the UK to close a formal business letter with Yours truly, this practice is accepted in the USA.  Other differences between British and American are seen within the context of designations for the different members of the Board of Directors when writing to them as a group. Summary British style American style  ·Ã‚        Sender name appears before the address though it is optional based on designation  ·Ã‚        Closing the letter is usually through a ‘yours sincerely’ or ‘yours faithfully’  ·Ã‚        When addressing many people or directors the writers uses ‘Dear sir’s’ â€Å"directors’ or ‘Messrs’  ·Ã‚        Senders name does not appear though often some letters have this feature  ·Ã‚        Closing the letters is usually through a ‘yours truly’  ·Ã‚        The American style entails the use of â€Å"The directors† This difference in style, grammar and format is summarized below British style, format and grammar of writing letters American style, format and grammar of writing letters  ·Ã‚        Headings are on the centre or right hand side of the letter  ·Ã‚        References are on the upper left of the letter  ·Ã‚        When writing the dates the writer uses the format Day, Month, Year  ·Ã‚        Uses Messrs when addressing the addressee.  ·Ã‚        Uses ‘messrs, company name then the address and other important addresses  ·Ã‚        Attention line includes name of the addressee  ·Ã‚        Uses ‘Dear sirs  ·Ã‚        Has no subject line in the letter  ·Ã‚        Headings of the writer are at the right side of the letter  ·Ã‚        Reference are on the lower left or right side of the letter  ·Ã‚        The American writer uses the format Month, Day, Year  ·Ã‚        Uses ‘Dear sir’ when addressing directors or other officials  ·Ã‚        Dear Mr./Ms./Mrs./Miss full name, title, company name, address  ·Ã‚        American writers start with Dear Mr./Ms. Johansen followed by salutation  ·Ã‚        American don’t use this  ·Ã‚        American format does have a subject line   Observation  The letters have different structures, formats and style. By examining the initial sample, we find out that, the Americans align their names and address to the right then write the name and address of the addressee on the left. They are direct to the point though not very courteous and straight to the point. Americans use fewer English words in comparison to the British and seem to be in a habit of being rhetoric.  The reference is underlined while the date is below the writers address. The letter ends with a ‘yours faithfully’ which denotes self confidence and frankness. Its written on the right hand side of the letter. This shows a structure which has the personal references on one side and the references of the addresses on the left side. The British letter has the writers address and personal reference centered on the top of the letter. It is like a letter head. There are two references and all are on the left side of the letter. The first one has the references number of the previous communication and comes before the address and profile of the addressee. The second reference comes after the addressee’s address and is pushed towards the center and underlined.  The opening lines are aligned to the centre. This is meant to indicate emphasis on rank and respect by the writer. The body is brief and concise. The writer is up to the point as fast and with as few words as possible. The signatories are aligned to the centre and the letter is closed with a ‘yours sincerely’ which is aligned to the centre of the letter.  The Canadian letter has the address of both the writer and addressee on the right side of the paper. After his address, he double spaces and enters the date then writes the addressee’s address. The opening lines begin with a ‘dear..’ and are on the left of the letter.   The body of the letter is long and uses words to emphatically concentrate on the subject of the letter and to inform the addressee of the point which the writer wants him to understand. The letter closes with a ‘yours truly’ which is indicative of honesty and politeness. It is aligned on the left of the letter and the writer signs and enters his name after the signature.  The Latvian letter is aligned to the left side. The writers name and address are on the left side of the paper. He enters the date after his addresses then enters the addressee’s address. The opening is curt and aligned to the immediate left of the letter so as to align with the addresses. There is no reference though it is a necessity in the writing convections.  The body draws out a less courteous writer and he is very straight to the point. He avoids using many words and is rapid in what he is communicating about.   He closes the letter with a ‘sincerely’ which further denotes lack of courtesy and explains the versatile briefness in the Latvian communication. Comparative analysis of Latvian, British, Canadian and American letters  British American Canadian Latvian British align their names and address at the centre Write the name of the addressee on the left Use various words to explain References are not underlined Closes with a ‘yours sincerely or sincerely yours’ Headings are on the centre or right hand side of the letter Americans align their names and address to the right Write the name and address of the addressee on the left They are direct to the point The reference is underlined Closes with a ‘yours truly Headings are on the right hand side The writers name and addresses are on the left Writes name and addressee on the left and also the date Use more words to explain their point Uses no reference or at times uses Closes with a ‘yours truly Headings are on the right side of the letter The writers name is aligned to the left side Writes the name of the addressee on the left side Uses curt and direct words Has or often does not have references Closes with a ‘yours sincerely or ‘sincerely yours The headings are on the centre.  Conclusion There are differences in each letter writing culture while there are distinct similarities in some cultures. Each culture uses the British style and genre of body structure while they have transformed their formats from the standards British format to suit their culture needs.  However, there rises a context of distance of cultures whereby we observe similarities  in cultures near each other. The British culture is being common in the formal Latvian letter writing style and culture. The same applies to the Multicultural United States and the Multicultural Canada. They share common styles and formats.
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