Apology as a multifunctional speech act in Czech students' e-mails to their lecturer

This article addresses e-mail communications between university students and their lecturer in the Czech Republic. Politeness strategies employed in 200 Czech students' e-mail apologies sent to a lecturer were analysed. Students use multiple strategies to create a positive self-image of a committed and reliable student, combining direct expressions of apology, explanations, and acknowledgement of responsibility. The most frequent strategies were direct, prototypically performatives or hedged performatives. The high level of direct forms is consistent with findings of previous research on Slavic cultures. Nearly half of the e-mails included structures with directive illocution (request for information), which shifts responsibility to an authority; however, this could be interpreted as a form of politeness because students show that they value their lecturer's opinion and are willing to follow their advice. Although students primarily employ strategies based on negative politeness, which is perceived as unmarked in an institutional setting, the closing sections of the e-mails contain positive politeness in complimentary closings, and thanking is prevalent. (C) 2021 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Automated summary

In e-mail communications between university students and their lecturer in the Czech Republic, students employ various politeness strategies in their apology emails, aiming to present themselves as committed and reliable students while also showing respect for the lecturer's opinions and willingness to follow their advice.