Type of Study Units of Analysis Objects of the Study Procedure of Obtaining Data

44

CHAPTER III METHODS OF INVESTIGATION

3.1 Type of Study

I applied a qualitative approach in order to find out the interactants’ construction of their interpersonal relations through a speech function analysis and to find out the patterns of congruence and incongruence of the realization of speech functions revealed from the speech function analysis through a mood analysis. The study was conducted in line with a model analysis offered by Eggins and Slade 1997 and Eggins 1994. Simple quantification was also employed in order to show some tendencies concerning the interactants’ construction of their interpersonal relations and patterns of congruence and incongruence of mood realization.

3.2 Units of Analysis

When we conduct a mood analysis, the units of analysis are, of course, clauses since it is through clauses that grammatical patterns of mood are expressed. Clauses also constitute units of analysis in the analysis of speech functions since moves as the units which express speech functions are expressed through clauses. Thus, the units of analysis in this study were the clauses produced by the writers of e-mails business correspondence under study. 45

3.3 Objects of the Study

The objects of the study were ten pairs of e-mail business correspondence I got from a company for which my student works. Each pair consists of two e- mails on the same subject: an initiatory e-mail on a particular subject title and its reply. They are e-mails used by the company to communicate with other companies. Thus, a pair of e-mails may consist of either an e-mail the company sent in reply to an initiatory e-mail from other company or an initiatory e-mail the company sent to other company and its reply.

3.4 Procedure of Obtaining Data

I got access to the data from one of the administration staff in a garment company which for the ethical reasons I can not mention its name here. I did not ask for a formal permission from the authority to copy the e- mails since they do not deal with something considered confidential. E-mails on ten different subject matters were provided. Each subject matter are discussed in a series of e-mails, but then I selected only two of them as the data in this study, the first e-mail sent to discuss a particular subject matter and its reply.

3.5 Data Presentation