Investigating Students’ Politeness Strategies in Email Requests: Master Two Students of English at Ziane Achour University Djelfa

Abstract

In a university setting, emails provide students with a convenient and accessible means of communication to reach their teachers for questions, concerns, or requests outside of class hours, ensuring continuous support and guidance. However, such a means of communication is prone to potential pitfalls due to the nature of written language. Hence, the current research aims to understand students' use of politeness strategies and teachers' perception of their language. The study deploys the mixed-method approach through quantitative analysis of emails from students and interviews with teachers of English in the department of foreign language in Djelfa University, Algeria. The findings indicate that although impolite or rude emails constitute less than half of the total, their detrimental effects on teachers are more substantial than the positive ones.