Managing rapport through evaluation in grounder – A qualitative study

Abstract

Research shows that rapport can be managed with such strategies as the textualization of speech acts, the use of phatic talk, the strategic blending of institutional, professional and personal discourses, the use of evaluative language, and the provision of grounders for requests. This paper reports on and discusses the way professionals in the workplace manage rapport by combining the last two strategies – the use of evaluative language in the construction of the discourse of grounders for requests made via Adopting a qualitative approach with Appraisal theory as the analytical framework, the analysis of a corpus of workplace request e-mails containing grounders shows that professionals relied on evaluative language in constructing the grounders for workplace request e-mails for rapport management. The findings should be able to (1) expand the existing literature on rapport and its management, (2) stimulate further research applying Appraisal theory to the analysis of rapport management and other aspects of pragmatics, and (3) enable professionals to enhance or maintain a harmonious relationship with others whom they make requests of.