Business and Professional Communication Quarterly Dec 2016

Grammatical Versus Pragmatic Error: Employer Perceptions of Nonnative and Native English Speakers

Joanna Wolfe Carnegie Mellon University ; Nisha Shanmugaraj Carnegie Mellon University ; Jaclyn Sipe Carnegie Mellon University

Abstract

Many communication instructors make allowances for grammatical error in nonnative English speakers’ writing, but do businesspeople do the same? We asked 169 businesspeople to comment on three versions of an email with different types of errors. We found that businesspeople do make allowances for errors made by nonnative English speakers, perceiving these errors as less bothersome than those made by native speakers. We also found that businesspeople perceive pragmatic errors of politeness and tone as even more bothersome than grammatical error—a finding we share with our students to persuade them of the importance of polite and professional email correspondence.

Journal
Business and Professional Communication Quarterly
Published
2016-12-01
DOI
10.1177/2329490616671133
CompPile
Search in CompPile ↗
Open Access
Closed
Topics
multilingual writers grammar and mechanics editorial matter
Export
BibTeX RIS

Citation Context

Cited by in this index (8)

  1. Sharma et al. (2025)
    A Decade of Business and Professional Communication Quarterly : A PRISMA Guided…
    Business and Professional Communication Quarterly
  2. DeJeu (2024)
    A Rhetorical Approach for Reimagining Business Writing Instruction in the AI Age
    Business and Professional Communication Quarterly
  3. McDonough et al. (2021)
    Instructor Evaluation of Business Student Writing: Does Language Play a Role?
    Business and Professional Communication Quarterly
  4. Stengel et al. (2021)
    Comparison of College Faculty and Business Professionals as Evaluators of Stude…
    Business and Professional Communication Quarterly
  5. McGann et al. (2020)
    Challenges in BCOM: Student and Faculty Perceptions on English as an Additional…
    Business and Professional Communication Quarterly
Show all 8 →
  1. Gubala et al. (2020)
    Do Writing Errors Bother Professionals? An Analysis of the Most Bothersome Erro…
    Journal of Business and Technical Communication
  2. Luijkx et al. (2020)
    The Effect of Dutch Student Errors in German Business Letters on German Professionals
    Business and Professional Communication Quarterly
  3. Boettger et al. (2018)
    Analyzing Error Perception and Recognition Among Professional Communication Pra…
    Business and Professional Communication Quarterly

References (28) · 3 in this index

  1. Bauman N. R. (2006). A catalogue of errors made by Korean learners of English. KOTESOL Proceedings 2006: Adva…
  2. 10.2307/359061
     ↗
  3. Biesenbach-Lucas S. (2006)
    Pragmatics and language learning
  4. Biesenbach-Lucas S. (2007)
    Language Learning & Technology
  5. Brandenburg (2015)
    Testing the Recognition and Perception of Errors in Context
    Business and Professional Communication Quarterly
Show all 28 →
  1. 10.1177/003368829802900206
     ↗
  2. CHARNEY et al. (1992)
    How Writing Quality Influences Readers' Judgments of Résumés in Business and En…
    Journal of Business and Technical Communication
  3. Cole (2014)
    What if the Earth is Flat? Working With, Not Against, Faculty Concerns about Gr…
    The WAC Journal
  4. 10.1016/j.pragma.2011.06.006
     ↗
  5. 10.1075/pbns.217.04fel
     ↗
  6. 10.1177/002194360103800403
     ↗
  7. 10.1163/9789004368811_003
     ↗
  8. 10.2307/376679
     ↗
  9. Hartford B. S. (1996)
    Pragmatics and language learning
  10. 10.1016/1060-3743(92)90011-D
     ↗
  11. Kantz M., Yates R. (1994). Whose judgments? A survey of faculty responses to common and highly irritating wri…
  12. 10.1177/002194369002700202
     ↗
  13. 10.1016/S0889-4906(05)80009-2
     ↗
  14. 10.18806/tesl.v26i1.129
     ↗
  15. Nairn L. (2003). Faculty response to grammar errors in the writing of ESL students. Unpublished manuscript. R…
  16. 10.1016/j.jslw.2007.10.002
     ↗
  17. 10.1016/j.system.2005.06.003
     ↗
  18. 10.1016/S1060-3743(97)90031-X
     ↗
  19. 10.2307/3587062
     ↗
  20. 10.1017/CBO9781139173438
     ↗
  21. 10.1016/S1060-3743(96)90023-5
     ↗
  22. 10.2307/3586713
     ↗
  23. 10.1177/108056990206500406
     ↗
CrossRef global citation count: 25 View in citation network → Build reading path →

Related Articles

  1. The Peer Review Sep 2025
    Moving Against the Grain: Combining Writing Center Theory and In-House Editing Services to Create a Graduate Writing Center ↗
    Brian Harrell; Brook Wyers; Craig Theissen
    rhetorical criticism composition theory writing pedagogy graduate education teacher development collaborative writing writing centers peer tutoring professional writing labor and working conditions online writing instruction multilingual writers grammar and mechanics editorial matter
  2. Philosophy & Rhetoric Apr 2025
    Aristotle: Art of Rhetoric ↗
    Peter A. O’Connell
    classical rhetoric modern rhetorical theory rhetorical criticism revision argument multilingual writers grammar and mechanics public rhetoric editorial matter
  3. Technical Communication Quarterly Oct 2024
    Editors’ Use of Comprehensive Style Guides: The Case of Singular They ↗
    Jo Mackiewicz; Shaya Kraut; Allison Durazzi
    rhetorical criticism discourse analysis first-year composition writing pedagogy graduate education teacher development writing centers technical communication professional writing digital rhetoric multilingual writers grammar and mechanics literacy studies race and writing public rhetoric editorial matter
  4. The Peer Review Jun 2021
    Gentle Excavations: Mindfully Shifting to an Explicitly Antiracist Writing Center ↗
    Kristi Girdharry; Kristi Girdharry
    rhetorical criticism first-year composition writing pedagogy teacher development writing program administration writing centers peer tutoring professional writing multilingual writers grammar and mechanics race and writing gender and writing body and rhetoric book reviews editorial matter
  5. Research in the Teaching of English Feb 2015
    Using Translation to Drive Conceptual Development for Students Becoming Literate in English as an Additional Language ↗
    Robert T. Jiménez; Sam David; Keenan Fagan; Victoria J. Risko; Mark Pacheco; Lisa Pray; Mark Gonzales
    teacher development multilingual writers grammar and mechanics literacy studies literary studies editorial matter