Gender characteristics of business documentation in English

The modern linguistics more often seeks for studying of features in functioning of the speech through a prism of the gender analysis. The last decades gender researches concerned practically all areas of language and the speech, their prevailing number is devoted to studying of the general communicative features in oral speech of men and women, and also separate aspects of household and professional communication.

Now studying of professional communication both in oral, and in written forms is one of the most perspective directions. The greatest interest represents such direction of professional communication as private business documentation in English. Being one of the most specific genres of official style, private business documentation possesses along with the common style features the genre features distinguishing it from traditional document flow in English. [1] As the most striking examples of private business documentation the documents used at employment - the summary and cover letters to the summary act. Because these documents is guided by all professional experience and the most outstanding personal and professional qualities of the competitor, their studying only within document linguistics is represented defective. Written English-language business documentation of private character also remains today not studied, as served as a problem in our research. Resume and cover letter to a CV in English belong to a genre of private business documentation of official style, possess qualitative definiteness and a genre originality in which are expressed individual and personal author's lines and creativity at the level of the general organization of the text, and also at the lexical, grammatical levels.

English-language private business documents at employment represent a special speech genre in which besides characteristic genre features, are realized elements that destroy style.

The technician of registration in English-language summaries and cover letters which are divided on "masculine" and "femininny" allows to tell variety of types and ways of an arrangement of material about frequency use by men and women of these or those. These technicians are guided by preference of a language tools choice at registration employment paperwork. The researches of foreign and native scientists and linguists which began with 70 - 80th of the XX century and proceeding today are of special interest for studying. Researches 70 -80th were ideological, their aim was the exposure the patriarchal stereotypes appeared in language. Distinction in speech behavior of men and women was the main aspect in researches of this period. Interpretation of results took place within three ideological paradigms - deficiencies, domination and distinction [6].

Designing of a gender in texts of man's and female English-language private business documents on employment is defined by gender ideology. For men the summary and cover letters reproduce traditional (patriarchal) stereotypes of courage, leadership, success, for women - combine elements of patriarchal and feministic discourses.

Gender features are shown in all elements of the structural composite organization of English-language private business documents for employment. The system of language means used in texts of the summary and cover letters to the summary realizes function of gender markers of courage and feminity, providing recognition of texts. Language designing of a gender in texts of English-language private business documents on employment has different levels of an explication. Gender meanings reproduce various implicative mechanisms: the special internal typological organization of texts, language means expressing individual and personal estimation, decrease in the general business stylization of the text, existence of occasional word formations, characteristic grammatical and syntactic creation of offers [2].

The functional and stylistic analysis showed belonging of English-language cover letters to the summary and summary to official style and a genre of private business documentation, and also the main subject (employment) and idea of documents (compliance of the candidate of the competitor to the declared requirements to vacancy), the sphere of communication (business relations, written business communication). In the substantial and logical plan it is defined that cover letters to the summary and the summary represent the independent documents possessing regardless of type standard substantial composition. The functional and stylistic type of the speech is presented by the description with reasoning elements, a style realization form - written.

Research of English-language cover letters texts to the summary and the summary established as the common features inherent in all genres of official style, and the genre features inherent in these documents.

The stylistic means allocated in texts of cover letters to the summary and the summary are analysed at the lexicological and phraseological, grammatical, syntactic levels, the graphic organization of texts is investigated, are established in texts of these documents[3]. Existence of the destructive style elements testifies to a transition state of private business documents on employment in which against business character of texts publicistic and advertizing functions of drawing attention of the addressee are realized. The carried-out functional and stylistic analysis showed that they aren't depersonalized and have subjective character. The revealed expressional multiple-valued words, set and idiomatic phrases interfere with achievement of the unambiguity necessary for functioning of the traditional business document. In cover letters were investigated gender features of typological preference, factors of choice of profession, structural composite ways of the organization of texts, defined banality of the main and additional semantic components, analyzed texts on existence of gender and specific language structures and the gender marked lexicon.

Factors of choice of profession are various in "men's" and "women's" groups of cover letters to the summary. Men are guided by positions of specialists in sales, managers, heads, experts of narrow specialization more[5]. Women prefer executive positions, for example managers, teachers, assistants, nurses, interns, being guided to a lesser extent by senior positions.

The typological analysis of cover letters showed that men more 'are attracted by registration of the letters directed to the employer, hiring agency and letters answers on advertisements on vacancy. Concerning group of "female" cover letters by us it is established that the prevailing majority belongs to letters answers on advertisements on vacancy, then there are letters directed to the employer and contact cover letters. As well as at men, in women's group of letters summaries letters are the least preferable. 4% of "man's" and 2% of "female" cover letters allocated during research can't be carried to one of traditionally allocated types. However we conditionally carry them, by analogy with typological classification of the summary, to alternative type of cover letters, since it possesses specific features of the organization of material, and also most shows author's language features.

The principles of the horizontal structure of resume cover letters to imply the presence of five major ways. Analysis showed that men and women are most commonly used method is fully interlocked and do not use the simplified method in general. However, men more often than women have resorted to a rectangular process for the organization of texts to the resume cover letters, whereas in women it is the most under-utilized method. The internal structure of cover letters in the common requirements of the organization of business letters, and implies the following semantic components: identity and address of the sender (the applicant), date, address of the recipient (the employer), a polite greeting, indicating the content of the letter, the text of the letter, the final phrase, the initials of the author and the signature on the specified application. We found that the texts cover letters are not formulaic and standardized part [4]. Considering the texts of letters, we have researched the language material is organized in meaningful blocks, especially a manifestation of gender-marked lexicon and gender-specific language constructs.

In the first paragraph of the text cover letters to the summary, we have established linguistic structures used by men and women in the description of interesting post titles, data about the source of information, about free vacancies in expressing wishes that the existing professional experience always apply to the job requirements, an indication of the attached a cover letter resume. At all levels of study, we found the language patterns, peculiar primarily women or men. For example, in terms of suggestions on how to have professional experience always apply to the job requirements, women more often than men use the subjunctive and modal verbs (believe, hope, think), while men express more confidence in conformity of the experience and to the demands for job . When referring to information sources on the job more women than men use emotional language (to be excited, to be very interested, to catch eye), men are more reserved in their expressions of interest in the job and expressed greater confidence than women.

For linguistic research body of the text accompanying the letters we shared all the letters into three main groups: the first group is represented by a cover letter addressed to employers and recruitment agencies, letters, responses to advertisements on vacancies and contact letters; The second group is resume- letters, and the third - alternative cover letter. In all three groups, the principle of the location of the base material is different. In the first and second group cover letters, we found gender language features in the description of education and work experience, language arrangements of the material, as well as to determine the frequency of use of business vocabulary and spoken phrases. A third subgroup of cover letters stand out from the total number of documents because they do not have all the features of business letters volume. In the alternative texts cover letters, we have identified a variety of stylistic devices (metaphors, epithets, elliptical structure, repetition, exclamatory sentences), features conversational style (conversational vocabulary, idiomatic expressions, slang). In the final paragraph of the cover letters gender linguistic features of the final phrases are as follows, for example in terms of requests for an interview, listing options interview appointments, while expressing gratitude for the attention and the possibility of a personal appeal to the addressee.

Analysis summary is produced in several stages: analysis of typological structures, the identification and description of the mandatory and optional semantic units, the study of lexical material in unconventional semantic blocks. As part of a private business documents identified three basic types of resume (chronological, functional, combined), as well as a number of formats based on the basic types (format achievements, international resume SU, portfolio, alternative job, the format of the newsletter format, without dates, target, Academic linear commuting formats online resume, video resume, a federal resume and European CV).

Typological, structural - compositional and linguistic research undergone major types of job, but also an alternative format resume. The analysis separately determined compositional organization of each type of professional features highlighted gender when choosing the type of job, characterized by the degree of standardization of each semantic unit, revealed manifestations individual personality characteristics in the texts of unconventional units. Regarding gender-specific typology of summary noted that "men" are decorated mostly chronological resume type, then the combined type. In the group of "women's" summary revealed the predominant use of combined type, and then chronologically. Few of the most number of resumes in both men and women is a group of functional types, in the absolute minority allocated alternative summary.

The analysis of the summary is made in some stages: the analysis of typological structures, identification and the description of obligatory and additional semantic blocks, research of lexical material in not sample semantic blocks. The traditional set of semantic blocks for any type of the summary is EMPLOYMENT (OR CAREER) OBJECTIVE, SUMMARY OF QUALIFICATIONS, CORE STRENGTHS, EDUCATION AND/OR TRAINING, WORK EXPERIENCE, AWARDS AND HONORS, MILITARY SERVICE, RELATED OR EXTRACURRICULAR ACTIVITIES, SPECIAL SKILLS, PERSONAL DATA, REFERENCES, TECHNICAL SKILLS, CAREER ACHIEVEMENTS, PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT, INTERNSHIPS, MEMBERSHIPS, PORTFOLIO, ABILITIES, TRAINING COURSES. Each type of the summary has own quantity and order an arrangement of blocks. However the semantic maintenance of blocks uniform for all allocated summary types. By us it is established that the majority of blocks are standardized on registration and the contents. EMPLOYMENT (OR CAREER) OBJECTIVE, SUMMARY OF QUALIFICATIONS, CORE STRENGTHS, WORK EXPERIENCE are distinguished from the blocks bearing in themselves the minimum signs of banality. These blocks were subjected to further research on existence of the gender marked units. From the first three parts were selected 843 lexical units including separate words and phrases. We presented the allocated lexical units for research in four semantic groups: "Professional experience and education" (196 units), "Communicative skills" (81 units), "Professional skills and abilities" (232 units) and "Personal qualities and preferences" (334 units). Regarding WORK EXPERIENCE 396 units which are grammatical designs are allocated. The emitted lexical material was in detail investigated on existence of the lexical gender focused signs.

Research of specifics of the used lexical means for drawing up part of EMPLOYMENT showed that men pay special attention to ten significant aspects of professional experience regardless of the chosen position: - 1) to the solution of problems of clients, 2) to the solution of problems of the company, 3) aimings at increase of profit of the company, 4) to search of new clients and expansion of client base, 5) roles of the intermediary communicant, 6) to unsurpassed result of work, 7) to high quality of work, 8) to understanding of by the important employee for the company, 9) to use of nonconventional methods of work, resources and innovations, 10) to ability to combine work and study.

There are ten aspects of the description of professional experience at "female" summaries, however they are similar to man's aspects only in a partial form. It is 1) overall performance, 2) the solution at the same time of several tasks, 3) availability for service in additional hours, 4) understanding of by the important employee of the company, 5) increase the company profit, 6) work with clients, 7) use of communicative skills, 8) application of new programs and innovations, 9) manifestation of leadership skills, 10) orientation to prestigious names and names of the companies. These aspects are distributed by us in decreasing order since the most frequency aspect, finishing with the least frequency. All aspects were subjected to detailed linguistic studying.

Thus, specifics of the marked-out gender features realized in means and ways of the texts organization in cover letters to the summary and the summary give the chance to speak about the individual author's originality shown when writing these business documents of private character. Besides a sample form of material creation, the summary and cover letters to the summary possess specific gender features which need to be considered when writing these business documents.

Further research of the gender features shown at the organization of the business written text is obviously possible in detailed analysis of the gender focused model of communicative behavior at employment.

References

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2. Cameron, D. Feminism and linguistic theory / D. Cameron. - Palgrave Macmillan, 1992. - 257 p.

3. Coates, J. Language and gender: A reader / J. Coates. - CambridgeUniversity Press, 1998 - 228 p.

4. Nelson, A. Gender communication toolkit: A trainer's guide for improving workplace communications / A. Nelson. - 1^st ed. - Pfeiffer, 2 on gender and diversity in management / R. Ocon. - University press of America, 2006. - 140 p.

5. Gritsenko, ES Language as a means of constructing the tender : Diss . ... The doctor filol . Science / ES Gritsenko. - N. Novgorod, 2005. - 405 p.