ABSTRACT

This paper analyses the automatic email signatures (ASs) of 200 academics. Qualitative and quantitative analyses of the ASs reveal that they are often written in one language, and only occasionally in two, English being a frequent choice. The ASs contain information with a primarily identificatory function, and occasionally with a promotional and socialising function. Despite the absence of clearly compulsory components, a typical structure can be identified in the ASs, which includes a specification of the writers’ identity, reference to their affiliation, mention of their achievements, and an indication on how they can be reached. Like other academic texts, the ASs examined are places of self-categorisation and self-identification, tools for presenting one’s professional identity, which are developing as sites of self-promotion.

摘要

本文分析了 200 位学者的自动电子邮件签名 (AS)。对 AS 的定性和定量分析表明，它们通常用一种语言编写，偶尔用两种语言编写，英语是一种常见的选择。AS 包含的信息主要具有识别功能，有时还具有宣传和社交功能。尽管没有明确的强制性组成部分，但可以在 AS 中确定一个典型的结构，其中包括作者身份的说明、对他们的隶属关系的引用、对他们的成就的提及以及如何达到他们的指示。与其他学术文本一样，所考察的 AS 是自我分类和自我认同的场所，是展示个人职业身份的工具，正在发展成为自我宣传的场所。