A Content Analysis of Address Terms in Business Communication through Game Theory and Linguistic Adaptability Model

Abstract

This qualitative study explores the various types and functions behind the use of address terms in business communication, within regular customer-shopkeeper interactions. Qualitative Content Analysis, along with the Adaptation theory and GTS (Game theory Semantics), are used for the detailed analysis of socio-cultural aspects and to unfold the purpose of using Address Terms in Business Communication. The sample comprises 60 different shopkeepers and customers at different busy business places in Lahore, i.e. Shah Alam Market, Anarkali and Ichra Bazaar (Market). Data is collected in the form of recordings and images of the conversation between the sampled shopkeepers and customers in naturally occurring context. The corpus of the recordings comprised the address terms, which were codified under different variables: Gender, Age, Status, Appearance, Cultural Background, cast and religion. A semi-structured interview for the shopkeepers and a questionnaire for the customers are also used to get more objective results. This is a less researched area in Pakistan and this study will be a gateway for the other researchers for upcoming projects and research focusing gender dynamics, conflict resolution, evolution and cross-cultural communication. This research offers insights into the implicit strategies that influence customer relationships.