Relational Work in Peer Advice in a Chinese Corporate Online Discussion Forum

Authors

  • Wang Xiaoyan
  • Feng Zhe

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.18002/sin.v10i1.6319

Keywords:

Advice-giving, Peer advice, Relational work, Online discussion forums

Abstract

Former studies on advice has been focused on health and educational settings either
online or offline, where the advice-giver usually enjoys an advantageous power relationship with the
advice-seeker. Studies of advice in Chinese discourse are no exception. Given the insufficiency of
studies on advice given by peers of equity power relations in Chinese discourse and the necessity to
investigate into relational aspects, this study explores peer advice given by coworkers in a Chinese
corporate online discussion forum, analyzing the advising strategies and the relational work involved.
Analysis of data shows that Chinese make use of direct advising strategies more often than either
conventionally or non-conventionally indirect strategies. Further examination of peer advice texts
indicates that people are doing various types of relational work in giving advice to others online: mock
closeness, impoliteness, solidarity and non-politeness. This study may, hopefully, help to deepen our
understanding of advice-giving and relational work in Chinese discourse, especially in online discourse.

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Author Biographies

Wang Xiaoyan

Nanjing University of Posts and Telecommunications
School of Foreign Languages
Nanjing, Jiangsu, China 210023

Feng Zhe

Nanjing University of Posts and Telecommunications
School of Foreign Languages
Nanjing, Jiangsu, China 210023

Published

2020-09-16

How to Cite

Xiaoyan, W., & Zhe, F. (2020). Relational Work in Peer Advice in a Chinese Corporate Online Discussion Forum. Sinología hispánica. China Studies Review, 10(1), 143–166. https://doi.org/10.18002/sin.v10i1.6319

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Section

Artículos