A Study of Cameroonian Students Complaint

Letters and Job Applications

Daniel Nkemleke
Formal letter writing such as students complaint letters and job applications
constitutes a genre of its own. Taking genre analysis to be the study of how language
is used in a particular context, this category of non-literary genre falls within a
growing body of written texts exhibiting much of what may be considered
Cameroonian peculiarities in nglish usage. The idea that genres would relate to
specific socio-cultural contexts within which they are written is, howe!er, not new.
"raj #achru $%&''( maintains that )there is bound to be a fair amount of !ariation in
the use of non fictional genres in a number of nati!i*ed contexts particularly where
dominant regional socio-cultural factors operate differently $p.+,-(. .tudents
complaint letters on !arious academic and administrati!e problems and job
applications in Cameroon are !ery interesting in that a lot of what is written is
superfluous and in some cases unduly formal. This superfluity, especially as seen in
both opening and closing sentences of these letters, is a spill o!er effect of the
/nglophones exposure to French. 0any Cameroonian linguists ha!e obser!ed that the
dominant position of French as an official language in Cameroon has influenced both
written and spoken nglish in a number of ways $0bangwana, pp.1%&-1+23 .imo
"obda, pp.%---%-'(.
Theoretical Premise
/ccording to "raj #achru $%&'2(, the spread of nglish around the world has gi!en
rise to different kinds of nglishes $pp.%+-%1(. The transportation of nglish into new
contexts of use and its !arious functions in non-nati!e settings ha!e brought with it
new challenges of description and interpretation. #achru $%&&+( argues that we ha!e
to differentiate between a de!iation and a mistake if we are to understand non-nati!e
texts. 4e states that5
6hile a de!iation can be contextualised in the new )unnglish
socio-linguistic context in which nglish actually functions3
with its meaning deri!ed with reference to the use7usage
appropriate to that cultural context, a mistake on the other hand
does not necessarily ha!e a socio-linguistic explanation.
$p.1,1(
This context specific approach constitutes the premise of the analysis of genres. 8ohn
.wales obser!es that a )genre is a recognised communicati!e e!ent $p.%,(. 9n other
words, a genre has a shared public purpose and the participants in the interaction
usually, mutually, understand its communicati!e intentions. :ijay "hatia complements
this notion when he states that5
;genres are< most often highly structured and more or less
standardised with constraints on allowable contributions in
terms of their intent, positioning, form, and functional !alue on
the part of the participants. $p.%2&(
:iewed from this perspecti!e, the analysis of a genre tends to offer linguistic
explanation rather than description. For example, emphasis is on the =uestion, )why
do members of a specific group or community use language the way they do> The
answer to this =uestion usually re=uires input not only from linguistics, but also from
sociolinguistics, psychology, and culture.
Data
Table % below presents the total number of students complaint letters and job
applications written o!er a period of fi!e years $%&&'-+,,+(.
i
;%< The complaints are
those of students of the ?epartment of nglish of the cole @ormale .upArieure
$@.( BaoundA. These complaints are written for !arious purposes5 $%( to ask
lecturers to remark scripts in which the students think they deser!e a higher mark or a
pass3 $+( to ask the ?epartment to correct wrongly published marks3 $1( to ask for
transcripts to be issued3 $C( to ask for their names to be correctly written on
examination result sheets. 8ob applications were collected by Cth year students of the
?epartment of nglish as part of an assigned task for them in a course on Desearch
0ethodology for the +,,%7+,,+ academic year.
/lthough students complaint letters and job applications constitute
separate genres, they are here considered as data for a single study
because they share a common characteristic3 namely the nature of their
communicati!e purpose3 to persuade the reader to grant the wishes of the
applicant7writer.

Table %5 .tudents complaint letters and 8ob /pplications
1998 1999 !!! !!1 !! Total
Students
Complaints
'1 -2 %' C, +1 +1&
Job Applications ,& +2 %C 12 %E &&
Total &+ %,, 1+ -2 1& 11'

Analysis
The analysis is based on two assumptions. Firstly, that opening and closing statements
in students complaint letters and job applications are unnecessarily !erbose.
.econdly, that structure and content of these complaint letters are largely idiosyncratic
and does not reflect con!entional norms.

Table +5 Types of opening and closing statements of students complaint
letters $.C( and job applications $8/(
"ature #$amples of
%penin&
Statements
1998 1999 !!! !!1 !! Total
SC JA SC JA SC JA SC JA SC JA SC JA
:erbose 9 ha!e the
honour most
respectfully to
apply forF
+2 %& E% %% C, ,- 12 %1 1, ,& %&%
',G
2E
2-G
Hther
Ieculiar
Forms
9, the
undersigned,
xxx wish to
come before
you to applyF
,' 7 ,& ,+ ,2 ,- ,E %2 7 ,C 1,
%+G
+E
+EG
Con!entional
Forms
9 wish to apply
forF
,1 ,1 ,- ,1 ,+ ,2 7 ,2 ,2 ,% %'
'G
%-
%-G
Nature #$amples of
Closin&
Statements
SC JA SC JA SC JA SC JA SC JA SC JA
:erbose 6hile waiting
for your
fa!ourable
response, 9
remain yours
humble
ser!ant7student
E1 ++ ,C ,' %, +2 1% ,1 %C ,E %++
2%G
CE
C-G
Hther
Ieculiar
Forms
/ccept sir, the
renewed
assurance of
my !ery high
esteem etc.
+% %+ +1 ,' ++ ,- %& %, +2 ,' %,,
C+G
C2
CEG
Con!entional
Forms
9 look forward
toF
7 7 7 ,+ ,C ,% ,2 ,2 ,' 7 %-
-G
,'
-G

%penin& and closin& statements
Hpening and closing sentences of the type indicated in Table + are the most common
occurring features in students complaint letters and job applications. They are
essentially a transfer of the French way of beginning and ending formal letters $.imo
"obda, pp.%---%-&(. 9n French, formal letters open with a lot of !erbosity and e=ually
close with such expressions. For example typical opening statements read5 )8ai
lhonneur de !enir trJs respectueusement auprJs de !otre haute personnalitA solliciter
$9 ha!e the honour most respectfully to come before your high personality to
solicit7ask(. There is also a common way in which formal letters end in French5 )n
attendant !otre suite fa!ourable, !euille* agrAer 0onsieur le ;nom<, le sentiment de
mon profond respect $while waiting for your fa!ourable response, accept 0r ;name<,
the sentiment of my profound respect(.
:ariations of the abo!e opening and closing statement types were
found in +C-$-1G( and %E'$2,G(, respecti!ely, of the 11' letters
analysed. 6hen these high figures are compared with those of the more
con!entional ways of beginning and ending formal letters $12G and +2G
respecti!ely(, it is clear that the former is gaining more currency as a way
of writing formal letters in the Cameroonian context. The practice is
widespread, and it is almost instincti!e to consider ones letter as impolite
if it does not begin and end in this manner. Bet politeness is hard to
deduce in )9 ha!e the honour most respecti!ely because )honour and
)respect here logically refer to the writer and not the reader or the
prospecti!e employer. 9 ha!e had a hard task con!incing my student
teachers of @. BaoundA that such !erbose statements would irritate an
employer or a lecturer who is interested only in getting the facts in any
formal letter written to them. The students argued that in a context where
jobs are scarce, a job application must be seen to be written in a way that
persuades the reader and appeal to his7her emotions.
4owe!er, to appreciate this manner of writing one has to be initiated
into the culture and practice of formal letter writing in Cameroon. /s
Kreg 0yers argues genre disciplines are like cultures in that their
members ha!e shared beliefs which can be mutually incomprehensible
between cultures and are usually encoded in a language and embodied in
practices $p.2(. The language of these students complaint letters and job
applications appears to relate to the socio-cultural7linguistic context of
Cameroon which is predominantly French. 0ark ?eLancey aptly
obser!es that5
one cannot tra!el in Cameroonian cities without gaining a sense
of per!asi!eness of French culture as an influence on
Cameroon. 9n terms of language, dress, items for sale in shops
and stores, and in numerous other ways, one is constantly
reminded of Frances role. $p. +,+(
9f the best way for the French-speaking Cameroonians to show respect and be polite
in formal letters is to begin and end them as indicated abo!e, then it can safely be
concluded that the nglish-speaking communities ha!e gradually coined similar
expressions for themsel!es. 9t is uni=ue because it is neither used in the /nglo-.axon
tradition nor it is any standard nglish usage.
Hther ways of beginning students complaint letters and job
applications in Cameroon are also indicated in Table +. Hne, )9, the
undersigned, borrowed from the French Je sousign, is typical of legal
and semi-legal texts and mostly found in administrati!e circles and in the
courts. Hthers, such as )Ilease, ha!ing, and )?octor, 9 hereby come to
inform you, exemplify a typical informal way of speaking and writing in
Cameroon. / lot of these forms especially with )Ilease and )9 hope ha!e
been identified as characteristic of pri!ate letters $ @kemleke, p.+,-(.
/lso noticeable are ending statements starting with ).ir, 9 would be
grateful, )Thanks sir, for your patience, and )/ccept .ir, the renewed
assurance of my high esteem. 9f the letters contain facts which are true
and legitimate, then the applicant need not indulge in this undue humility.
"y showing themsel!es as people who are depri!ed and desperately need
the compassion of others, the a!erage job seeker in Cameroon, or the
student who, through formal letter writing asks for legitimate matters to
be looked into, forfeit their position as e=ual partners in this social
communicati!e e!ent. The socio-economic en!ironment in the country is
probably responsible for this. 8obs are rare and students ha!e a hard time
going through studies. This has had the effects of lowering the self-
esteem of the a!erage jobless person or student, creating an undue sense
of humility and self-submission manifested in flowery expressions aimed
at gaining fa!ours.
'nternal structure and discourse strate&y
9n analysing the structure and strategies used in job applications and students
complaint letters, the underlying assumption is that objecti!e or credible self-appraisal
is a common strategy used in the former, while presentation of factual information
should characterise the latter. Table 1 gi!es the !arious persuasi!e strategies used in
job applications and students letters of complaints.

Table 15 .trategies used in job applications and students complaint letters
Type of Strate&y (re)uency * Percenta&e
Job
Applications
Students
complaint
.elf-submission $opening statements( 2E $2-G( %&% $',G(
Mse of )sir, )please sir, )?octor +2 $+2G( %,% $C1G(
Iromise to be happy if response is
positi!e
&% $&+G( ', $11G(
Iledge respect7humility while waiting E% $E+G( %++ $2%G(
.eeking to impress with language ,- $-G( %2 $EG(
.elf-appraisal &% $&+G( 7
.elf-degradation %- $%-G( 7
Ileading for help +% $+%G( 7
Iromise to ser!e well if job gi!en +1 $+1G( 7
@o strategy ,' $'G( 7

/s Table 1 shows, )self-submission, )self-appraisal, )self-degradation, and )promise
to ser!e well, seem to be widely used strategies in job applications in Cameroon.
ach strategy is not used exclusi!ely in a single letter, on the contrary each letter is
likely to use more than one strategy. For example, the letter below is predominantly
an appraisal of the writers abilities but it e=ually contains a plea for help and a
promise to ser!e.
?ear .ir,
9 hereby seek your kind co-operation for a job at your
organisation. 9 am a student at the "ritish College of
Irofessional 0anagement $Cambridge Tutorial College
9nternational( studying in the field of /ccounting. /lready 9
ha!e completed my courses in "usiness "ook #eeping and
/ccounts, "usiness conomics and Commerce and /ccounting
in "usiness 0anagement in accordance with /ssociate of
.cience ?egree in /ccounting. /lso, 9 ha!e learnt computer
skills in lectronic spreadsheets, 6ord processing and can type
well.
@e!ertheless, sir, it will be my pleasure for any help
extended to me in this field to ser!e my nation by awarding a
job. 0uch help and support will therefore accrue from your
kind and positi!e response.
Bours .incerely
/lthough it also contains )self-submission the next letter is a typical case of )self-
degradation.
.ir,
9 ha!e the honour and respect to come to you to apply for
help. Ilease, ha!ing obtained my Hrdinary and /d!anced Le!el
Certificates but now presently in the house without going to the
uni!ersity and this because, 9 was not gi!en the opportunity by
my parents, for the reason that, they had no money, 9 would be
!ery grateful if you would kindly offer me a job in your
company so as to enable me earn some monies that 9 may go to
the uni!ersity.
.ir, your kind consideration would be highly appreciated.
Bours humbly applicant
Hther interesting cases are those that the applicants seek to impress prospecti!e
employees with language. For example,
.ir,
9t has been so immense for me and pre!ilegious to drop to
you this note, asking for job opportunity.
9 wish to table before you that 9 would like you to employ
me as a dri!er in your society. .ir, my curriculum !itae behind
this paper will brief you on my dri!ing experience as well as
educational =ualifications.
!en though dri!ing is my priority you could still as well
employ me as a cleaner, daywatch, yardboy, houseboy,
anything you feel you could offer to help if there is no dri!ing
opportunity there may be other jobs that you will be con!inced
9 could still do. 9 am waiting to ha!e a positi!e response from
you sir, thank you.
Bours sincerely
/ peculiar category is the one where no strategy is used. There were up to ' letters in
this category. 4ere is an example.
.ir,
9 would like to apply for a position in your institution. The
reasons for wanting to work with the "ritish Council are many
fold5
Firstly, 9 will like to work in an atmosphere of honest and
dynamic people, which 9 think it is the characteristic of people
working in an institution.
.eemingly, it had been my wish from the time 9 came to
know the "ritish Council that 9 will one day work under the
"ritish /dministration, thus gi!ing me the moti!ation to work
with them.
/ttached to my application is a photocopy of my degree and
my curriculum !itae. 6hile waiting for a kind response, 9
remain yours .er!ant
Bours sincerely
8ob applications are particularly rich in the way applicants use different mo!es and
strategies to plead their cases. This !ariation shows that there is little or no consensus
on what should or should not be included in such letters in Cameroon. 9f the main
function of any application is )clarificatory, then, it can be concluded that the
majority of these letters do not meet this basic re=uirement.
.tudents complaint letters also ha!e some similar strategies as in job
applications. 9 will =uote direct sentences selected from some of these
complaint letters to illustrate the point5

9 implore you to kindly !erify my assessment marks
in L0/C .poken nglish .pecial .ession results.
.ir, 9 cra!e your indulgence to sol!e me this worry.
9 respectfully come beside you to ask you to carry out an
in!estigation of my marks of the M: C,15 nglish .peech and
Msage, .eptember +,,% .ession.
9 come with honour and respect before you to lay this
complaint of mine.
.ir, 9 would therefore be contented if you help look
for the script for clarification purposes.
9 hereby ha!e the honour most respectfully to apply for the
!erification of my marks on the afore-mentioned subject.
9n the wait for your accord for the corrections to be
made, accept sir, my salutations.
9 plead with you to look into the rectification sir.
6hile waiting for the positi!e action, 9 remain your
humble student.
Thanks in ad!ance for your faithful co-operation.
6hile waiting for your kind reply, 9 remain yours
humble student.
.ir, 9 count !ary much on your kind understanding.
?octor, please would you kindly look into the
problem so that 9 know my situation. before
.eptember>
These statements exemplify all the strategies mentioned in Table 1 abo!e and point to
the fact that the student who writes an official complaint letter uses the same
persuasi!e strategies that the job seeker who writes a job application uses. Table C
presents the !ariety of complimentary closes used in both students letters of
complaints and job application.

Table C 5 Complimentary closes for students complaint letters and job
applications
"ature Type of
complimentary
close
1998 1999 !!! !!1 !! Total
'rre&ular Letter opens with
)?ear .ir and
closes with )Bours
sincerely
12 1, %& %- ,' %,&
11 G
'rre&ular Letter opens with
)?ear N name and
closes with )Bours
faithfully
1E %, %2 ,1 %% -2
++G

Con+entional
Letter opens with
)?ear .ir 7 name
and closes with
)Bours Faithfully 7
.incerely
%, %+ %2 - ,- CC
%1G
%thers
,less formal-
Bour humble
ser!ant
Bours applicant
9m kindly yours
.ir, 9 remain yours
applicant
%1 +, %' %% ,- E&
+,G
. @o complimentary
close
%, ,2 %& ,1 ,+ C%
%+G
T%TAL 11'
$%,,(

9n both types of letters, the a!erage writer seems unable to master the basic rule
in!ol!ed in the selection of complimentary closes. Hut of the 11' letters examined,
%'C $22.CG( ha!e irregular complimentary closes and only CC $%1 G( can be
considered con!entional.
/ greater attempt to please the addressee can be seen in the relati!ely
high figure of other )less formal forms. This constitutes +,G $E& cases(
of the corpus. /lthough it is possible to argue that those who use these
forms in formal letters may not be aware of the rule, it is e=ually logical
to conclude that it is a strategy to create intimacy and reduce social
distance between the writer and the addressee.
9n the ?epartment of nglish in @. BaoundA, all students complaint
letters recei!ed are studied objecti!ely. @o complaint letter is gi!en
special consideration or rejected because of the manner in which it is
written. =ually, the few pri!ate school proprietors 9 ha!e spoken to in
BaoundA told me that the form, content, and language of job applications
they recei!e are not generally considered as key elements in the process
of short-listing candidates. For ob!ious economic reasons, most
employers would rather recruit those who are ready to accept the least
they can offer as wages or salaries.
9f, as persuasi!e strategies, the opening and closing statements of the
types presented in Table + abo!e do not necessarily influence the outcome
of job applications and students complaint letters3 then, we might ask
why so many people in Cameroon write in this manner. Two possible
explanations can be offered. First, the authors of these letters ha!e
probably not been exposed to the way they are written elsewhere. .econd,
as already mentioned before, it appears to be a writing habit that has been
borrowed from French O the language used by more than -2 per cent of
the population of Cameroon.
The way information is packaged in most of the 11' job applications
and students complaint letters analysed, shows the authors of these
letters as ha!ing a sort of socio-cultural or cogniti!e predisposition to an
emotional rather than a rational approach to formal letter writing. Hne can
attribute this to the legacy of colonialism in the country on the one hand,
and to the underlying ideology that characterises most of traditional
society in /frica $respect for elders( on the other hand. For se!eral
decades, colonial masters instituted a master-ser!ant relationship in the
country and this co-incidentally appeared to be in harmony with the
traditional way of life. 6ith the end of colonial rule, howe!er, this
master-ser!ant attitude has unfortunately persisted, probably accentuated
by the unfa!ourable economic situation of the country for many years.
This attitude is manifested in the political system through un=uestionable
loyalty to leadership3 in the school system through obedience and respect
of teachers by pupils and students3 in the family through respect of the
husband by children and wife or wi!es3 and in other instances of social
interactions in which one party is in need of the ser!ices of the other.
Clare Iainter has described genres as )culturally e!ol!ed goal-directed
processes $p.%-%(. This study of formal letter writing in Cameroon is one
specific example of how a genre can de!elop as a result of a collecti!e,
and socio-economic experience of a people. Like all semiotic systems,
genre in!ol!es choice, and these choices bundle together into groups
oriented to relatable generic tasks. 9n the case of job applications and
students complaint letters in Cameroon, we are witnessing a process
whereby, a generic con!ention has become so per!asi!e and embedded in
the rhetorical context to the extent that it often constrains the use of
linguistic resources $lexico-grammar and discoursal(.
Conclusion
The specificity of job applications and students complaint letters is common and
undeniable. 0uch of what is written is !erbose and flattering. 9t is an attempt to
in!oke compassion through the use of French-style expressions translated into
nglish. This is clearly seen in the nature of opening and closing statements found in
o!er ', per cent of these letters. This underlines the uni=ue cultural and linguistic
situation in Cameroon. "ecause the country is dominantly French .peaking,
/nglophones ha!e o!er the years been gradually assimilated into the French culture
especially in matters of language usage. Today, not only do /nglophones code-mix
Cameroon nglish with standard French, but Cameroon nglish itself is regularly
interspersed with elements of French.
/part from a general uncertainly on how to end letters beginning with
)?ear sir and )?ear ;name<, which can be attributed to lack of proper
knowledge of the rule, formal letter-writing as a genre is de!eloping its
own uni=ue patterns of presentation and structural se=uencing in
Cameroon. 4owe!er, we need to monitor this genre o!er a long period of
time to draw specific conclusions on any obser!ed )mo!es or strategies.
i "otes
;%< ' am &rateful to my L/A '0 students of #"S 1aound2 of the !!1*!! academic year for the effort they
made in collectin& data for this study
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