Sylvain Dieltjens and Priscilla Heynderickx Evasive actions in top-down communication

Evasive actions in top-down communication

Sylvain Dieltjens and Priscilla Heynderickx Evasive actions in top-down communication Strategies for avoiding direct sender and receiver references

Keywords: business communication, internal communication (top-down), pronoun use, inclusive/exclusive we, evasive srategies The ambiguity of the we-referent in internal communication documents can make text interpretation di~cult. We analyzed the 1999 issues of the ‘Maxi Guide’, the weekly topdown brie¼ng of a large Belgian distribution chain. In relational and hybrid texts in particular, the referent of the pronoun often changes within the same text without any textual or graphic indicator. This article will ¼rst describe how the use of we is avoided. In total seven strategies were detected (e.g., perspective changes, non-¼nite clauses, elliptical sentences). They will be explained and illustrated with examples translated from both French and Dutch. Next, the article will outline how we itself operates as an evasive strategy. The examples will demonstrate how similar strategies are used in the two languages.

Introduction Research into French and Dutch internal communication documents reveals an unclear delimitation of sender(s) and receiver(s). The ambiguity of the we-referent can make textual interpretation particularly di~cult. In relational and hybrid texts the referent often changes within the same text

without any textual or graphic indicator (see Dieltjens & Heynderickx, in preparation). This article gives an overview of we-analyses done so far. First it will describe how the use of we is avoided. Second, it will outline how we itself operates as an evasive strategy. The texts analyzed come from the ‘Maxi Guide,’ the weekly brie¼ng of the marketing managers of a large Belgian distribution chain, to registered o~ces. In the guide three types of texts can be distinguished. There are informative texts (e.g., debrie¼ngs of special actions), instructive texts (e.g., ordering procedures), and relational texts (e.g., editorial). In addition there are hybrid texts, within which the three other types are mixed. The following senders could be identi¼ed: the company executives, the marketing department, the editorial sta¬, and the registered o~ces. In the 1999 issues of the ‘Maxi Guide’ (± 1000 pages altogether) the referent for each we-form was recorded. The research required the identi¼cation of the we-forms that were used as an evasive strategy for a di¬erent word. Sentences in which the use of we was avoided were also systematically recorded. Before describing the strategies used, we demonstrate the ingenuity of the evasive system.1 1. Cleverly designed and well-organized presentations will result in much more ending up in the carts than was originally on the shopping list. The sender uses an evasive strategy three times. First he avoids reference to the receiver, secondly to the customers

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and thirdly to an inclusive we. Also note that the ¼rst strategy is missing in the French equivalent. 2. Thanks to your attractive presentations, the carts will ¼ll with many more products than those that were on the original shopping list.

The ‘we’-referent in the literature Using the relevant entries in the two most reputable dictionaries of both the Dutch and the French language (i.e., Woordenboek der Nederlandse Taal and the Trésor de la langue française, respectively) we can categorize the di¬erent uses of we. The main distinction is that between a singular and a plural we. A singular we is used instead of I/you, for example out of modesty (pluralis modestiae). A plural we can be used exclusively or inclusively. With an exclusive we the recipient does not belong to the intended group; with an inclusive one he does. Depending on the number of recipients, we can be paraphrased as follows. Exclusive Inclusive

I + he/she I + they I + you (singular) I + you (plural) I + you (plural) + whoever (= everyone)

The terms ‘inclusive’ and ‘exclusive’ are widely used. For Dutch we might for example refer to Renkema (1993) and Burger and De Jong (1997), for French to Perret (1994) and for English to Brown and Levinson (1987) and ConnorLinton (1995). The we-referent is also discussed in a number of articles. Rogers and Swales (1990) examined its use in the policy documents of the Dana Corporation. Rounds (1987) describes pronominal references in classroom language. In Dieltjens and Heynderickx (in preparation), both the use and the avoidance of we is linked to text types. In addition, the use of the we-referent is mentioned in passing in several articles on di¬erent topics. For example, Haverkate (1992) discusses the mitigating e¬ects of the inclusive use of we; De

Fina (1995) draws attention to the ambiguity of we in political discourse. In literature, the strategies for avoiding the we-referent are only discussed in a haphazard way. Rogers and Swales (1990) for example demonstrate that in cases where we might have remained problematic, the document provides alternative subjects such as “Dana,” “Dana people,” and “The Dana Corporation.” (Rogers & Swales, 1990, p. 306) Rounds (1987) mentions the e¬ect of You/one: if […] both the second we and the third we were replaced by one, the resulting utterance would re½ect a very marked disengagement of the speaker from the audience. (Rounds, 1987, p. 22) In this article, we aim at a more systematic analysis of the strategies used.

Seven we-avoiding strategies A sender particularly tries to avoid the inclusive we-form in instructive texts (cf. Dieltjens & Heynderickx, in preparation). A clear de¼nition of sender and receiver is necessary for such texts since there cannot be any unclarity concerning who should carry out the instruction. The sender tries to make his instructions as pointed as possible while not mentioning himself in the text. What construction will the sender choose if he wishes to avoid the use of we? Seven types were distinguished. Strategy I The sender can easily disappear from the texts by changing the perspective of the sentence. He chooses the patiens or recipiens as the point of departure by making the sentence passive or receptive. Such sentences lack agent and source, respectively. In the literature it has been shown that the


motive for a change of perspective is often to camou½age the agent. This mainly relates to modesty or politeness. Vandeweghe (2000) says: Using a passive construction is therefore also a technique which is used if there are reasons to keep the Agent outside the action. Possible reasons for this are: (i) the Agentreferent is unknown; (ii) who or what is intended is su~ciently clear from the subject or situation; (iii) there are reasons for reserve (e.g., modesty or politeness: by me and by us in particular are usually omitted); and (iv) the Agent is very general and of no consequence: they, one, people, etc. (Vandeweghe, 2000, p. 71–72; see also ANS, 1997, p. 1413).2 The passive construction stresses what is being done and not who is doing it. Consequently the passive construction seems to be particularly well suited to business texts (see Renkema 1993). It is apparent from the description of the use of the passive construction by Cornelis (1996) that it is the most suitable construction to minimize the involvement of the sender. In an article relating to the passive construction in management texts, she states: The passive is a construction that makes it possible to invoke the person responsible but to halt the process of identi¼cation related to it: by using a passive structure the author invites the reader not to look at the action through the eyes of the agent, consequently not to take the perspective of the person responsible (Cornelis, 1996, p. 27).3 Some examples of perspective changes are given below and the active/dative sentences with the explicit statement of we have been added.4 They are clearly much more direct. passive 3. You can also fax orders through to us for products that will be permanently removed from the product line. (You can also fax orders through to us for products that we will be removing permanently

from the product line.) 4. In e¬ect these products are no longer recognized by the warehouse and can therefore not be processed. (In e¬ect these products are no longer recognized by the warehouse. As a result we can no longer process them.) receptive 5. By way of the Maxi Guide of this week the heads of non-perishables and dairy products are receiving a proposal to plan a grouped theatricalization. (By way of the Maxi Guide of this week we propose that the heads of non-perishables and dairy products plan a grouped theatricalization.) 6. The manager will receive two copies of the guide. (We will send the manager two copies of the guide.) Strategy II In the case of perspective change the senders remain only implicitly in the text. The second strategy makes it possible for the senders to be explicitly present, without referring to themselves in the ¼rst person: they refer to themselves in the third person. There is a personi¼cation5 of the company, information channels, or the board, which creates a distance. This makes the statements appear more objective. Example 7 is a good illustration of this. In the impersonal context the positive adjective brilliant appears to be a more objective statement than a personal, individual evaluation. An extra bene¼t for the sender is that he simultaneously avoids the impression of arrogance. 7. Maxi is launching the brilliant exchange promotion of reward points for gift vouchers between January 12 and February 15. (We are launching the brilliant exchange promotion of reward points for gift vouchers between January 12 and February 15.) 8. GB Group is going along with customer developments by o¬ering a proportional share of the points collected, converted into cash. (We are going along with customer developments by o¬ering a propor-

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tional share of the points collected, converted into cash.) Strategy III A third often-used strategy is the non-¼nite subordinate clause. This is very e~cient for masking a contributor, as the subject is not stated. The short-in¼nitive construction without a dominant sentence in enumerations is present in remarkably large numbers in our sources. The subject cannot be construed from the linguistic context because there is no dominant sentence. Since any (pronominal) reference to either the sender or receiver has disappeared, it is entirely left up to the readers to infer the intended agent. 9. Objectives: – To reduce a maximum number of Reward points for a great number of customers – To create a tra~c-builder event around the reward card. 10. ‘Thermae 2000’ promotion – Period of supply: 18th October until the end of November 1999. – Period of the promotion in the shops: 1st November until 19th December 1999. – Objective: To increase brand recogntion, to attract new consumers, and to reward current consumers. Repeated use of such constructions results in a sti¬ and unreadable telegram style. In the examples above that impression is reinforced by the enumeration. Strategy IV The second type of non-¼nite subordinate clause is the participle or the participial phrase used as an attributive adjunct. It also hides who is carrying something out. For example, the abolished references are actually the references that we abolished. Burger and De Jong advise against such participle styles (1997, p. 228). The frequent use of nominalization is stylistically heavy. The agent disappears into the background, which makes the text impersonal. This is repeatedly mentioned in the litera-

ture. We cite Van der Horst as an example: Verbs express an action, an activity. If these verbs are made into nouns, the action is hidden. The actions have then become things and the formulation then becomes businesslike and impersonal. Those who carry out the action disappear. (Van der Horst, 1997, p. 24; see also Burger & De Jong, 1997, p. 87, among others).6 Of course this can be a conscious strategy (see Van der Horst, 1997). In addition, such nominalizations are frequently combined with meaningless verbs such as to happen and to do (see Gillaerts & Heynderickx, 1999, p. 132). Burger and De Jong (1997, p. 86) call them colourless verbs. This results in texts that are not only static but also long-winded. 11. The intention is to improve the turnover after the ¼rst clearance sale rush. (We intend to improve the turnover after the ¼rst clearance sale rush.) 12. Delivery will be much faster, that is to say within a period of 3 weeks. This is not in reference to a complete review of the range but simply to the replacement of the canceled products. (We will deliver much faster, that is to say within a period of 3 weeks. We will not do this by completely reviewing the range but simply by replacing the canceled products.) Such statements have a generally valid character, which practically rules out any contradiction. We add that both recognized authorities and individuals that wish to acquire this status can use a nominal style: the former to make statements that cannot be contradicted; the latter to give their personal opinions the appearance of general truths (Burger & De Jong, 1997, p. 89).7 Strategy V The ¼fth strategy is simple to implement. The writer constructs an elliptical sentence, in which he removes the constituent referring to we. In examples 13 and 14 bilingual


comparisons illustrate the strategy, as the elliptical element is expressed in the other language. 13. Dutch: It has become apparent from oral and written feedback from the shops that there is no need for a double set of work documents. (compare French: Pursuant to feedback from the various branches, we have canceled the second set of work documents.) 14. French: This is also the time to draw attention to certain products. (compare Dutch: This is the ideal time for us to draw a little more attention to certain products.) According to the ANS (1997, p. 1114) elliptical or incomplete sentences can be used if the meaning is unproblematical and clear from the situation. Strategy VI The writer sporadically chooses the general one if he wants to avoid we. Although this is a very simple option, it is actually rarely used. 15. If customers have complaints concerning the inadequate distribution of the folders, one must have the correct addresses at one’s disposal so that the inspectors can carry out their investigation at the correct address. 16. The observed di¬erence which will be the result is the di¬erence between the addition of the starting inventory + the amount of the delivery for which one is subtracting the sales as well as the Corrective Entries and the inventory at the end of the period. Strategy VII Finally, there is the purely lexical strategy. Occasionally a writer uses a word or expression, the meaning of which allows him to write without any personal references. 17. The overview below gives you an idea … (In the overview below we give you an idea…) 18. Atmosphere sells.

Concluding remarks Two conclusions become apparent in a systematic comparison of parallel Dutch and French texts. First, the implementation of an evasive strategy di¬ers between the two languages. Second, Dutch and French sometimes use another type of evasive construction. We illustrate that with some examples (The ¼rst one of each pair is the Dutch formulation, the second one is the French formulation). 19. This week we have grouped a lot of important messages in the general information section. → weform 20. This week the General Information section includes a lot of important messages. → personi¼cation 21. You will receive an amended form of the Maxi Gids. → receptive sentence 22. We have amended the Maxi Guide slightly. we-form 23. We are entering the last two weeks prior to the end of the ¼nancial year. → we-form 24. Two more weeks to go before the end of the ¼nancial year. → in¼nitive construction 25. If customers complain about an inadequate distribution of the folders, it is necessary that one knows the correct addresses to which to send the inspectors. → one 26. If customers complain about an inadequate distribution of the folders, it is necessary to know the correct addresses to send the inspectors. → choice of vocabulary 27. … for products that will be permanently removed from the warehouse → passive 28. … for products that will permanently leave the warehouse → choice of vocabulary If we only refers to the receiver (we = you), its use is clearly a way to make the text less authoritative. This is found particularly in the texts concerning ‘theatricalization’, but also in

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the editorials. Although ‘theatricalization’ takes place in the shops themselves, the sender always states that we should ensure it (e.g., example 29). 29. Of course our professional theatricalizations are also good for something. 30. With a good dose of creativity, we will pack a punch in this ¼nal week, which will have quite an impact on the balance sheet. The sender also uses strategies to avoid the direct you. They are comparable to the aforementioned evasive strategies illustrated for we. They too are attempts to come across less authoritatively or accusingly. 31. The presentation of this concept will be set up at the beginning of the section. change of perspective Some shops still have budgets left. → personification The beginning of the month: the ideal moment for commercial risks! → ellipsis Tips for a Maxi-turnover: – Clearly displaying the products that are in promotion and providing them with clear labeling. – Avoiding shortages. […] → infinitive constructions (You have to display the products that are in promotion clearly and you ought to provide them with clear labelling. You ought to avoid shortages) The distribution of coupons should take place on receipt of the delivery. → nominalization Organisation and cleanliness are the trump cards! → choice of vocabulary We is also used sporadically when I/you is intended. This mainly concerns the texts where the author is high up on the company’s hierarchical ladder. 32. We are happy to be able to inform you that the 1997 agreement between the GIB Group and the tax administration has been extended by one year. (Joe H. Beauduin — General Manager for Human Resources)

The pronoun I/you is hardly present in the sources. This is probably also an attempt to come across to the readers less authoritatively. Some fragments of texts with the pronoun in question perfectly illustrate the tone resulting from them. 33. Can I ask you kindly but insistently, with a view to the future, to continue using the program on a weekly basis as agreed. 34. I think this is outrageous when we are ¼ghting for the “security” of our products. This is completely unacceptable. A detailed analysis of the personal pronoun we shows the inventiveness and strategic manipulation of the authors of the source texts. They try not to come over (too) authoritarian in all kinds of ways. On the one hand if the use of we would be too intrusive, they use other constructions, which do not refer to the sender. In this way the sender disappears from sight. This also makes the possibility of erroneous interpretations less in instructive texts. On the other hand, if they want to declare themselves linked to the readers, then they use the inclusive we instead of you. The research also showed that both Dutch and French o¬er many alternative expressions. The number of references to the di¬erent communication partners is kept as small as possible in this way. The goodwill of the readers is almost always relied on to achieve the correct interpretation. They usually ¼nd more indications in the situation than in the context. Finally, the numerous examples illustrate that excessive use of impersonal expressions such as nominalizations, passive clauses, and short in¼nitive constructions result in texts that can be greatly improved stylistically.


Appendix 1. Met knap uitgekiende en ordelijke presentaties zal er heel wat meer in de caddies belanden dan hetgeen er op het oorspronkelijke boodschappenlijstje stond. (= Door ordelijke presentaties die jullie knap uitkienen, belandt er meer in de caddies van de klanten, zodat wij meer verkopen). 2. Grâce à vos présentations attrayantes, les caddies se rempliront de bien plus de marchandises que ce qui se trouvait à l’origine sur les listes d’achats. 3. U kan ons ook bestellingen doorfaxen voor de artikelen die de¼nitief uit het economaat assortiment genomen zullen worden. (U kan ons ook bestellingen doorfaxen voor de artikelen die we de¼nitief uit het economaat zullen nemen.) 4. En e¬et ces articles ne sont plus connus par le dépôt et ne peuvent donc plus être traités. (En e¬ect ces articles ne sont plus connus par le dépôt et nous ne pouvons donc plus les traiter.) 5. Via de Maxi Gids van deze week kregen de chefs van de droge voeding en de zuivel een voorstel om een gegroepeerde theatralisatie te plannen. (Via de Maxi Gids van deze week stelden we de chefs van de droge voeding en de zuivel voor om een gegroepeerde theatralisatie te plannen.) 6. Le gérant recevra deux exemplaires du guide. (Nous enverrons deux exemplaires du guide au gérant.) 7. Van 12 januari tot 15 februari lanceert Maxi de schitterende inruilactie van voordeelpunten tegen aankoopcheques (Van 12 januari tot 15 februari lanceren wij de schitterende inruilactie van voordeelpunten tegen aankoopcheques). 8. GB Group s’est associé aux gestes de clients en apportant une quotepart: proportionelle des points versés, convertis en argent. 9. Objectieven: Massaal een maximum aantal Voordeelpunten verminderen. Een tra~c-builder-evenement creëren rond de voordeelkaart. 10. Action ‘Thermae 2000’; Période de livraison: 18 octobre jusqu’à ¼n novembre 1999; Période d’action dans les magasins: 1 novembre jusqu’au 19 décembre 1999; Objectif: Augmenter la notoriété de la marque, attirer des nouveaux consommateurs, et récompenser les consommateurs actuels. 11. Bedoeling is het zakencijfer op te schroeven na de eerste soldenrush. (= Wij streven ernaar het zakencijfer na de eerste soldenrush op te schroeven.)

12. La livraison sera beaucoup plus rapidement c-à-d dans un delai de 3 semaines. Il ne s’agit pas d’une révision complète de l’assortiment, mais seulement d’un remplacement des références supprimées. 13. Uit mondelinge en schriftelijke feedback vanuit de winkels is namelijk gebleken dat er geen behoefte is aan een dubbele set werkdocumenten. (compare Suite au feed-back de divers sièges, nous avons supprimé le deuxième set de documents de travail.) 14. C’est également le moment de mettre en évidence certains produits. (compare Voor ons is het een ideaal moment om bepaalde producten extra in de kijker te zetten.) 15. Indien klanten klachten hebben over een slechte distributie van de folders, dan moet men over de juiste adressen beschikken zodat de inspecteurs hun onderzoek op het juiste adres kunnen uitvoeren. (… moeten we over de juiste adressen beschikken …). 16. La di¬érence constatée qui en résultera, sera la di¬érence entre l’addition de l’inventaire de départ + le montant des livraison auquel on soustraira les ventes ainsi que les Mouvements Correctifs et l’inventaire de ¼n de période. 17. Onderstaand overzicht geeft u een idee … (In het onderstaande overzicht geven wij u een idee …) 18. L’ambiance fait vendre. 19. We hebben deze week heel wat belangrijke berichten onder de rubriek algemene informatie gegroupeerd. 20. La rubrique Informations générales regroupe cette semaine plusieurs messages importants. 21. U krijgt de Maxigids in een gewijzigde vorm. 22. Nous avons légèrement modi¼é le Maxi Guide. 23. We gaan de laatste twee weken voor het einde van het boekjaar in. 24. Encore deux semaines à aller avant la ¼n de l’exercice. 25. Indien klanten klachten hebben over een slechte distributie van de folders, dan moet men over de juiste adressen beschikken zodat de inspecteurs hun onderzoek op het juiste adres kunnen uitvoeren. 26. Si les clients se plaignent de la mauvaise distribution des folders, il faut connaître les adresses exactes où il faut envoyer des inspecteurs. 27. …voor de artikelen die de¼nitief uit het economaat zullen worden genomen. 28. … les références qui quittent dé¼nitivement l’économat. 29. Natuurlijk zitten onze professionele theatralisaties er ook voor iets tussen. 30. Avec une bonne dose de créativité, nous donnerons un sacré punch à cette dernière semaine qui pèsera lourd dans la balance du CA. 31. La présentation de tout ce concept sera fait au début du rayon. change of perspective

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Er zijn winkels die nog budgetten laten liggen. personi¼cation (= Jullie laten nog budgetten liggen.) Début du mois: moment idéal pour les risques commerciaux! ellipsis Tips voor een Maxi-zakencijfer: – De producten die in promotie zijn op een duidelijke manier uitstallen en voorzien van een duidelijke a~chering. – Manco’s vermijden. […] → in¼nitive constructions (= Jullie moeten de producten … uitstallen en van een duidelijke a~chering voorzien. Jullie moeten manco’s vermijden. enz.) La distribution des bons doit se faire dès réception des colis. → nominalization Orde en netheid zijn troef! → choice of vocabulary (= Jullie moeten

Notes 1. The examples are translated from Dutch and French. The original texts are listed in the appendix. 2. “Passivering is dan ook een techniek die o.a. aangewend wordt als er redenen zijn om de Agens buiten de predicatie te houden. Mogelijke redenen zijn: (i) de Agens-referent is niet bekend, (ii) uit het verband of de situatie blijkt voldoende wie of wat bedoeld is, (iii) er zijn redenen voor terughoudendheid (b.v. bescheidenheid of beleefdheid: vooral door mij, door ons worden meestal weggelaten) en (iv) hij is zeer algemeen of weinigzeggend: ze, men, de mensen, e.d.” (Vandeweghe, 2000, p. 71–72) 3. “Het passief is een constructie die het mogelijk maakt om de verantwoordelijke wel op te roepen, maar om het proces van identi¼catie ermee tegen te houden: door het passief te gebruiken nodigt de schrijver de lezer uit om niet door de ogen van de verantwoordelijke naar de handeling te kijken, dus om niet het perspectief van de verantwoordelijke in te nemen” (Cornelis 1996, p. 27). 4. Compare: “In discourse analysis it is often as important to understand what is not in the text (and why) as it is to investigate the actual textual phenomena (Brown & Yule, 1983)” (Rogers & Swales, 1990, p. 301) and “A process analysis should presumably take an interest not only in the

orde en netheid hebben!) 32. Met genoegen kunnen we u melden dat het akkoord van 1997 tussen GIB Group en de ¼scale administratie met één jaar verlengd werd. (Joe H. Beauduin — Algemeen Directeur Human Resources) / Nous avons le plaisir de vous informer que l’accord conclu en 1997 entre GIB Group et l’administration ¼scale est prolongé d’un an. (Joe H. Beauduin — Directeur Générale HRM) 33. Mag ik u vriendelijk, maar met aandrang vragen, met het oog op de toekomst, het programma wekelijks te blijven gebruiken zoals afgesproken. 34. J’estime que c’est scandaleux alors que nous nous battons a¼n que nos marchandises soient “sécurisées”. C’est tout à fait inadmissible.

paths that are taken but in those that are not but could have been” (Widdowson, 1979, p. 71). 5. According to Van der Spek (2000) the personi¼cation of the company is one of the most frequently used metaphors in business communication. Jacobs (1999) found hardly any ¼rstperson pronouns in press releases. It is a characteristic feature of the production format of press releases that self-referencing is almost exclusively realized in the third person, in particular through the use of the organisation’s proper name (Jacobs, 1999, p. 220). 6. “Zoals de naam al zegt, drukken werkwoorden de werking, de activiteit uit. Als we van die werkwoorden naamwoorden maken, wordt die actie versluierd. De handelingen zijn dan dingen geworden, waardoor de formulering zakelijk en onpersoonlijk wordt. Degenen die de handeling uitvoeren, zijn dan verdwenen” (Van der Horst, 1997, p. 24). 7. “Wij voegen daaraan toe dat zowel gevestigde autoriteiten als individuen die deze status willen verwerven zich van naamwoordstijl kunnen bedienen: de eersten om uitspraken te doen die geen tegenspraak dulden; de laatsten om hun persoonlijke meningen het aanzien te verlenen van algemene waarheden” (Burger & De Jong, 1997, p. 89).

Bibliography Algemene Nederlandse spraakkunst (ANS) (2nd ed.) (1997).W. Haeseryn, K. Romijn, G. Geerts, J. de Rooij & M. C. van den Toorn (Red.). Groningen: Martinus Nijho¬. Brown, P. & Yule, G. (1983). Discourse Analysis. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Brown, P. & Levinson, S. C. (1987). Politeness: Some universals in language usage. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Burger, P. & Jong, J. de (1997). Handboek Stijl. Adviezen voor aantrekkelijk schrijven. Groningen: Martinus Nijho¬. Connor-Linton, J. (1995). The role of lexical variation in crosstalk: Pronominal reference choices in a Soviet-American spacebridge. Journal of Pragmatics 23, 301–324. Cornelis, L. (1996). Het passief in beleidsteksten. Wie de schoen past, trekke hem aan. Tekst blad , (2) 1, 26–31. Dieltjens, S. & Heynderickx, P. (in preparation). Het “wij”-gevoel / Le “nous” indéfini / The Indefinite ”We”. Fina, A. de (1995). Pronominal choice, identity and solidarity in political discourse. Text 15, 3, 379–410. Gillaerts, P. & Heynderickx, P. (1999). Knelpunten bij het reviseren van teksten. Leuven: Garant. Haverkate, H. (1992). Deictic Categories as


Mitigating Devices. Pragmatics 2/4, 505–522. Horst, P. van der (1997). Leesbaar schrijven voor iedereen. Den Haag: Sdu. Jacobs, G. (1999). Self-reference in press releases. Journal of Pragmatics 31, 219–242. Perret, M. (1994). L’énonciation en grammaire du texte. Paris: Nathan. Renkema, J. (1993). Discourse studies: an introductory textbook. Amsterdam: Benjamins. Rogers, P. & Swales, J. M. (1990). We the People? An Analysis of the Dana Corporation Policies Document. The Journal of Business Communication 27/3, 293–313. Rounds, P. (1987). Multifunctional Personal Pronoun Use in an Educational Setting. English for Specific Purposes, (6), 1, 13–29.

Spek, E. van der (2000). Mammoettanker op de snijtafel. Metaforen in het bedrijfsleven. Taalactief, (1), 3, 5–6/10. Trésor de la langue française (1979). J. Nicot, J. Masset, A. Tuilier, F. Edelmann. Paris: Le Temps. Vandeweghe, W. (2000). Grammatica van de Nederlandse zin. Leuven: Garant. Widdowson, H. (1979). Rules and procedures in discourse analysis. In: T. Myers (Ed.) The development of conversation and discourse (pp. 61–71) Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press. Woordenboek der Nederlandse Taal (1884 e.v.). J. de Vries & J. Te Winkel. Leiden: Stichting Instituut voor Nederlandse Lexicologie.

about the authors Sylvain Dieltjens teaches French at the Lessius Hogeschool Antwerp. He is member of the board of the communication agency TxT-IBIS NV (Kortenberg — Belgium). Priscilla Heynderickx teaches Dutch at the Lessius Hogeschool Antwerp. She is secretary of the Vlaamse Vereniging voor Zakelijke Communicatie (VVZC).

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Sylvain Dieltjens and Priscilla Heynderickx Evasive actions in top-down communication

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