Description

Two messages From Mike to Matt with the reply being in reverse Subject is 'Query on the Wiki CFP Date 9-18-05 To Matt at another university address No formal salutation Two paragraphs make up the 'body' with two independent sentences The tone is less formal, like talking on the phone No formal closing Contact info on original message and nothing for reply The same subject line in the reply The response is a day later than original Both parties seem not to talk much in person The response is longer than the original

Analysis

The elements that stand out most here are the level of formality in the punctuation, and the level of informality in the tone of the writing. I think these two off set each other in a way that gets the job done and keeps a friendly atmosphere.These two people could be talking on the phone or face to face. The sentence structure is again informal complete with fragments aiding the informality.

Interpretation

I didn't see any spelling errors but there were some sentence fragments and things that made these messages sound and feel like a telephone conversation. The ability to take the original message and put your own comments inbetween the paragraphs is a way of disarming the reader. I haven't seen many other things in writing that could give this level of informality. It almost feels like punctuation isn't necessary as long as we know who is speaking.