The language of deception, transitivity analysis of scam email messages

Abstract

The increasing use of the internet has also increased the chances of receiving scam emails. Several linguistics approaches have been used by researchers to conduct several studies on deception. Even though these approaches have helped to detect deception, they focus on aspects of the texts as opposed to a holistic analysis of the functional orientation of the texts. This study examines how deception is construed through linguistic choices, by first breaking up email texts into clauses, and then following up with a detailed clause-by-clause analysis. The focus of the study is on the transitivity choices used by email scammers to construe fraud in an attempt to manage information in order to manipulate email recipients. The data consist of forty scam email messages solicited from various recipients and also downloaded from a website. The study made several findings: first, transitivity patterns of the material processes in scam email messages show that the scammers variously position themselves as negotiable, vulnerable and generous; second, transitivity patterns associated with the relational processes reveal the identity of the scammers as credible and respectable persons in society; third, the identified mental clauses demonstrate that scammers feign commitment and dedication in the scam email messages; fourth, the patterns show that the Sayers in verbal processes are usually thanking the recipients, blessing the recipients, and seeking for assistance from the recipients. The behavioural process was used to urge recipients to respond to the scam emails while the existential process was used to motivate the recipients to reply to the emails. The study finally concludes that various linguistic strategies were deployed by the scammers to manipulate target recipients.