Presentation of 'self' in application letters

Extending the argument proposed earlier in Part 2 of this volume that language learning is a social action, this chapter looks at the socialcultural construction of the concept of self in application letters by L2 users. I will argue that while there are specific conventions for genres, writing in all genres is in essence a process of self-presentation. The writers’ social-cultural background will inevitably affect the way that ideas, information and arguments are presented in a piece of writing