The Earliest Business Letters in English: An Overview

Abstract

Business Communication in English begins in the early 15th century. Im petus for using English instead of the previously-used Latin or French first came from the central government, which encouraged the use of English as a patriotic gesture during the war against France. Following this lead, writers of business letters eagerly switched to English but retained the highly formal letter writing style of the ars dictaminis. The surviving business letters from the period show a progressive discomfort with this style throughout the century and illustrate for us the dangers of relying on received rules in letter-writing.