Diah Kristina
This study of sales promotion letters (SPLs) of batik production belongs to the area of discourse analysis. Discourse analysis is the study of how language is used within a particular setting (Swales, 1990). Discourse refers to actual practices of talking and writing (Woodilla, 1998). Parker (1992) defines a discourse as an interrelated set of texts, and the practices of their production, dissemination, and reception that brings an object into being. A study on discourse therefore, is an attempt to explore the relationship between discourse and reality. Additionally, Fairclough and Wodak (1997) assert that discourse is not produced without context and can not be understood without taking context into consideration. Likewise, discourses are always connected to other discourses which were produced earlier, as well as those which are produced synchronically and subsequently. With respect to sales promotion letters, a study was carried out by Bhatia in 1993. According to Bhatia (1993), a sales promotion letter is an unsolicited letter addressed to a selected group of prospective customers either individuals or companies in order to persuade them to buy a product or service. Considering the fact that not all of the prospective buyers are interested to buy the product or service, Bhatia (1993) believes that writers of a sales promotion letter have a challenging task of capturing and sustaining the interest of the potential buyers and eventually convincing them of the benefits of the product or service being promoted.
