摘要
Nowadays, the e-mail exchange has been prevailing all over the world. Nevertheless, studies on power exercised and enacted in e-mail communication within a corporation can hardly be found at home. The present study, based on the theoretical framework of power＆ solidarity and politeness systems （Scollon,R and Scollon, S.W. 2000）, is made with an attempt to explore the power relations in e-mail exchange among staffof＂upper-lower＂ ranks within multinational corporations in China. The study shows that, in modern multinational corporations, power is an underlying force. To mask and mystify power, we need to resort to a range of linguistic strategies such as the use of relative modality, inclusive pronoun ＂we/our＂, the selection of informal words and the preferred FN （first names） forms of addressing.
