Orality, Oral-Based Culture, and the Academic Writing of ESL Learners

Abstract

LU tu u Orality, Oral-Based Culture, and the Academic Writing of ESL Learners LU ^ m — â i m m A >o t ' a « >u a t o r- o oo oo m Tf a M n ft m r i ri « in in in «u £o E u 2 in U U-, r- ro vn r-- ro r-- t-- m a o i/i ^ a h n >o a n «i r~ u-i in O - , oo o - « r T) V *0 *> O ^ a -i O * M M « (S M tv « Although ESL learners are often quite sensitive to interference of their native language in second language writing, they tend to be less aware of the interference of native culture rhetorical patterns in writing Western academic exposition. Conceptually and pedagogically, however, the construct of interference is inadequate because it implies that native linguistic and rhetorical abilities must be suppressed in order to achieve competence in the target culture's discourse. An alternative approach is to recognize that many native culture rhetorical patterns can be integrated into the discourse norms of academic writing, even when these discourse patterns are oral-based. Expert writers learn to reintegrate oral-based discourse strategies into their writing after becoming aware of the differences between written and oral codes. Although the concept of oral culture is problematic, oral-based cultures can be identified. ESL learners from oral-based cultures thus need not completely divorce themselves from their native rhetorical patterns when they learn to write academic English exposition. Instead, they can learn to capitalize on certain oral-based discourse strategies, such as metaphor and narrative as proof, direct second-person address and elements of redundancy. Es g O «i o - H — <n r-~ ro m o r— m m vo co oo oo w~i m •rt •<* O iA o Ov •- OO -h co o M m Q Ov o co co M M D VI N vo <o «O MJi tn - m vO vp S <C CO n From time to time, we find sitting in our ESL writing classes an extraordinary writer whose voice (even in English) rings especially strongly with the cadences and tones of his or her native culture. Such a student is a mixed blessing: although we may relish ISSN 10504273 Vol. 1 No. 1 1990 56-76 O u es fO ri LU UJ o o o O eu UJ UJ ft. ft. vvi oo O U <n co rr m e e L L UJ L LU u u U U U 00 00 L tu L P Lu u u u Issues in Applied Linguistics © Regents of the University of California