Please post at least before Tuesday at noon so we have time to read one another's posts.  As per the syllabus, in addition to posting, please also respond to someone else's post.  Also, as per the syllabus, you need to do these blog posts in order to receive an S (for Satisfactory) in the course.

Suggested Questions for Blog Post #3: How does the case study in “Crossing Cultures” bring to mind experiences you have had as a teacher of and/or a writer in a second (foreign) language? 

Which transfer problems like these have you noticed in the writing of second language writers?


Which of the rhetorical and linguistic features (from the Appendix list) do you think would be easier or more difficult for second language writers?



Homework for next week, Feb 11:
1)      Read from The Tutor’s Guide, “Crossing Cultures with International ESL Writers.”
2)      Read “Possible Transfer-Based Problems You Might Observe When Working with Chinese Students.”
3)      Read the lists of features from “Appendix: Survey of Second Language Writing Development.” 



Comments

  1. AshlynFebruary 11, 2020 at 11:23 AM

    I still can't figure out how to make a separate post, but for the purposes of my reading response:

    Which transfer problems like these have you noticed in the writing of second language writers?

    I have definitely noticed the subject-verb-agreement inconsistencies more than anything else. Most of the ESL students I've worked with (either so far in the WC, or in the classroom) have been of Chinese or Middle Eastern (one Jordanian, one I haven't yet found out) descent. While the guides we read for today were mostly about Chinese ESL students, it's interesting to me to see what sorts of issues also come into play with other linguistic transference.

    Something I've also noticed in my own writing is that, since taking German for four years, I've become more unsure of what words to capitalize in English, and find myself capitalizing far more things than I technically "should" based on English rules.

    Also, my second language (French) and third (German) used to get very confused in my head when I was studying both at the same time, but what was interesting about it was that I would try to remember a word for something in French (e.g.- "glasses") and end up thinking of the German word ("brille"), but would pronounce the German word (hard Ls) as though it were a French word (IPA sound) even though the actual French word is something else entirely ("lunettes"). This sort of mixture of written and spoken transference is, I think, super interesting.

    A question I do have is a fairly obvious one, but how do we, as tutors or instructors (esp. as instructors, in a grading context) determine how much weight to place on these kinds of basic grammatical errors which when excessive, for students who are native speakers, might affect their grade. How do we balance acknowledgement of dialectical and transferal differences in language, and also personal style, with the (unfortunate) need for some sort of "standard" by which to judge writing, which is of course what we are, at a very base level, being paid to do.
    I have my own thoughts on this (I have my own thoughts on everything, admittedly), but I'm curious how others approach it.

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