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SECOND LANGUAGE WRITERS, TEACHERS, AND IDENTITY
SECOND LANGUAGE WRITERS, TEACHERS, AND IDENTITY
PLENARY SPEAKER: Paul Kei Matsuda
Title: Leveraging Identity in Writing Instruction
14:00-15:20
Abstract
Identity is an integral part of communication. Yet, in language and writing instruction, we tend to assume generic identity positions, such as the teacher, student, academic writers, and intelligent bystander. The goal of this presentation is to complicate the notion of identity by discussing how identity plays a role in the construction, negotiation, and use of discourse—especially written discourse. We will then discuss how the awareness of and strategies for constructing and negotiating identity can enhance students’ ability to engage with language and writing activities. We will also consider the role of teacher identity and how it can facilitate instructional practices.
KEYNOTE SPEAKERS: Carol Rinnert and Hiroe Kobayashi
Title: Developing writer identity: Self-representation in L2 English text
11:00-12:00
Abstract
Writers as agents project their identity in their texts in a variety of ways. The most direct way is by referring to themselves explicitly in their texts (e.g., “I/we,” “the author/researcher”). In this presentation, we share our recent research on self-representation in English and Japanese argumentation essays. By comparing the essays written by novice, intermediate, and advanced L1/L2 writers, we found a complex picture. Our analysis reveals that development of self-representation by L2 writers moves in a gradual, non-linear way from personal to more objective, nuanced, and implicit. The presentation focuses on changing uses of first-person pronouns (“I/my/we”) and opinion qualifiers (e.g., “I think”) in L2 English essays by Japanese writers, as compared with essays on the same topics by North American L1 English writers. The findings suggest strategies Japanese writers at various levels can adopt to represent themselves more confidently and appropriately in their L2 English writing.
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Hiroshima JALT would like to thank our Gold Sponsor, Oxford University Press. Please be sure to find their Educational Materials Exhibition (EME) on the Edzil.la site.
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