Culture, Language, and Writing: Differences-Not Deficits

Culture, Language, and Writing: Differences — Not Deficits

The abbreviation ESL ("English as a Second Language") is commonly used in college curricula, in professional literature, and by the press; however, it is not a broad enough term to include many of the writers whose first language is not English. ESL writers in college — whether international students, immigrants, refugees, or longtime residents with a bilingual background — may be multilingual and multilingual writers, equipped with all the knowledge that those terms imply.

As you learn, it is a good idea to focus on the advantages of being multilingual rather than on mistakes you will inevitably make in English. You are able, unlike many monolingual writers (those who know only one language), to know different cultures in an in-depth way and to switch at will among varied linguistic and rhetorical codes. Rather than having only one language, one culture, and one culturally bound type of writing, you have a broader perspective. You bring your culture with you into your writing, and as you do so, you help shape and reshape the culture of North America.

Cultural, Rhetorical, and Linguistic Differences

Consider the following questions. If you find any difficult to answer, try discussing them with members of your family or with friends who share your cultural background.

1.	What three features of your native culture stand out for you as significantly different from features of the culture of North America? (These features might relate, for example, to customs, holidays, religion, relationships, the structure of family life and responsibility, growing up and adolescence, work and entertainment, or educational practices.) List them.
2.	How have these three cultural issues affected you as a student and as a writer?
3.	When you read something written in your native language, what do you notice about its style? Do any features point to the type of writing as being, for instance, uniquely Arabic, Spanish, or Chinese — or whatever your native language is?
4.	How does your culture view references to classic texts and to the work of others? Does every reference to another writer's ideas have to be documented? Why or why not?
5.	Write a paragraph in your native language about your experiences as a writer. What considerations occupied you as you wrote (for example, content, organization, grammar, or punctuation)? How different are they from the considerations you have when you write in English?
6.	Make a list of five linguistic features of English that cause trouble for you when you write — areas where you frequently make mistakes in sentence structure or grammar. Decide why you make mistakes in these areas: Is it the influence of your native language? Are you constructing a hypothesis about English from your knowledge of the language? Have you not had time to acquire enough vocabulary and knowledge of idioms?
7.	For each of the five language problem areas you have isolated, write down the corresponding usage in your native language. What light do the comparisons throw on why these particular areas cause you problems?