Writing for the (Virtual) Other: Bakhtin and the Pragmatics of Writing in the Foreign Language Classroom
Date
2014-09-19
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Abstract
The main goal of this study is to explore practical implications of socially-based theories of language and writing, especially those of M.M. Bakhtin, within university second and foreign language classrooms. Specifically, I explore how these socially-based understandings might inspire computer-mediated communication (CMC) intercultural exchanges as a support in the development of L2 writing. I begin by examining the impact that socially-based theories of language, first posited within early Soviet Russia and later within the disciplines of sociolinguistics and pragmatics in the West, have had on the discipline of language teaching. I argue that that impact has been unfortunately limited. Later, I describe conceptualizations of L2 writing, positing that socially-based theories could lead to deeper understandings of what writing is and how it is developed. Finally, I explore the use of technologies within language classrooms and how these have been used thus far to support writing. Finally, I describe and present the results of two online intercultural exchanges inspired by socially-based theories, implemented within university classrooms. Two groups of Spanish language learners in Canada interacted through CMC with English language learners in Chile over the course of a university semester, through a bilingual blog and Dropbox to share a piece of writing for peer review. The data for this study include the transcripts of their writing in English and Spanish in the blog; the rough, corrected and final drafts of their essays; and responses to surveys and interviews. Drawing especially on Bakhtin’s theories, I use a qualitative approach to analyze the data, identifying instances of intertextual contact and the passing back and forth of language across the students’ messages. In my findings I suggest that intercultural CMC exchange offers positive conditions for the sharing of language, which can lead to contexualized learning of new items of language and the creation of intertextually richer student compositions in the L2.
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Education--Bilingual and Multicultural, Education--Language and Literature, Language--Modern
Citation
Strickland, B. (2014). Writing for the (Virtual) Other: Bakhtin and the Pragmatics of Writing in the Foreign Language Classroom (Doctoral thesis, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada). Retrieved from https://prism.ucalgary.ca. doi:10.11575/PRISM/28725