DALLA COSTA NATALIA VERÓNICA
Libros
Título:
English Language I. Academic Paragraph Writing
Editorial:
Impresiones FL de Natalia Rondini
Referencias:
Lugar: Córdoba; Año: 2015 p. 48
ISSN:
978-987-1976-36-2
Resumen:
Writing is not only a linguistic but also a cognitive and social process. It is obviously a linguistic process because, when we write, we need to deal with the language. It is a cognitive or thinking process since, while we write, we analyse, compare and/or contrast and clarify ideas. Finally, writing is a social process as, if we want to become a member of a certain linguistic community, in this case, the English speaking academic community, we need to be well-informed about the sociocultural conventions of that community. This means that we may have to write in a way that we may not be familiar with at the beginning. This is especially the case when writing in academic settings, for example, at university. Writing is then linguistically, cognitively and socially challenging, and writing in another language is even more challenging. Writing in English as a foreign language is demanding in more than one way. First, it is important for the writer to be aware of conventions that are different from the ones that rule the mother tongue. For instance, while Spanish writing may be digressive to a certain extent, English writing tends to be linear. Second, while Spanish speaking readers may value emotional impact more highly, English speaking readers would expect a fixed text pattern. Then, as writing is a thinking process, it will draw on resources that the mind has. Therefore, no one will be able to write effectively about something they do not know. This implies careful research on topics. Again, writing is a challenge, and as every challenge, it requires knowledge, preparation and practice. Thus, writing is a process that implies rewriting and revising before coming up with a final product. This handout is an attempt to provide students of English Language I with the necessary knowledge and skills to write academic paragraphs in English. It contains activities that will help them practise the writing skills as they deal with the main topics of this course. The handout is divided into three chapters: The Academic Paragraph, Paragraph Writing Tasks and Self-monitoring, Teacher and Peer Feedback, so that students can learn about the different aspects of writing in an organised way. We hope that this handout can help students learn how to write academic paragraphs in English in an enjoyable way.