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Writer/Reader Visibility in learner writing : A comparison of the French and Spanish VESPA subcorpora

Jean-Philippe, Gianie
(2020)

Files

JEANPHILIPPEGianie_81671700_2020.pdf
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Details

Supervisors
Paquot, Magali
Faculty
Faculté de philosophie, arts et lettres
Degree label
Master [120] en linguistique
Abstract
The present study addresses the issue of W/R visibility features in the academic writing by French- and Spanish-speaking learners of English compared to native speakers of English, within the same discipline. W/R visibility features are used to express personal views, attitudes and to engage with readers, so that their delicate balance in written discourse seems to be key in constructing a successful authorial voice. However, as reported in previous studies (cf. e.g. McCrostie, 2008; Recski, 2004 & Petch-Tyson, 1998), the use of W/R visibility features presents significant challenges for EFL learners. The findings of this particular study show that there is greater over-use of these features by French-speaking learners, while Spanish-speaking learners tend to under use two of the three types of W/R visibility features under study. Both quantitative and qualitative comparisons indicate that each language group expresses a different authorial voice, with the use of personal pronouns being the most problematic issue in both learner corpora. This study describes in detail the use of the different types of W/R visibility features in each corpus to help understand what is involved in the authors’ particular choices. Notably, the learner’s use bears signs of the linguistic-cultural background and academic literacy in the mother tongue, as well as their academic instruction in English and personal experiences. Some feedback is also provided regarding peculiarities of use related to the English proficiency level.