Chapter 9 – Writing Skills
Your Turn
Bibi Halima and Keli Yerian
Now, let’s turn to our last reflections on language learning skills. Each of our journeys as language learners is going to look different, especially depending on how much you engage with writing in your L2. In similar fashion to previous chapters, let’s consider how you have engaged with your L2 writing in the past and how you can incorporate it into your future .
Looking back
- Recall a time when you had to write something formal in your L2. Now, try to think of a time you wrote something more casual. What was different about it? Why?
- If you tried learning a new writing system, were you patient with yourself during the process? What helped you to stay patient yet also motivated to persist with the repetitive practice needed to mater a new script?
- What are some strategies for writing in your L1 that have been successful for you so far? Which of these are applicable to your L2 writing as well?
Looking Ahead
- Imagine you want to add a comment to a conversation in another language on social media. How would you apply your understanding of genre and voice to what you write?
- How do you think you will navigate technology to support your writing without giving up your own voice and agency? How does it intersect with your own sense of ethics while you using a tool to support your L2 writing?
- Do you think you could build in more time for revision and accuracy in any of your L2 writing efforts? In what situations would it be useful for you to do this?
Any language learned after the first language(s). The term "second language" does not necessarily refer to the 2nd language in time that a person learns. It can be a third, fourth, or other additional language
Language(s) you are first exposed to and learn. Note that individuals can have multiple L1s if they are raised in a bi- or multilingual community
A specific type of written or spoken text, such as novels, newspapers, blogs, speeches, conversations, etc