Examining the Impact of Subtle Cultural Differences on Rhetorical Variation in EFL Essays

Autor/in	Schenck, Andrew
Titel	Examining the Impact of Subtle Cultural Differences on Rhetorical Variation in EFL Essays
Quelle	In: Acuity: Journal of English Language Pedagogy, Literature and Culture, 8 (2023) 1, (16 Seiten) PDF als Volltext kostenfreie Datei Verfügbarkeit
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	gedruckt; online; Zeitschriftenaufsatz
ISSN	2541-0229
Schlagwörter	Cultural Differences; Rhetoric; Language Variation; English (Second Language); Second Language Learning; Essays; Foreign Countries; Persuasive Discourse; Cross Cultural Studies; Writing Strategies; Power Structure; Individualism; Language Usage; South Korea; United Arab Emirates; United States + Suchen Sie Ihr Suchwort? Kultureller Unterschied; Rhetorik; Sprachenvielfalt; English as second language; English; Second Language; Englisch als Zweitsprache; Zweitsprachenerwerb; Essay; Aufsatzunterricht; Ausland; Persuasion; Persuasive Kommunikation; Cultural comparison; Kulturvergleich; Schreibtechnik; Individualismus; Sprachgebrauch; Korea; Republik; Vereinigte Arabische Emirate; USA
Abstract	Past research of rhetoric has relied on simple binary comparisons between groups that either do, or do not, possess a cultural trait. While countries like Korea and the UAE may share cultural values such as an acceptance of unequal power relationships (power distance) and a preference for group action (collectivism), these traits vary in degrees of intensity. To understand how these similar cultural traits may manifest differently within rhetoric, three separate corpora of persuasive essays written in English were compiled from female learners with Arabic, Korean, and English L1s. Next, frequencies of rhetorical devices from three categories (pronoun deixis, modals, and epistemic stances) were tallied and statistically compared using Friedman's Two-Way Analysis of Variance. Results did not reveal statistically significant differences for average frequencies, yet analysis of specific rhetorical devices within each category exposed some notable disparities between corpora. Emirati (Arabic) learners, who have a strong cultural preference for power distance, tend to lessen authority of propositions and avoid a direct connection with the reader, making an argument less personal (increasing power distance). Korean learners tend to use more direct and authoritative rhetorical strategies (decreasing power distance), while simultaneously hedging with epistemic stances to maintain some degree of power distance. Hedging also appears to support Korean collectivist values that promote conflict reduction and group cohesion. Ultimately, more research of cultural influences on rhetoric is needed to develop culturally responsive pedagogy that promotes better intercultural communication. (As Provided).
Anmerkungen	Acuity: Journal of English Language Pedagogy, Literature and Culture. Jl. Kolonel Masturi No. 288, Kec. Parongpong, Bandung Barat, 40559, Indonesia. e-mail: jurnal.acuity@unai.edu; Web site: https://jurnal.unai.edu/index.php/acuity/
Erfasst von	ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), Washington, DC
Update	2024/1/01