Dissertation Information for Rebecca Moore Howard NAME: - Rebecca Moore Howard
DEGREE:
- Ph.D.
DISCIPLINE:
- [No Discipline Recorded]
SCHOOL:
- West Virginia University (USA) (1984)
ADVISORS: - None COMMITTEE MEMBERS: - None
MPACT Status: Incomplete - Not_Inspected
Title: LANGUAGE PHILOSOPHY IN COMPOSITION THEORY AND ITS PEDAGOGICAL IMPLICATIONS FOR NATIVE AND NON-NATIVE SPEAKERS OF ENGLISH
Abstract: "Two common courses are commonly adopted for the dispensation of non-native speakers of English (L2) in college composition. One is to enroll the L2 in classes designed for native speakers (L1); the other is to separate the L2 into special sections. A third alternative is possible, however: to design a composition course that satisfies the needs of both L1 and L2.
Prevailing philosophy of language has prevented this third alternative from being realized; L2 are deemed incapable of producing the necessary rhetoric and language. Linguistic determinism, which sees language as a determiner of world view and cognition, yields a belief that rhetoric varies from culture to culture to such an extent that L2 cannot learn American rhetoric as quickly as L1. Literary organicism, whose concern with form is artistic, searching for the most perfect linguistic expression of any given semantic datum, combines with linguistic determinism to produce a preoccupation with and over-valuation of Standard Written English; thus L2 are not considered capable of producing acceptable language.
Neither of these philosophical interpretations has any proven validity with regard to freshman composition, however. On the contrary, the preponderance of scientific evidence militates strongly against linguistic determinism. In addition, literary organicism is more appropriate to the study of literature than to composition instruction; linguistic organicism, describing form for its own sake, is the more apt philosophy for composition praxis.
With linguistic determinism and literary organicism set aside, a college composition pedagogy is possible in which L1 and L2 work together and learn from each other in group inquiry classes. When a communicative standard of English usage instead of one based on social prestige is applied to their writing, the performances of L1 and L2 are approximately equal. One of the most important products of such a pedagogy is that both teachers and students are given the opportunity to contribute to the development of an internationally rather than provincially based ideal of English usage, one that is appropriate and important to the present international status of the English language."
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MPACT Scores for Rebecca Moore Howard A = 0
C = 1
A+C = 1
T = 0
G = 0
W = 0
TD = 0
TA = 0
calculated 2008-01-31 06:12:29
Advisors and Advisees Graph
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