Rhetorical diversity and the implications for Language Teaching

Dr Karen Ottewell, University of Cambridge




Works on the "English side of things" with postgraduates
Impact of Culture in Academic Communication
What is academic English?
English used to convey research
Kaplan's research on cultural thought patterns
but that was in 1966 and a lot has happened since.
Intercultural rhetoric.
Paradigm shift: it is different when you write in English
"Clearly written" PhD. How do you achieve this?
Back to basics looking at the mechanics of academic English. How the language functions?
Four pillars of English Rhetorical heritage, writer responsibility, low context, linear
Rhetorical heritage: logic is evolved out of culture, it is not universal. Comes from the Anglo-European cultural pattern. Platonic-Aristotelian sequence. Importance of Aristotle.
Rhetorical triangle logos, ethos, pathos.
Five canons of rhetoric: invention, style, arrangement, delivery, memory
Writer responsibility to make clear and well-organised statements. Tends to prefer parallel progression (AB BC CD). (AB CD EF in SE Asian countries as well as Latin America. European countries tend to have mixed progressions)
Low context things are fully spelled out, things are made explicit. (high context culture more is implicit). UK, Swiss, US Americans. High: Japan, Italians etc...
Most of the information must be in the transmitted message.

Linearity English is linear in structure Subject-Verb-Object.
In fact in English you take your reader by the hand.
Old information before new information.
Most important part of an English sentence is the end. Old information at the start, new information in the end. Organic flow of information. AB/BC/CD etc... Simplicity first, complexity last.
Achieving clarity in Writing: how you structure your argument. Work with colleges. "Achieving clarity in writing"
Question:
Awareness of the rhetoric of the foreign language is surely key to developing proficiency to native competency?

Point of view of Nahoko Mulvey, Tutor in Japanese at Oxford University Language Centre:

It was an excellent presentation, being clear, informative and entertaining.  I could understand what she meant from the viewpoint of a language teacher teaching British students and international students in one classroom, but also from the view point of a Japanese person who has to write in English in the way that is expected in the UK.