Many Souls, One Self: A Comparative Study of Multilingual Writing and Western Rhetoric

Abstract

This essay investigates the connections between the experiences of multilingual students in L2 composition and the principal appeals of Western rhetoric. The purpose in doing so is to illustrate ways in which writers might be improved in the classroom with little to no expense to their specific ethnic and cultural backgrounds. Closer inspection of these connections suggests that in learning how to negotiate conformity to linguistic expectations and expression of self, educators can maintain the authenticity of student personas and still stimulate improvement and achievement in multilingual student writing.