Associations of L1-to-L2 rhetorical transfer with L2 writers’ perception of L2 writing difficulty and L2 writing proficiency

Abstract

The rhetorical transfer from an L1 to an L2 has been acknowledged as a common phenomenon in L2 writing. Nevertheless, limited research concentrated on individual differences in this transfer, which thus tended to be simplified as the interference in L2 writing. This study investigated how this transfer was related to L2 writers’ perception of L2 writing difficulty and L2 writing proficiency in L2 argumentative writing. Data were collected from 89 Chinese non-English major undergraduates using English writing tests, an English argumentative writing task plus a post-writing retrospective questionnaire, and a follow-up interview. Results suggested that: 1) L2 writers’ perception of L2 writing difficulty and L2 writing proficiency were found as individual factors relevant to L1-to-L2 rhetorical transfer; 2) L2 writers’ perception of L2 writing difficulty was positively associated with the transfer related to the argument organization respecting within-paragraph organization and consideration of a thesis; 3) L2 writers’ L2 writing proficiency had a negative association with the transfer that did not reflect the active role of L1 rhetoric.