Different Paths to Writing Proficiency in a Second Language?

Abstract

One source of language variation sometimes discussed in the second-language (L2) literature is tied to the ESL learners’ length of residence in the United States. ESL learners who have lived in the United States a short time seem to have a somewhat different set of social values and norms than learners who have lived in the United States many years. These different sets of values and norms may lead to specific differences in L2 writing practices. Is it possible that different groups of learners follow somewhat different paths on their way to becoming proficient writers of a second language? More specifically, do ESL writers acquire the rhetorical, morpho-syntactic, and lexical features of their L2 along different routes? Or do these different groups merely travel the same roads at different speeds?