ATLANTA — Applied linguistics major Robin Cho knows what it’s like to grow up in the United States with English as her second language. Cho moved from South Korea to Georgia in the third grade. She said she was insecure about her writing and speech while in school.
“When I first moved to Georgia, I did not speak English very well, and the language barrier felt like an indomitable fortress separating me from my peers,” Cho said. “I didn’t think I was American enough without the native tongue.”
Now, through her internship with Georgia State Applied Linguistics Chair Sara Cushing, Cho has an opportunity to help students like herself.
Cushing’s research centers around how researchers in applied linguistics frame their discussion of students like Cho, who grew up speaking languages other than English.
“When I read student papers or review manuscripts, I sometimes notice that writers make a binary distinction between native and non-native speakers of English, and make inappropriate generalizations about second-language (L2) writers without recognizing the complexities of multilingualism as it exists in the world today,” Cushing said. “For example, many international students have studied English formally in their home countries but have had few opportunities to write academic papers in English. These students bring a very different set of skills and challenges than students who immigrated to the U.S. at a young age and completed high school here, and whose spoken English may be virtually indistinguishable from that of their peers who only speak English. And yet some researchers will still lump these students together as ‘L2 writers’ and may make blanket statements, particularly about their deficiencies.”
As part of the research, Cho and Cushing are reviewing five years of data from research-based articles about second-language writing. Cho is responsible for coding each article in terms of context of the research — whether the students learned English in settings where it’s the dominant language versus students learning English as a foreign language — and whether the research focused on vocabulary or grammar.
Cho and Cushing are also searching for statements in the articles that generalize second-language writers. Cushing’s ultimate goal is to share the findings with researchers and journal editors who write about L2 learners in hopes that writers will avoid making generalizations about a diverse group.
Cho said she hopes this research opens the conversation for a wider range of terms to describe L2 students.
“There is a high potential in the subject matter,” Cho said. “Recognizing that every writer possesses a unique voice, regardless of one’s origin, is the first step toward cultivating a diversity of narratives. Working with Dr. Cushing to analyze research on these narratives has been an extraordinary journey. Through the internship, I am learning about the millions of voices cloaked under the term ‘L2 writers’ and the diplomatic role of language learning in communicating human experiences across cultures. Personally, I’ve come to view the language barrier as a necessary challenge that I had to overcome in order to have a genuine appreciation for the narrative I now feel confident to share.”
Cho said she’s thankful for the opportunity to work with Cushing during her internship and receive real-world experience.
“I wanted to get involved and learn more through firsthand experience in addition to learning in a classroom or from a textbook. I needed to have an insight on linguistics and what applied linguists do,” Cho said.
— Photo by Raven Schley