Using Opinions To Prove Opinions: A Case Study Of Chinese EFL Learners' Misuse Of Evidences In Argumentative Writing

This study investigated the use of evidences in argumentation in Chinese English learners' English language writing.Based on the theory of individualism and collectivism (Triandis, 1995) and Chinese specific communicative norms grounded on the notions of Chinese self and harmony (Gao, Ting-Toomey & Gudykunst, 1996), we examined the evidence use in English argumentative writing by using a parallel corpus of L1 (sampled from Louvain Corpus of Native English Essays) and L2 (sampled from Chinese Learner English Corpus, Gui & Yang 2003). We analyzed the evidence statements of both data collected in terms of Flemming's generalization of facts and opinions (Flemming, 1999) and study the frequent opinion patterns in our L2 data from a semantic functional and grammatical perspective (Celce-Murcia & Larsen-Freeman, 1999; Hoye, 1997; McArthur, 1981).The study shows: 1) that Chinese English learners tend to defend an argument with their own opinions instead of facts with the ratio ranging from 61% to 97% while it is converse in the English native speakers' situation in that facts are more applied as evidences, the ratio extending from 55%-91%; 2) that frequent opinion patterns exist in L2 data, which are pattern relying on connotative language, pattern of modality, pattern of interrogative, adverbial clause of condition, adverbial clause of reason and disguised individual voice statements; 3) that Chinese students are not aware that their use of personal opinions to prove their opinions are counter-effective for their purpose of establishing a highly creditable argument to critical readers.We believe that argumentation in writing is similar to how a people's how to perceive argument in its communication. Chinese people value face, harmony and the authority of speakers when interacting with others while communication in the West aims at inquiring truth and exchanging information. Communicative traditions in Chinese and western cultures lead students to adopt the interacting norms in their mother tongues respectively to their English writing.