Nature of Writing in ELT

華中師范大學外國語學院 梁玉朋

Ⅰ.Introduction

Writing is one of the four crucial skills in foreign language teaching and learning.Shu Baimei defines writing as the process of selecting,combing,arranging and developing ideas in effective sentences,paragraphs,and often,longer units of discourse(2009:176).Writing involves the use and selection of word,sentence,paragraph and punctuation.

A word is a minimal free form of a language that has a given sound,meaning and syntactic function(http://wy.ccnu.edu.cn/).In terms of words,such aspects need to be considered:spelling,the meaning of the word,part of speech,the tone of the word,etc.When it comes to the sentence level,the grammar,the sentence structure,the cohesion are the points need to be noticed.A sentence is a group of related words containing a complete thought(Lyons:1986).To the next extent,it is paragraph.A paragraph is a group of sentences that work together to make a point.The most important element in this level is the coherence between the lines and paragraphs.

Another important factor—punctuation have big influences on the comprehension of what the writers mean.Because of the special properties of punctuation,this factor does need to be paid enough attention when writers are writing.Compare the following two sentences:

A woman,without her man,is nothing.

A woman:without her,man is nothing.

Obviously,the meaning of the two sentences is absolutely different.But if we don’t notice the importance of punctuation,the meaning may be misunderstood and there might be side effects.

Ⅱ.Reasons for teaching writing

Two major reasons are indentified in teaching writing in ELT.

From the perspective of ELT teachers,writing serves as a way“to reinforce previously taught grammar and vocabulary items”(Shu 2009:194).Students use what they have learned in writing and teachers can have a whole picture of their level via assessment and evaluation,which provides suggestions and hints for teaching grammar and vocabulary.Writing also serves as a means of assessment,which is often used in testing.Writing test can be easily found in any exams related to ELT,from TOEFL (The Test of English as a Foreign Language)to IELTS(International English Language Testing System),from College Entrance Examination to Graduation Entrance Examination,etc.

From the standpoint of EFL students,writing first is regarded as a memory aid.Students feel more secure when they write down what they have learned.(Ibid)Meanwhile,grammar and vocabulary are on the increase gradually in their minds.By teachers’teaching writing in foreign language,students obtain the linguistic competence in the long run.In addition,writing can serve as a written communications,from text message,emails to letters and reports.

Ⅲ.Write to learn&learn to write

Do we write to learn or learn to write?In fact,this is a debate in teaching English writing.Generally speaking,“write to learn” refers to those writing activities to review and consolidate the knowledge of vocabularyand grammarthatthestudentshavealready learned.Those who supports “write to learn” often do such activities as writing things in memory,dictation,etc.“Learn to write” refers to those writing activities to foster the students’writing skills,such as expressing ideas,or describing experiences.Teachers mainly deliver the messages of writing skills and strategies to students.In other words,students will be able to write their own ideas or stories fluently and effectively under the guidance of teachers.

In the process of writing,teachers mainly focus on“learn to write”,in which some writing strategies and methods will be presented for the sake of improving EFL students’proficiency.No one will deny that both of the two aspects are extremely important when we learn a foreign language.Therefore,it is of great necessity to strike a balance between “write to learn”and “learn to write”.

Finally,when it comes to how to teach writing,nature of it comes first.Under the guidance of nature,it is more convenient for students to comprehend what writing is,thus achieving the writing competence step by step.

[1]Joseph T.Lyons.Writing fundamentals(second edition)[M].St.Lawrence College,1986.

[2]Shu Baimei.Modern Foreign Language Teaching Methodology[M].Shanghai Foreign Language Education Press,2009.