Interpersonal involvement in discourse: Gender variation in L2 writers' complimenting strategies

• Published in: Journal of second language writing 1992, Vol.1 (3), p.195-215
• Main Author: Johnson, Donna M.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• ISSN: 1060-3743; 1873-1422
• DOI: 10.1016/1060-3743(92)90003-8

This article reports on the use of complimenting as an involvement strategy in peer-review texts. The analysis explores how L2 writers vary their complimenting style according to gender of addressee. The data base is a set of 35 peerreview papers written by advanced L2 women writers. Four complimenting strategies that have been found to contribute to a female—female style are analyzed: positive evaluation, intensifiers, personal referencing, and a framing strategy. For each strategy, a comparison is made between texts addressed to women and texts addressed to men. In addition, the audience accommodation strategies of the L2 writers are compared to those of L1 writers. Results reveal that although L2 writers used some aspects of the L1 writers' female—female complimenting style, they did not vary their language use according to gender of addressee to the degree or in the some ways that the L1 writers did. Implications for second language acquisition and for writing effectiveness are discussed.