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| dc.description.abstract | Building a strong argument in written form could be challenging for learners of English as a foreign
language
(EFL)
for
two
reasons:
they
are
still
grappling
with
the
target
language
and
have
little
knowledge
about
the
rhetoric
in
the
target
culture.
This
paper
focuses
on the latter,
examining
the
problems
that
the
Indonesian
learners
face
when
writing
an
argumentative
text
in
English
due
to
cultural differences. Twenty eight adult EFL learners who participated in a language training
to improve their English proficiency were asked to write an argumentative essay consisting of
an introductory paragraph, two paragraphs in the body and a concluding paragraph. In this paper
the analysis was confined to the introductory paragraphs that they wrote, and the results showed
that the way they organized the ideas to build an argument in the introductory paragraphs was
influenced by their native culture to a certain degree. Rather than expressing their thoughts and
opinions in a linear fashion like native speakers of English commonly do, some of them wrote
their arguments by beating around the bush, making it harder for the readers to identify and understand
these writers’ stance about a certain issue. Moreover, some others even avoided giving an
overt argument in their paragraphs and embraced both contrasting views about a particular issue
instead. Some implications for the teaching of writing argumentative text were proposed. | in_ID |
