The Handbook of Informal Language Learning

5Informal Writing and Language Learning

PAUL KEI MATSUDA AND MELIKA NOURI

Introduction

This chapter is about informal writing – an aspect of language and writing that has been neglected in the professional literature. Research on second language (L2) writing has traditionally been dominated by formal writing, especially in academic contexts (Pelaez‐Morales 2017). This emphasis is natural because second language writing research over the last 60 years – and the development of the field of second language writing over the last three decades – has been driven largely by the perceived needs of students learning to write for academic purposes. Most of the research efforts have focused on institutional contexts such as intensive English programs, first‐year composition courses, and English for academic purposes (EAP) programs. More recently, the pressure to publish in international journals and the implementation of English‐medium instruction in various non‐English‐dominant contexts have intensified the focus on academic writing at a more advanced level. In the meantime, the needs of beginning language learners and of students in general education language classes for those who do not have academic aspirations have been left out of the picture.

The emphasis on formal writing is based on the assumption that formal writing is a necessary skill for L2 learners because they are consistently being assessed by their ability to communicate their ideas. The ability to write in formal ...