Exploring multilingual learners’ writing practices during an L2 and an L3 individual writing task

Second language (L2) writing researchers have demonstrated that bilingual writers draw on their native language to fulfill task requirements. A growing number of individuals are learning a language beyond their second, and, despite an increased interest in third/additional language (L3/Ln) development, few empirical studies have considered writing practices from a plurilingual lens. To fill this gap, nine multilingual writers (Spanish/French/English) completed two individual writing tasks (argumentative essays), one in French and one in English. The stimulated-recall interview data confirms that writing is a plurilingual activity. The participants drew on their cumulative linguistic repertoire to generate ideas, to structure their essays, and to reflect on language; however, for lexical reflections, their additional knowledge, rather than facilitate lexical accuracy, appeared to interfere with their writing experience. The findings, discussed from a plurilingual lens, confirm that individuals have fluid and partial competences of various languages which support them during academic writing tasks. Implications for cross-linguistic pedagogy are discussed. (English)