Presentational or Quasilogical Persuasion Styles Intercultural Impediments to the Learning of Argumentation by Arab Learners of EFL

Abstract

Intercultural communication research demonstrates that Arabs tend to use the presentational style in persuasion, while the English favour the quasilogical style. Such a cultural divergence is deemed to impede the learning of argumentation skills in EFL. The aim of this paper is to expatiate on and illustrate this dissimilarity. It also offers a number of pedagogical insights on considering this intercultural dimension in teaching the writing of argumentative texts in English to Arab learners. The key proposition is to raise learners’ awareness of their own cultural preferences and to recommend practical ways of teaching them the syllogistic, appeal-balanced persuasion style used in English so as to enable them to be interculturally competent when addressing English audiences.