ABSTRACT
Chapter 11, by Li J., presents a journey of exploring and gaining literacy in Chinese and English mainly through schooling. In her account, she reflects on her failures in writing in both Chinese and English. She also analyses cultural and social factors that shaped her writing style and her “secret” for achieving high grades on writing exams. English gradually changes from fun “game time” to “a monster” that involves much rote learning of vocabulary, texts, and grammar rules. However, even rote learning provided a foundation for Li J.’s later literacy development. Moreover, her English writing style is an extension of the style she had already formed in Chinese. Meta-linguistically, Li J. begins to recognize the diversity and situatedness of academic writing as contingent not only on cultural ways of thinking, but also on social factors.
