Plagiarism across cultures: Is there a difference?
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.25170/ijelt.v3i2.1586Keywords:
plagiarism, intercultural rhetoric, contrastive rhetoric, authorshipAbstract
Trying to define plagiarism has been one of the most controversial issues in L2 writing classes. Much of the discussion has been about the relationship between how plagiarism is viewed in China and in the West, in part because there is a long, shared literacy tradition between them. This paper argues that while there are critical differences between how plagiarism is viewed, the relationship is often more complex than is sometimes thought. A study of this relationship can help us understand not only the nature of plagiarism but also concepts of imitation, originality, and authorship, which underlie how plagiarism is viewed. While the focus of this paper is on a comparison of Chinese- and English-language viewpoints, this perspective can help both researchers develop a framework for examining plagiarism across cultures and for teachers to develop a pedagogy for teaching about plagiarism that helps our students see its subtleties and contradictions involved in thinking about plagiarism in the same way they learn about any other aspect of literacy.
References
Alford, W. P. 1995. To steal a book is elegant: Intellectual property law in Chinese civilization. Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press.
Angélil-Carter, S. 2000. Stolen language?:Plagiarism in writing. Harlow, Eng : Longman.
Becker, A. L. 1988. Attunement: An essay on philology and logophilia. In P. V. Kroskrity (Ed.), The ethnography of communication: The legacy of Sapir (pp. 109-141). Los Angeles: Sage.
Becker, A. L. 1991. A short essay on languaging. In F. Steier, (Ed.), Method and reflexivity: Knowing as a systemic social construction (pp. 226-234). London: Sage Publications.
Berlin, J. A. 1988. Rhetoric and ideology in the writing class. College English, 50, 477-494.
Blinn, S. B. & Garrett, M. 1993. Aristotelian Topoi as a cross-cultural tool. Philosophy and Rhetoric, 26, 93-112.
Bloch, J. 2001. Plagiarism and the ESL student: From printed to electronic texts. In D. Belcher & A. Hirvela (Eds.), Linking literacies: perspectives on L2 reading-writing connections (pp. 209-228). Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press.
Bloch, J. & Chi, L. 1995. A Comparison of the use of citations in Chinese and English academic discourse. In D. Belcher & G. Braine (Eds.), Academic writing in a second language. Norwood, NJ: Ablex, 231-274.
Deckert, G. D. 1993. Perspectives on plagiarism from ESL students in Hong Kong. Journal of Second Language Writing, 2, 131-48.
Fox, H. 1994. Listening to the world: Cultural issues in academic writing. Urbana, IL: NCTE.
Green, S. P. 2002. Plagiarism, norms, and the limits of theft law: Some observations on the use of criminal sanctions in enforcing intellectual property rights. Hastings Law Journal, 54, 167-242.
Howard, R. 1999. Standing in the shadow of giants: Plagiarists, authors, collaborators. Stamford, CO. Ablex.
Hull, G. & Rose. M. 1989. Rethinking remediation: Toward a social-cognitive understanding of problematic reading and writing. Written Communication, 6, 139-154.
Jaszi, P. 1994. On the author effect: Contemporary copyright and collective creativity. In M. Woodmansee & P. Jaszi (Eds.), The construction of authorship: Textual appropriation in law and literature (pp. 29-56). Durham: Duke University Press.
Kubota, R. 1998. An investigation of L1-L2 transfer in writing among Japanese university students: Implications for contrastive rhetoric. Journal of Second Language Writing, 7, 69-100.
Kubota, R. & Lehner & Lehner A. 2004. Toward critical contrastive rhetoric Journal of Second Language Writing, 13, 7-27.
Lave, J. & Wegner, E. 1991. Situated learning: Legitimate peripheral participation. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Li, X. & Xiong, L. 1996. Chinese researchers debate rash of plagiarism cases. Science, 274, 337-338.
Lessing, L. 2004. Free culture: How big media uses technology and the law to lock down culture and control creativity. Penguin.
Lundsford, A.A. & Ede, L. 1994. Collaborative authorship and the teaching of writing. In M. Woodmansee & P. Jaszi (Eds.), The construction of authorship: Textual appropriation in law and literature (417-438). Durham: Duke University Press.
Marsh, B. 2004. Turnitin.com and the scriptural enterprise of plagiarism detection. Computers and Composition, 21, 427-438.
Matalene, C. 1985. Contrastive rhetoric: An American writing teacher in China. College English, 47, 789-808.
Metzger, T. 2005. Some ancient roots of modern Chinese thought. Early China, 11/12, 61-117.
Pecorari, D. 2001. Plagiarism and international students: How the English-speaking university responds. In D. Belcher & A. Hirvela (Eds.), Linking literacies: Perspectives on L2 reading-writing connections (pp. 229-245). An Arbor, MI: The University of Michigan Press.
Pennycook, A. 1996. Borrowing others' words: Text, ownership, memory, and plagiarism. TESOL Quarterly, 30, 201-230.
Pennycook, A. 2001. Critical applied linguistics: A critical introduction. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
Phillipson, R. 1992. Linguistic imperialism. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Rose, M. 1993. Authors and owners: The invention of copyright. Cambridge, Mass: Harvard University Press.
Russell, D. R. 1991. Writing in the academic disciplines, 1870-1990: A curricular history. Carbondale, IL: Southern Illinois University Press.
Scollon, R. 1995. Plagiarism and ideology: Identity in intercultural discourse. Language and Society, 24, 1-28.
Stanley, K. 2002. Perspectives on plagiarism in the ESL/EFL classroom. TESL-EJ, 6. Retrieved from http://www-writing.berkeley.edu/TESL-EJ/ej23/f1.html on August 15, 2004.
Vaidhyanathan, S. 2001. Copyrights and copywrongs: The rise of intellectual property and how it threatens creativity. New York: New York University Press.
Woodmansee, M. 1994. On the author effect: Recovering collectivity. In M. Woodmansee & P. Jaszi (Eds.), The construction of authorship: Textual appropriation in law and literature (pp. 15-28). Durham: Duke University Press.
Angélil-Carter, S. 2000. Stolen language?:Plagiarism in writing. Harlow, Eng : Longman.
Becker, A. L. 1988. Attunement: An essay on philology and logophilia. In P. V. Kroskrity (Ed.), The ethnography of communication: The legacy of Sapir (pp. 109-141). Los Angeles: Sage.
Becker, A. L. 1991. A short essay on languaging. In F. Steier, (Ed.), Method and reflexivity: Knowing as a systemic social construction (pp. 226-234). London: Sage Publications.
Berlin, J. A. 1988. Rhetoric and ideology in the writing class. College English, 50, 477-494.
Blinn, S. B. & Garrett, M. 1993. Aristotelian Topoi as a cross-cultural tool. Philosophy and Rhetoric, 26, 93-112.
Bloch, J. 2001. Plagiarism and the ESL student: From printed to electronic texts. In D. Belcher & A. Hirvela (Eds.), Linking literacies: perspectives on L2 reading-writing connections (pp. 209-228). Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press.
Bloch, J. & Chi, L. 1995. A Comparison of the use of citations in Chinese and English academic discourse. In D. Belcher & G. Braine (Eds.), Academic writing in a second language. Norwood, NJ: Ablex, 231-274.
Deckert, G. D. 1993. Perspectives on plagiarism from ESL students in Hong Kong. Journal of Second Language Writing, 2, 131-48.
Fox, H. 1994. Listening to the world: Cultural issues in academic writing. Urbana, IL: NCTE.
Green, S. P. 2002. Plagiarism, norms, and the limits of theft law: Some observations on the use of criminal sanctions in enforcing intellectual property rights. Hastings Law Journal, 54, 167-242.
Howard, R. 1999. Standing in the shadow of giants: Plagiarists, authors, collaborators. Stamford, CO. Ablex.
Hull, G. & Rose. M. 1989. Rethinking remediation: Toward a social-cognitive understanding of problematic reading and writing. Written Communication, 6, 139-154.
Jaszi, P. 1994. On the author effect: Contemporary copyright and collective creativity. In M. Woodmansee & P. Jaszi (Eds.), The construction of authorship: Textual appropriation in law and literature (pp. 29-56). Durham: Duke University Press.
Kubota, R. 1998. An investigation of L1-L2 transfer in writing among Japanese university students: Implications for contrastive rhetoric. Journal of Second Language Writing, 7, 69-100.
Kubota, R. & Lehner & Lehner A. 2004. Toward critical contrastive rhetoric Journal of Second Language Writing, 13, 7-27.
Lave, J. & Wegner, E. 1991. Situated learning: Legitimate peripheral participation. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Li, X. & Xiong, L. 1996. Chinese researchers debate rash of plagiarism cases. Science, 274, 337-338.
Lessing, L. 2004. Free culture: How big media uses technology and the law to lock down culture and control creativity. Penguin.
Lundsford, A.A. & Ede, L. 1994. Collaborative authorship and the teaching of writing. In M. Woodmansee & P. Jaszi (Eds.), The construction of authorship: Textual appropriation in law and literature (417-438). Durham: Duke University Press.
Marsh, B. 2004. Turnitin.com and the scriptural enterprise of plagiarism detection. Computers and Composition, 21, 427-438.
Matalene, C. 1985. Contrastive rhetoric: An American writing teacher in China. College English, 47, 789-808.
Metzger, T. 2005. Some ancient roots of modern Chinese thought. Early China, 11/12, 61-117.
Pecorari, D. 2001. Plagiarism and international students: How the English-speaking university responds. In D. Belcher & A. Hirvela (Eds.), Linking literacies: Perspectives on L2 reading-writing connections (pp. 229-245). An Arbor, MI: The University of Michigan Press.
Pennycook, A. 1996. Borrowing others' words: Text, ownership, memory, and plagiarism. TESOL Quarterly, 30, 201-230.
Pennycook, A. 2001. Critical applied linguistics: A critical introduction. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
Phillipson, R. 1992. Linguistic imperialism. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Rose, M. 1993. Authors and owners: The invention of copyright. Cambridge, Mass: Harvard University Press.
Russell, D. R. 1991. Writing in the academic disciplines, 1870-1990: A curricular history. Carbondale, IL: Southern Illinois University Press.
Scollon, R. 1995. Plagiarism and ideology: Identity in intercultural discourse. Language and Society, 24, 1-28.
Stanley, K. 2002. Perspectives on plagiarism in the ESL/EFL classroom. TESL-EJ, 6. Retrieved from http://www-writing.berkeley.edu/TESL-EJ/ej23/f1.html on August 15, 2004.
Vaidhyanathan, S. 2001. Copyrights and copywrongs: The rise of intellectual property and how it threatens creativity. New York: New York University Press.
Woodmansee, M. 1994. On the author effect: Recovering collectivity. In M. Woodmansee & P. Jaszi (Eds.), The construction of authorship: Textual appropriation in law and literature (pp. 15-28). Durham: Duke University Press.
Downloads
Published
2007-10-31
Issue
Section
Articles
