Authorial Voice in L2 Writing

Abstract Can we “see” a writer's voice in their writing, just as we can hear their voice when they speak? What defines an authorial voice in a written text, anyway? How, if at all, can we measure the strength of an author's voice in a written text? To what extent is this concept important to second‐language (L2) writers and in L2 writing instruction and assessment? Is this concept of voice even teachable to L2 writers? All these questions together illustrate the complexity of the topic under discussion. Probably due to its elusive nature, voice is often seen as a concept that is at once intriguing and perplexing, important and yet difficult to define and operationalize. This entry will seek to offer an overview of the existing scholarly work on this particular topic, including the many discussions about the nature, construction, development, and assessment of voice, the role it plays in L2 writing, and its teachability to L2 writers.