Second-language learners are found at all levels – from basic writing and first-year composition to professional writing and writing across the curriculum – as well as in writing centers. Although providing additional linguistic support in the forms of intensive language programs and special second-language sections of writing courses may be helpful they will not remove the responsibility of teachers, researchers, and administrators to address second-language is a time-consuming process that will continue through students' academic career and beyond.

Second-language learners include international visa students, refugees, and permanent residents as well as naturalized and native-born citizens of the United States and Canada. Many of them have grown up speaking languages other than English at home, in their communities, and in schools; others began to acquire English at a very young age and have used it alongside their native language. For many, English may be the third, fourth, or fifth language. Many of these English-language learners are highly literate in their first language, while others have never learned to write in their mother tongue. Some are even native speakers of languages without a written form.

Second-language learners – who have come from a wide variety of linguistic, cultural, and educational backgrounds – may have special needs because the nature and functions of discourse, audience, and persuasive appeals often differ across linguistic, cultural, and educational contexts. Furthermore, most second-language learners are still in the process of acquiring syntactic and lexical competence – a process that will take a lifetime. These differences are often a matter of degree, and not all second-language learners face the same set of difficulties. While some native speakers of English may face similar difficulties, those experienced by second-language learners are often more intense.

For these reasons, we urge teachers and program administrators to recognize the regular presence of second-language learners in their classes, to understand their characteristics, and to develop instructional and administrative practices that are sensitive to their linguistic and cultural needs.