Code Meshing: A starting point to deal with WE debate in the L2 writing classroom

While Canagrajah's notion of Code Meshing seems attractive to WE proponents and represents what it looks applicable and practical in the L2 writing classroom setting, it is still questionable to what extent this notion can be tolerated by not only the academic professionals, especially those from other disciplines (i.e. other than Education, TESOL, and applied linguistics professionals), but also WE-speaking learners who might not buy into this notion and consider it as a way to keep them where they are. The situation can be even worse when it comes to the graduate level programs as well as the publication world in disciplines such as applied sciences, medicine etc. where WE perspective is not promoted and even known.

Therefore, I really think that for the time being, code meshing would be a significant teaching strategy to achieve a safe zone for our students' learning process in writing. What this means is that code meshing should be treated as a developmental stage rather than being fully accepted and legitimized. I understand that by doing so we may reproduce, in some way, the myth of Standard English. But, it is important to acknowledge that it is still hard for WE to be tolerated especially when it comes to disciplines other than education, composition, TESOL, and applied linguistics. In sum, using code meshing in this way would be a significant starting point, at least for us as ESL/EFL or composition professionals, to find our way in teaching L2 writing within the WE debate.