Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-fscjk Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-28T12:00:01.051Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Teaching Pragmatics: Trends and Issues

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 September 2011

Naoko Taguchi
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Theoretical, empirical, and practical interest in pragmatic competence and development for second language (L2) learners has resulted in a large body of literature on teaching L2 pragmatics. This body of literature has diverged into two major domains: (a) a group of experimental studies directly testing the efficacy of various instructional methods in pragmatics learning and (b) research that explores optimal instructional practice and resources for pragmatic development in formal classroom settings. This article reviews literature in these two domains and aims at providing a collective view of the available options for pragmatics teaching and the ways that pragmatic development can best be promoted in the classroom. In the area of instructional intervention, this article reviews studies under the common theoretical second language acquisition paradigms of explicit versus implicit instruction, input processing instruction, and skill acquisition and practice. In the area of classroom practice and resources, three domains of research and pedagogical practices are reviewed: material development and teacher education, learner strategies and autonomous learning, and incidental pragmatics learning in the classroom. Finally, this article discusses unique challenges and opportunities that have been embraced by pragmatics teaching in the current era of poststructuralism and multiculturalism.

Type
SECTION D: INSTRUCTION IN SPECIFIC SKILL AREAS
Information
Annual Review of Applied Linguistics , Volume 31 , March 2011 , pp. 289 - 310
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2011

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY

Belz, J. (2008). The role of computer mediation in the instruction and development of L2 pragmatic competence. Annual Review of Applied Linguistics, 27, 45–75.Google Scholar
Ishihara, N., & Cohen, A. (2010). Teaching and learning pragmatics: Where language and culture meet. Harlow, UK: Pearson Longman.Google Scholar
Taguchi, N. (2009). Pragmatic competence. Berlin, Germany: Mouton de Gruyter.CrossRefGoogle Scholar

REFERENCES

Alcón-Soler, E. (2007). Fostering EFL learners’ awareness of requesting through explicit and implicit consciousness-raising tasks. In de Pilar Garcia Mayo, M. (Ed.), Investigating tasks in formal language learning (pp. 221–241). Bristol, UK: Multilingual Matters.Google Scholar
Alcón-Soler, E., & Martínez-Flor, A. (2008). Investigating pragmatics in foreign language learning, teaching and testing. Bristol, UK: Multilingual Matters.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Anderson, J. R. (1993). Rules of the mind. Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum.Google Scholar
Bachman, L. F. (1990). Fundamental considerations in language testing. New York, NY: Oxford University Press.Google Scholar
Bachman, L. F., & Palmer, A. S. (1996). Language testing in practice: Designing and developing useful language tests. Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press.Google Scholar
Bardovi-Harlig, K. (1992). Pragmatics as a part of teacher education. TESOL Journal, 1 (3), 28–32.Google Scholar
Bardovi-Harlig, K. (2001). Evaluating the empirical evidence: Grounds for instruction in pragmatics? In Rose, K. & Kasper, G. (Eds.), Pragmatics in language teaching (pp. 13–32). Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bardovi-Harlig, K., & Mahan-Taylor, R. (2003). Teaching pragmatics. Washington, DC: Office of English Programs, U.S. Department of State.Google Scholar
Belz, J. (2008). The role of computer mediation in the instruction and development of L2 pragmatic competence. Annual Review of Applied Linguistics, 27, 45–75.Google Scholar
Canale, M., & Swain, M. (1980). Theoretical aspects of communicative approaches to second language teaching and testing. Applied Linguistics, 1, 1–47.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Cohen, A. (2005). Strategies for learning and performing L2 speech acts. Intercultural Pragmatics, 2–3, 275–301.Google Scholar
Cohen, A. (2008). Teaching and assessing L2 pragmatics: What can we expect from learners? Language Teaching, 41, 213–235.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Cohen, A., & Shively, R. (2007). Acquisition of requests and apologies in Spanish and French: Impact of study abroad and strategy-building intervention. Modern Language Journal, 91, 189–212.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Cohen, A., & Sykes, J. (in press). Strategy-based learning of pragmatics: An example of intercultural language learning. In Dervin, F. & Liddicoat, A. J. (Eds.), Linguistics for intercultural education in language learning and teaching. Amsterdam, The Netherlands: John Benjamins.Google Scholar
Collins, R., & Ellis, N. (Eds.). (2009). Input and second language construction learning: Frequency, form, and function [Special issue]. Modern Language Journal, 93 (3), 329–470.Google Scholar
Davis, J. (2007). Resistance to L2 pragmatics in the Australian ESL context. Language Learning, 57, 611–649.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
DeKeyser, R. (2007). Practice in a second language: Perspectives from applied linguistics and cognitive psychology. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ellis, R. (1992). Learning to communicate in the classroom: A study of two learners’ requests. Studies in Second Language Acquisition, 14, 1–23.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Eslami-Rasekh, Z. (2005). Raising the pragmatic awareness of language learners. ELT Journal, 59, 199–208.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Faerch, D., & Kasper, G. (1984). Strategies in interlanguage communication. Harlow, UK: Longman.Google Scholar
Felix-Brasdefer, C. (2007). Teaching the negotiation of multi-turn speech acts: Using conversation-analytic tools to teach pragmatics in the FL classroom. In L. F. Bouton (ed.) Pragmatics and language learning: Vol. 1 (pp. 167–197). Manoa: Second Language Teaching and Curriculum Center at University of Hawaii.Google Scholar
Gonzalez-Lloret, M. (2008). Computer-mediated learning of L2 pragmatics. In Alcón-Soler, E. & Martínez-Flor, A. (Eds.), Investigating pragmatics in foreign language learning, teaching and testing (pp. 114–134). Bristol, UK: Multilingual Matters.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Houck, N., & Tatsuki, D. (2011). Pragmatics from research to practice: New directions. Alexandria, VA: TESOL.Google Scholar
House, J. (1996). Developing pragmatic fluency in English as a foreign language. Studies in Second Language Acquisition, 18, 225–252.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
House, J. (2010). The pragmatics of English as a lingua franca. In Trosborg, A. (Ed.), Handbook of pragmatics: Vol. VII (pp. 363–387). Berlin, Germany: Mouton de Gruyter.Google Scholar
Huth, T., & Teleghani-Nikasm, C. (2006). How can insights from conversation analysis be directly applied to teaching L2 pragmatics? Language Teaching Research, 10, 53–79.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ishida, K. (2009). Indexing stance in interaction with the Japanese desu/masu and plain forms. In Taguchi, N. (Ed.), Pragmatic competence (pp. 41–68). Berlin, Germany: Mouton de Gruyter.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ishida, M. (2009). Development of interactional competence: Changes in the use of ne in L2 Japanese during study abroad. In Nguyen, H. & Kasper, G. (Eds.), Talk-in-interaction: Multilingual perspectives. Honolulu: University of Hawaii, National Foreign Language Resource Center.Google Scholar
Ishihara, N. (2010). Maintaining an optimal distance: Nonnative speakers’ pragmatic choice. In Mahboob, A. (Ed.), Non-native speakers of English in TESOL: Identity, politics, and perceptions (pp. 35–53). Newcastle upon Tyne, UK: Cambridge Scholars.Google Scholar
Ishihara, N., & Cohen, A. (2010). Teaching and learning pragmatics: Where language and culture meet. Harlow, UK: Pearson Longman.Google Scholar
Ishihara, N., & Maeda, M. (2010). Advanced Japanese: Communication in context [Kotobato bunka no kousaten]. London, UK: Routledge.Google Scholar
Ishihara, N., & Tarone, E. (2009). Emulating and resisting pragmatic norms: Learner subjectivity and pragmatic choice in L2 Japanese. In Taguchi, N. (Ed.), Pragmatic competence (pp. 101–128). Berlin, Germany: Mouton de Gruyter.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Jeon, Eun-Hee, & Kaya, T. (2006). Effects of L2 instruction on interlanguage pragmatic development. In John, N. & Ortega, L. (Eds.), Synthesizing research on language learning and teaching (pp. 165–211). Philadelphia, PA: John Benjamins.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Judd, E. (1999). Some issues in the teaching of pragmatic competence. In Hinkel, E. (Ed.), Culture in second language teaching and learning (pp. 152–166). Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press.Google Scholar
Kakegawa, T. (2009). Development of the use of Japanese sentence final particles through email correspondence. In Taguchi, N. (Ed.), Pragmatic competence (pp. 301–334). Berlin, Germany: Mouton de Gruyter.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kanagy, R. (1999). Interactional routines as a mechanism for L2 acquisition and socialization in an immersion context. Journal of Pragmatics, 31, 1467–1492.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kasper, G. (1997). Can pragmatics be taught? Plenary speech presented at the Annual TESOL Convention (March, the 32nd conference, international), Orlando, Florida.Google Scholar
Kasper, G. (2001). Classroom research on interlanguage pragmatics. In Rose, K. & Kasper, G. (Eds.), Pragmatics in language teaching (pp. 33–62). Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kasper, G. (2006). Introduction. Multilingua, 25, 243–248.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kasper, G., & Roever, C. (2005). Pragmatics in second language learning. In Hinkel, E. (Ed.), Pragmatics in language teaching and learning (pp. 317–328). Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum.Google Scholar
Kasper, G., & Rose, K. (1999). Pragmatics and SLA. Annual Review of Applied Linguistics, 19, 81–104.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kasper, G., & Rose, K. (2002). Pragmatic development in a second language. Oxford, UK: Blackwell.Google Scholar
Kramsch, C., & Whiteside, A. (2008). Language ecology in multilingual settings: Towards a theory of symbolic competence. Applied Linguistics, 29, 645–671.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lafford, B. (Ed.). (2009). Technology in the service of language learning: Update on Garrett (1991). Modern Language Journal Focus Issue, 93, 673–887.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lee, J. (2006). Towards respecification of communicative competence: Condition of L2 instruction or its objective? Applied Linguistics, 27, 349–376.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Leech, G. (1983). Principles of pragmatics. Harlow, UK: Longman.Google Scholar
Li, S. (in press). The effect of input-based practice on pragmatic development in L2 Chinese. Language Learning.Google Scholar
Martínez-Flor, A., & Alcón-Soler, E. (2005). Pragmatics in instructed language learning [Special issue]. System, 33 (3), 381–536.Google Scholar
Martínez-Flor, A., & Usó-Juan, E. (2006). A comprehensive pedagogical framework to develop pragmatics in the foreign language classroom: The 6Rs approach. Applied Language Learning, 16, 39–64.Google Scholar
Martínez-Flor, A., Usó-Juan, E., & Fernández-Guerra, A. (2003). Pragmatics competence and foreign language teaching. Castellon, Spain: Servei de Publications de la Universitat Jaume I.Google Scholar
Mori, J. (2006). The workings of the Japanese token hee in informing sequences: An analysis of sequential context, turn shape, and prosody. Journal of Pragmatics, 38, 1175–1205.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Mori, J. (2009). The social turn in second language acquisition and Japanese pragmatics research: Reflection on ideologies, methodologies and instructional implications. In Taguchi, N. (Ed.), Pragmatic competence (pp. 335–338). Berlin, Germany: Mouton de Gruyter.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Nikula, T. (2008). Learning pragmatics in content-based classrooms. In Alcón-Soler, E. & Martínez-Flor, A. (Eds.), Investigating pragmatics in foreign language learning, teaching, and testing (pp. 94–113). Bristol, UK: Multilingual Matters.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ohta, A. (2001). A longitudinal study of the development of expression of alignment in Japanese as a foreign language. In Rose, K. & Kasper, G. (Eds.), Pragmatics and language teaching (pp. 103–120). New York, NY: Cambridge University Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Pearson, L. (2006). Patterns of development in Spanish L2 pragmatic acquisition: An analysis of novice learners’ production of directives. Modern Language Journal, 90, 473–495.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Pennycook, A. (2001). Critical applied linguistics: A critical introduction. Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Roever, C. (2009). Teaching and testing pragmatics. In Long, M. H. & Doughty, C. J. (Eds.), Handbook of language teaching (pp. 560–577). Malden, MA: Wiley-Blackwell.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Rose, K. R. (2005). On the effects of instruction in second language pragmatics. System, 33, 385–399.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Rose, K., & Kasper, G. (2001). Pragmatics in language teaching. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Saita, I. (2001). Aizuchi and cut in-focusing on a situation and setting where a problem concerning cross-cultural communication often occurs. A study on two-way distance learning system of Japanese language (Research outcome report. Grant-in-aid scientific research report 1999–2000). (C) (2), 9–21.Google Scholar
Schmidt, R. (1993). Consciousness, learning and interlanguage pragmatics. In Kasper, G. & Blum-Kulka, S., (Eds.), (Interlanguage pragmatics (pp. 43–57). New York, NY: Oxford University Press.Google Scholar
Schmidt, R. (2001). Attention. In Robinson, P. (Ed.), Cognition and second language instruction (pp. 3–32). Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Shively, R. (2010). From the virtual world to the real world: A model of pragmatics instruction for study abroad. Foreign Language Annals, 45, 105–137.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Sykes, J. (2005). Synchronous CMC and pragmatic development: Effects of oral and written chat. CALICO Journal, 22, 399–432.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Sykes, J. (2009). Learner request in Spanish: Examining the potential of multiuser virtual environments for L2 pragmatics acquisition. In Lomika, L. & Lord, G. (Eds.), The second generation: Online collaboration and social networking in CALL (pp. 199–234). San Marcos, TX: CALICO.Google Scholar
Sykes, J. (2011). Teaching through multi-user virtual environments: User-driven design and implementation for language learning. In Vicenti, G. & Braman, J. (Eds.), Teaching through multi-user virtual environments: Applying dynamic elements to the modern classroom (pp. 283–305). Hershey, PA: IGI Global.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Sykes, J., Oskoz, A., & Thorne, S. (2008). Web 2.0, synthetic immersive environments, and mobile resources for language education. CALICO Journal, 25, 528–546.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Taguchi, N. (2008a). Cognition, language contact, and development of pragmatic comprehension in a study-abroad context. Language Learning, 58, 33–71.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Taguchi, N. (2008b). The role of learning environment in the development of pragmatic comprehension: A comparison of gains between EFL and ESL learners. Studies in Second Language Acquisition, 30, 423–452.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Taguchi, N. (2009). Pragmatic competence. Berlin, Germany: Mouton de Gruyter.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Taguchi, N. (in press). Context, individual differences, and pragmatic development. Bristol, UK: Multilingual Matters.Google Scholar
Taguchi, N., & Sykes, J. M. (in preparation). Technology in interlanguage pragmatics research and teaching. Philadelphia, PA: John Benjamins.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Takahashi, S. (2010a). Assessing learnability in second language pragmatics. In Trosborg, A. (Ed.), Handbook of pragmatics: Vol. VII (pp. 391–421). Berlin, Germany: Mouton de Gruyter.Google Scholar
Takahashi, S. (2010b). The effect of pragmatic instruction on speech act performance. In Martínez-Flor, A. & Usó-Juan, E. (Eds.), Speech act performance: Theoretical, empirical and methodological issues (pp. 127–144). Amsterdam, The Netherlands: John Benjamins.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Takimoto, M. (2009). The effects of input-based tasks on the development of learners’ pragmatic proficiency. Applied Linguistics, 30, 1–25.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Takimoto, M. (2010). Evaluating the effects of task repetition on learners’ recognition and production of second language pragmatic chunks. Paper presented at the International Conference of Malaysian English Language Teaching Association, Selangor, Malaysia. JuneGoogle Scholar
Tateyama, Y., & Kasper, G. (2008). Talking with a classroom guest: Opportunities for learning Japanese pragmatics. In Alcón-Soler, E. & Martínez-Flor, E. (Eds.), Investigating pragmatics in foreign language learning, teaching, and testing (pp. 45–71). Bristol, UK: Multilingual Matters.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Tatsuki, D., & Houck, N. (2010). Speech acts and beyond: New directions in pragmatics. Alexandria, VA: TESOL.Google Scholar
Thomas, J. (1983). Cross-cultural pragmatic failure. Applied Linguistics, 4, 91–111.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Utashiro, T., & Kawai, G. (2009). Blended learning for Japanese reactive tokens: Effects of computer-led, instructor-led, and peer-based instruction. In Taguchi, N. (Ed.), Pragmatic competence (pp. 275–300). Berlin, Germany: Mouton de Gruyter.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
VanPatten, B. (1996). Input processing and grammar instruction in second language acquisition. Norwood, NJ: Ablex.Google Scholar
VanPatten, B. (2007). Input processing in adult second language acquisition. In VanPatten, B. & Williams, J. (Eds.), Theories in second language acquisition: An introduction (pp. 115–135). Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum.Google Scholar
VanPatten, B., & Oikkenon, S. (1996). Explanation versus structured input in processing instruction. Studies in Second Language Acquisition, 18, 495–510.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Vasquez, C., & Sharpless, D. (2009). The role of pragmatics in the master's TESOL curriculum: Findings from a nationwide survey. TESOL Quarterly, 43, 5–28.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Vellenga, H. (2004). Learning pragmatics from ESL & EFL textbooks: How likely? TESOL-EJ, 8. Retrieved from http://www/writing.berkeley.edu/tesl-ej/ej30/a3.htmlGoogle Scholar
Vyatkina, N., & Belz, J. (2006). A learner corpus-driven intervention for the development of L2 pragmatic competence. In Bardovi-Harlig, K., Félix-Brasdefer, C., & Omar, A. S. (Eds.), Pragmatics and language learning: Vol. 11 (pp. 293–329). Manoa: Second Language Teaching and Curriculum Center at University of Hawaii.Google Scholar
Ward, N., Rafael, E., Bayyari Yaffa Al, B., & Thamar, S. (2007). Learning to show you're listening. Computer Assisted Language Learning, 20, 385–407.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Wishnoff, J. (2000). Hedging your bets: L2 learners’ acquisition of pragmatic devices in academic writing and computer-mediated discourse. Second Language Studies, 19, 127–157.Google Scholar
Yoshimi, D., & Wang, H. (2007). Selected papers from pragmatics in CJK classrooms: The state of the art. Manoa: University of Hawaii at Manoa, National Foreign Language Resource Center.Google Scholar
Young, R. (2002). Discourse approaches to oral language assessment. Annual Review of Applied Linguistics, 19, 105–132.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Young, R., & He, A. W. (1998). Talking and testing: Discourse approaches to the assessment of oral proficiency. Amsterdam, The Netherlands: John Benjamins.CrossRefGoogle Scholar