Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Eaching Ragmatics: Introduction To
Eaching Ragmatics: Introduction To
Introduction to
Teaching Pragmatics
T he study of pragmatics explores the ability of language
users to match utterances with contexts in which they are
appropriate; in Stalnaker’s words, pragmatics is “the study of
linguistic acts and the contexts in which they are performed”
(1972:383). The teaching of pragmatics aims to facilitate the learn-
Ka thleen Bardovi-Harlig
and
Rebecca Mahan-Taylor
E N G L I S H T E A C H I N G F O R U M J U L Y 2 0 0 3
03-0107 ETF_37_43 9/5/03 11:11 AM Page 38
38 J U L Y 2 0 0 3 E N G L I S H T E A C H I N G F O R U M
03-0107 ETF_37_43 9/5/03 11:11 AM Page 39
helps the learners to expand their perception of Pragmatics can be integrated into the Eng-
the target language and those who speak it. lish language curriculum at the earliest levels:
The classroom provides a safe place within There is no reason to wait to introduce learn-
which learners can try out new forms and pat- ers to the pragmatics of a second language. In
terns of communication in an accepting envi- fact, the imbalance between grammatical and
ronment. They can experiment with unfamil- pragmatic development may be ameliorated
iar forms of address. The instructor and other by early attention to pragmatics in instruction.
student participants can provide feedback.
Instruction should allow students to choose References
how much of the pragmatic norms of the cul- Bardovi-Harlig, K. 1996. Pragmatics and language
ture they would like to include in their own teaching: Bringing pragmatics and pedagogy
together. In Pragmatics and Language Learning,
repertoire. They will also enjoy greater insights
7, ed. L. F. Bouton. University of Illinois,
into the target culture. Equally important, we Urbana-Champaign: Division of English as an
believe that students genuinely enjoy learning International Language, pp. 21–39.
about pragmatics because it is like being let ———. 1999. The interlanguage of interlanguage
into a secret! pragmatics: A research agenda for acquisitional
pragmatics. Language Learning, 49, pp.
How can pragmatics be taught? 677–713.
———. 2001. Evaluating the empirical evidence:
We emphasize that there is not a single best Grounds for instruction in pragmatics? In Prag-
way to teach pragmatics. Regardless of matics and language teaching, eds. K. Rose and
method, however, activities should share two G. Kasper. Cambridge: Cambridge University
important pedagogical practices: 1) authentic Press.
Bardovi-Harlig, K. and Dörnyei, Z. 1998. Do lan-
language samples are used as examples or
guage learners recognize pragmatic violations?
models, and 2) input precedes interpretation Pragmatic versus grammatical awareness in
or production by learners. instructed L2 learning. TESOL Quarterly, 32,
Instruction in pragmatics may utilize the pp. 233–259.
learners’ first language as well as the target lan- Bardovi-Harlig, K., Hartford, B. A. S., Mahan-Tay-
guage. Awareness raising activities can prof- lor, R., Morgan, M. J., and Reynolds, D. W.
1991. Developing pragmatic awareness: closing
itably involve demonstrations in L1 or L2 the conversation. ELT Journal, 44, pp. 92–94.
samples. Demonstrations may include the use Dörnyei, Z. and Thurrell, S. 1992. Conversation
of space, such as where people stand in a line, and dialogues in action. London: Prentice Hall
or nonverbal gestures that accompany certain International.
types of talk, such as shaking hands during Kasper, G. and Rose, K.. 1999. Pragmatics and
SLA. Annual Review of Applied Linguistics, 19,
greetings or introductions. L1 language sam-
pp. 81–104.
ples can serve to introduce learners to ideas in Kasper, G. and Schmidt, R.. 1996. Developmental
pragmatics in a context in which they have issues in interlanguage pragmatics. Studies in
native control of the language. The samples Second Language Acquisition, 18, pp. 149–169.
can also serve as the basis of L1-L2 compar- Rose, K., and Kasper, G. eds. 2001. Pragmatics in
isons. All languages have pragmatic systems, language teaching. Cambridge: Cambridge Uni-
versity Press.
and with a little encouragement all learners Stalnaker, R. C. 1972. Pragmatics. In Semantics of
will recognize that their native language also natural language, eds. D. Davidson and G. Har-
has “secret rules.” man, Dordrecht: Reidel.
E N G L I S H T E A C H I N G F O R U M J U L Y 2 0 0 3 39