On the effects of instruction in second language pragmatics

Abstract

Despite the fact that research on the effects of instruction in second language pragmatics is a subset of the literature on instructed second language acquisition, pragmatics as a learning target does not figure prominently in most surveys of this area. This is due partly to the fact that instructional effects research in second language acquisition has only recently come into its own and still has a long way to go [Norris, J., Ortega, L., 2000. Effectiveness of L2 instruction: a research synthesis and quantitative meta-analysis. Language Learning 50, 417–528], but also is the result of a relative neglect of pragmatics in second language acquisition in general. Nevertheless, arguments have been put forward for the necessity of instruction in pragmatics [Bardovi-Harlig, K., 2001. Evaluating the empirical evidence: grounds for instruction in pragmatics? In: Rose, K.R., Kasper, G. (Eds.), Pragmatics in Language Teaching. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, pp. 13–32], and there is now a growing body of research which addresses this issue [Kasper, G., Rose, K.R., 2002. Pragmatic development in a second language. Blackwell, Mahwah, NJ. (Also Language Learning: Supplement 1, 52)]. This paper will review the literature on the effects of instruction in second language pragmatics by first considering the learning targets, learner characteristics and learning contexts represented in the studies done to date. Following this, are three central issues which occupy much of the literature: the teachability of pragmatics, the relative benefits of instruction versus exposure, and whether different approaches to instruction yield different results.

Introduction

This paper examines what research on pedagogical intervention has to say about the effects of different instructional strategies for second language pragmatic learning. The rationale for examining the effects of instruction in pragmatics is underscored by Schmidt’s (1993) contention that simple exposure to the target language is insufficient – pragmatic functions and relevant contextual factors are often not salient to learners and so not likely to be noticed even after prolonged exposure. Furthermore, Bardovi-Harlig (2001) makes a strong case for the necessity of instruction, documenting that second language learners who do not receive instruction in pragmatics differ significantly from native speakers in their pragmatic production and perception in the target language. I will first discuss the learning targets, learner characteristics, and learning contexts represented in the small, but growing body of research on the effects of instruction in second language pragmatics. Following this, I turn to three central questions relating to the effect of instruction on pragmatics: whether pragmatics is teachable, whether instruction in pragmatics produces results that outpace exposure alone, and whether different instructional approaches yield different outcomes.