scholarly journals Rater Behaviour When Judging Language Learners’ Pragmatic Appropriateness in Extended Discourse

2015 ◽  
Vol 32 (1) ◽  
pp. 19 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tetyana Sydorenko ◽  
Carson Maynard ◽  
Erin Guntly
Keyword(s):  
Language Learners ◽  
Speech Acts ◽  
Native Speaker ◽  
Cultural Knowledge ◽  
Pragmatic Competence ◽  
Point Scale ◽  
Request Sequence ◽  
Pragmatic Strategies ◽  
Target Speaker

The criteria by which raters judge pragmatic appropriateness of language learners’ speech acts are underexamined, especially when raters evaluate extended discourse. To shed more light on this process, the present study investigated what factors are salient to raters when scoring pragmatic appropriateness of extended request sequences, and which specific aspects of performance they attend to as appropriate or inappropriate. Three judges evaluated request sequences using a 6-point scale, marked appropriate and inappropriate elements of each request, and explained how they approached the rating of each response. It was found that all raters oriented to the appropriateness of a request sequence as a whole, paying attention not only to the request proper but also to all follow-up moves, including appreciation and closing. Additionally, raters oriented to the surrounding context: the same expressions, such as a specific appreciation statement, were rated as appropriate in some contexts and inappropriate in others. Raters also oriented to pragmatic competence broadly, paying attention not only to appropriate pragmatic strategies and expressions in a particular context, but also to such aspects as intonation and cultural knowledge. Finally, while native and near-native speaker tendencies were observed, target speaker norms were not. Implications for pragmatics teaching and assessment are discussed.Les critères selon lesquels les évaluateurs jugent la pertinence pragmatique des actes de langage d’apprenants de langue n’ont pas suffisamment fait l’objet d’études, notamment lors de l’évaluation de longues conversations. Pour éclairer davantage le processus, la présente étude a cherché à déterminer quels facteurs les évaluateurs jugent importants dans la pertinence pragmatique de séquences de requête étendues, et quels aspects spécifiques de la performance ils estiment appropriés ou pas. Trois juges ont évalué des séquences de requête selon une échelle de 6 points, ont indiqué les éléments appropriés et inappropriés de chaque requête et ont expliqué comment ils avaient abordé l’évaluation de chaque réponse. Les résultats indiquent que tous les évaluateurs jugeaient de la pertinence d’une séquence de requête dans son intégralité, portant attention non seulement à la requête comme telle mais aussi à toutes les démarches qui la suivaient, y compris le remerciement et la clôture. De plus, les évaluateurs tenaient compte du contexte : ils jugeaient qu’une même expression, une déclaration spécifique d’appréciation par exemple, était appropriée dans un contexte donné alors qu’elle ne l’était pas dans un autre. Ils ont également considéré la compétence pragmatique globale, notant, au delà des stratégies et des expressions pragmatiques appropriées dans un contexte donné, des aspects comme l’intonation et les connaissances culturelles. Finalement, si les évaluateurs ont observé des tendances de locuteurs natifs ou quasi-natifs, on ne peut en dire autant des normes de la langue cible. On discute des incidences de l’étude sur l’enseignement et l’évaluation des compétences pragmatiques.

An analysis of pragmatic content in EFL textbooks for young learners in Croatia

2021 ◽  
pp. 136216882098693
Author(s):  
Eva Jakupčević ◽  
Mihajla Ćavar Portolan
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Language Learners ◽  
Speech Acts ◽  
Primary Schools ◽  
Communicative Competence ◽  
Essential Element ◽  
Pragmatic Competence ◽  
Young Learners ◽  
Language Classes ◽  
Insight Into

Pragmatic competence is an essential element of communicative competence, which makes it relevant for speakers of all ages, including young language learners (YLLs). Despite the recognized importance of pragmatics, research of textbooks for adult second language (L2) learners to date has found them lacking in their approach to this key aspect of language. However, there is very little research of pragmatics in textbooks for YLLs, which would provide insight into the extent to which these materials can support teachers in including elements of pragmatic competence into their language classes. The present study aims to fill this gap by determining how much pragmatic content is included in 18 textbooks used in Croatian primary schools with learners aged 9–12 years. The textbooks are compared in regard to the percentage of pages with pragmatic content as well as the different speech acts that receive explicit attention in them. The main finding of the study is the great amount of inconsistency when it comes to the scope and treatment of pragmatic content, with some textbooks proving extremely lacking. The results present a concerning picture as all of the students using these diverse textbooks should be following the same curriculum which emphasizes the development of communicative competence.

Pragmatic development in L2 use of criticisms

2005 ◽  
Vol 5 ◽  
pp. 163-194 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thi Thuy Minh Nguyen
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Language ◽  
Language Learners ◽  
Language Processing ◽  
Speech Act ◽  
Native Speaker ◽  
Pragmatic Competence ◽  
Pragmatic Development ◽  
Efl Context ◽  
Foreign Language Learners ◽  
Per Se

This paper presents a study of the development of L2 pragmatic competence in the speech act of criticisms. Data were collected from three proficiency groups of Vietnamese foreign language learners of English via a conversation elicitation task and a written questionnaire. An interview was also conducted to probe into the learners’ pragmatic decision-making. Results show that the strongest difference among the learners lay in the area of modifiers to criticisms, rather than in the criticism strategies per se. Specifically, as the learners became more proficient in the L2, they mitigated their criticisms more often, thanks to a better control over language processing. However, they still lagged far behind the native speaker group in the frequency of their use of mitigators. These proficiency effects were explained by the EFL context, which probably did not much facilitate pragmatic development, given the learners’ insufficient exposure to the target norms.

scholarly journals Dimension of Experience: Metadiscourse in the Texts of Novice Non-Native, Novice Native and Expert Native Speaker

2018 ◽  
Vol 9 (3) ◽  
pp. 104
Author(s):  
H. Gülru Yüksel ◽  
Suzan Kavanoz
Keyword(s):  
Language Learners ◽  
Second Language Learners ◽  
Research Study ◽  
Native Speaker ◽  
Pragmatic Competence ◽  
Tertiary Level ◽  
Language Background ◽  
Linguistic Research ◽  
British National Corpus ◽  
National Corpus

Metadiscourse is essential in establishing pragmatically effective academic written communication. However, little is known about how metadiscourse is used in written texts produced by tertiary level second language learners. This corpus-based linguistic research study aims to explore the frequencies and usages of metadiscourse markers in student essays written by Turkish learners of English and investigate the divergences from native speaker norms. As reference corpora, British Academic Written English (BAWE) and British National Corpus (BNC) were used. We found that in academic discourse, regardless of experience in writing (novice or expert) and L1 language background, interpersonal metadiscourse markers are used more frequently than textual metadiscourse markers. The commonalities between novice non-native and expert native writers together with differences between two native speaker groups suggest that pragmatic competence, particularly metadiscourse use, develops by experience regardless of L1 background.

Learning the Rules of Academic Talk

1993 ◽  
Vol 15 (3) ◽  
pp. 279-304 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kathleen Bardovi-Harlig ◽  
Beverly S. Hartford
Keyword(s):  
Longitudinal Study ◽  
Negative Feedback ◽  
Speech Acts ◽  
Native Speakers ◽  
Native Speaker ◽  
Nonnative Speakers ◽  
Pragmatic Competence ◽  
Similar Data ◽  
Positive And Negative Feedback ◽  
Nonnative Speakers Of English

This paper is a longitudinal study of the acquisition of pragmatic competence. Advanced adult nonnative speakers of English were taped in advising sessions over the course of a semester. Two speech acts, suggestions and rejections, were analyzed according to their frequency, form, and successfulness and compared with similar data gathered for native speakers. The nonnative speakers showed change toward the native speaker norms in their ability to employ appropriate speech acts, moving toward using more suggestions and fewer rejections, and became more successful negotiators. However, they changed less in their ability to employ appropriate forms of the speech acts, continuing to use fewer mitigators than the native speakers. Furthermore, unlike native speakers, they also used aggravators. We claim that these results may be explained by the availability of input: Learners receive positive and negative feedback from the advisor regarding the desirability and outcome of particular speech acts, but they do not receive such feedback regarding the appropriateness of the forms of such speech acts.

The Effect of Language Learning Experience on the Appropriate Use of Speech Act ‘Request’

2016 ◽  
Vol 6 (5) ◽  
pp. 1060
Author(s):  
Zahra Bazyar ◽  
Ali Taghinezhad ◽  
Marziyeh Nekouizadeh
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Language ◽  
University Students ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Language Learners ◽  
Speech Acts ◽  
Speech Act ◽  
Communicative Competence ◽  
Learning Experience ◽  
Pragmatic Competence ◽  
Appropriate Use

Nowadays emphasizing linguistic competence is not a sufficient path to reach a target-like communicative competence. Pragmatic competence should be put emphasis on as well. The importance of learning speech acts which is one aspect in the pragmatics is clear to those who want to learn a second or foreign language. This study after investigating the interest of language learners in the acquisition of appropriate use of second language speech acts, traces the variation over time in the use of speech act of request in Iranian EFL University students and for further clarification a group of non-language University students. The results showed no effect of time on the appropriate use of speech act “request”.

scholarly journals Pragmatic dimensions of Prospect Series: A textbook evaluation

2018 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
pp. 76-86
Author(s):  
Ali Asghar Ghasemi ◽  
Parastou Gholami Pasand
Keyword(s):  
Language Learners ◽  
Speech Acts ◽  
Speech Act ◽  
Target Language ◽  
Pragmatic Competence ◽  
Textbook Evaluation ◽  
Language Functions ◽  
Data Analyses ◽  
Limit Language ◽  
Do So

The development of pragmatic and sociolinguistic competence is very important for language users as failure to have adequate competence can cause miscommunications. Textbooks can play a significant role in equipping learners with pragmatic competence in EFL contexts where enough exposure to the target language is not possible. This paper investigates the pragmatic dimensions of Prospect Series, Iranian high school textbooks, and the extent to which these books can be reliable sources for developing language learners’ pragmatic competence. To do so, Cohen’s (1996) and van Ek and Trim’s (1998) taxonomies of speech acts and functions were employed to manifest whether the books are pragmatically suitable. The data analyses revealed that all types of speech acts were present, although unequally, throughout the series, except Declaratives which has been ignored in the conversations of Prospect1, 2, and 3. Lack of Declaratives as being reportedly a frequently-used speech act in everyday conversations is a big disadvantage. Additionally, all kinds of language functions were present in the textbooks but rather erratically and unevenly. The findings seem to imply that lack of Declaratives, and unequal distributions of language functions and speech acts may limit language learners’ pragmatic competence, which can lead to misunderstandings and miscommunications. To compensate the drawbacks, several implications were provided.

A task-based teaching proposal for raising awareness of commissive speech acts through English modal verbs

2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (62) (Special Issue) ◽  
pp. 47-56
Author(s):  
Anda Lucia CILTAN ◽  
Victor Emanuel CIUCIUC
Keyword(s):  
Language Learners ◽  
Speech Acts ◽  
Pragmatic Competence ◽  
Teaching Techniques ◽  
Modal Verbs ◽  
Raising Awareness ◽  
Language Strategies ◽  
Communicative Teaching ◽  
Meaningful Interaction ◽  
Positive Results

"This paper focuses on one of the latest and much integrated subdomains of linguistics – pragmatics – with the objective of bringing forward a proposal on teaching the commissive speech acts (promises and threats) expressed through modal verbal units. This is meant to help students internalize this linguistic function, which will, in turn aid them to take part in daily conversations and other activities, such as reading, writing and listening to English excerpts, thus integrating the pragmatic competence into other skills. The study, hence, proposes to facilitate the understanding and use of these language strategies, since commissives are a very common type of speech acts. Moreover, a task-based approach is adopted in designing the teaching plan, as it is one of the best communicative teaching techniques, allowing students to learn through meaningful interaction and being proved to bring positive results to the language learners."

scholarly journals FOSSILIZATION, COMMUNICATIVE RATIONALITY AND COMMUNICATION STRATEGIES IN SECOND LANGUAGE LEARNING

2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 522-531
Author(s):  
Zhanna Evgenievna Vavilova ◽  
John Taylor Broadbent
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Second Language Acquisition ◽  
Language Acquisition ◽  
Language Learners ◽  
Speech Acts ◽  
Second Language Learners ◽  
Native Speaker ◽  
Corrective Feedback ◽  
Communicative Rationality ◽  
Adult Second Language Acquisition

Fossilization was first defined in 1972 as a failure, or an ultimate attainment in adult second language acquisition that falls short of native-speaker competence. It represents a final stage in the interlanguage development of the individual learner and characterizes all but a very few adult second language learners. Over the 40 years or so since the term appeared, fossilization in adult second language acquisition has come to be widely accepted by scholars as a genuinely existing phenomenon. Fossilization is now viewed as permanent and resistant to correction either through instruction or acculturation. However, no universally accepted definition or explanation of fossilization has achieved universal acceptance. This paper attempts to add an extralinguistic perspective on fossilization and its possible outcome in the communicative practice of adult L2 speakers by building a bridge between linguistics and teaching languages, on the one hand, and philosophy of communication, on the other. Habermasian concept of communicative rationality is applied to demonstrate that oratory and writing skills ensure a more significant role in a dialogue, which seems to be sufficient grounds for fighting fossilization. In terms of the theory of speech acts, the paper attempts to trace the mechanism of fossilizing in a transition from the inner space of an individual consciousness and intent (illocution) to the outer space of the perlocutionary consequence when a locutionary distortion of the speech itself does not affect the speaker’s intent and he / she receives no feedback of the error made. Several factors inhibiting the effectiveness of such corrective feedback are touched upon, as well as certain strategies adopted by second language learners in their communicative efforts.

The Involvement of Native Speakers in Teaching and Learning Japanese Language at UiTM

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (3) ◽  
pp. 14
Author(s):  
Choong Pow Yean ◽  
Sarinah Bt Sharif ◽  
Normah Bt Ahmad
Keyword(s):  
Language Learning ◽  
Language Learners ◽  
Language Proficiency ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Native Speakers ◽  
Native Speaker ◽  
Japanese Culture ◽  
Japanese Language ◽  
Foreign Language Learners ◽  
Lexical Density

The Nihongo Partner Program or “Japanese Language Partner” is a program that sends native speakers to support the teaching and learning of Japanese overseas. The program is fully sponsored by The Japan Foundation. The aim of this program is to create an environment that motivates the students to learn Japanese. This study is based on a survey of the Nihongo Partner Program conducted on students and language lecturers at UiTM, Shah Alam. This study aims to investigate if there is a necessity for native speakers to be involved in the teaching and learning of Japanese among foreign language learners. Analysis of the results showed that both students and lecturers are in dire need of the Nihongo Partner Program to navigate the learning of the Japanese language through a variety of language learning activities. The involvement of native speaker increases students’ confidence and motivation to converse in Japanese. The program also provides opportunities for students to increase their Japanese language proficiency and lexical density. In addition, with the opportunity to interact with the native speakers, students and lecturers will have a better understanding of Japanese culture as they are able to observe and ask the native speakers. Involvement of native speakers is essential in teaching and learning of Japanese in UiTM.

Improving EFL learners' pragmatic awareness

2003 ◽  
Vol 141-142 ◽  
pp. 199-223
Author(s):  
Seran Doğançay-Aktuna
Keyword(s):  
Language Use ◽  
Native Speaker ◽  
Effective Communication ◽  
Pragmatic Competence ◽  
Main Claim ◽  
Advanced Level ◽  
Efl Learners ◽  
Linguistic Resources ◽  
Pragmatic Awareness ◽  
Language Classrooms

This paper overviews the ways in which EFL learners' pragmatic awareness can be developed in language classrooms through focused instruction and practice. It argues that effective communication requires awareness of the conventions governing language use and attention to the characteristics of the context and the interlocutors, besides linguistic resources. The main claim is that even though some pragmatics data that is based on native speaker norms might not provide relevant models for learners of English as a foreign or international language, these learners still need to become aware of crosscultural variation in norms of language use and learn how to consider social and contextual factors surrounding effective communication. After defining pragmatic competence and transfer, the paper discusses possible ways for integrating pragmatic consciousness-raising into language teaching and the problems involved in this endeavour. It then describes a course designed to raise pragmatic awareness in advanced level EFL learners as part of their TEFL training program. The underlying principles, materials and sample activities of the course are presented and learners' reaction to the course is discussed.

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