scholarly journals THE STUDENTS’ ENGLISH PRAGMATIC COMPETENCE IN UNDERSTANDING CROSSCULTURAL COMMUNICATION: A STUDY AT XI GRADE STUDENT OF SMK NEGERI 1 BATULAYAR

2016 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Derah Mayanto
Keyword(s):  
Speech Acts ◽  
Tourism Industry ◽  
Literal Meaning ◽  
Pragmatic Competence ◽  
Grade Student ◽  
Missing Information ◽  
Crosscultural Communication ◽  
Pragmatic Knowledge ◽  
The Given ◽  
Hotel Accommodation

This paper investigates the students’ English pragmatic competence in understanding crossculturalcommunication. There were eighteen communicative situations designed in threedifferent speech acts namely; handling complaint, request and refusal. The situationspresented were very similar to the authentic situation that students found during the joborientation for six months in tourism industry. Three instruments were used in collecting thedata; questionnaires, discourse completion tests (DCTs) and interview. The multiple choicequestionnaire was used to investigate the students’ pragmatic understanding in three deferentspeech acts. Meanwhile DCTs was used to investigate the students’ pragmatic knowledge ingiving response to the given situations related to three different speech acts. Interviewquestion was used to clarify the missing information and to strengthen the reason why suchresponses were given in questionnaire and in DCTs. The sample of this study was 92 XIGrade students from Hotel Accommodation Program (AP) at SMK Negeri 1 Batulayar. Theresult show that the students ability in understanding pragmatic is considered very low, theyonly can understand the utterance from the literal meaning of words and phrases, but theimplied meaning of some particular utterances were uneasy to deal with. It is seen from thereported data that the average of the students’ responses in understanding pragmatics of thethree different speech acts is only 12.7%. The second three different speech acts in discoursecompletion test (DCTs) was also about giving response to the complaint, request and refusal.DCTs were used to investigate the students’ ability in using their pragmatic knowledge toresponse the nine situational communicative designed. The finding show that the students’ability in giving the written response were vary and less impressive. The written responsesin three different speech acts prompt were potentially led to a pragmatic inability inmaintaining the smooth conversation in various situations.

scholarly journals Using Facebook to improve L2 German students’ socio-pragmatic skills

2017 ◽  
Vol 25 (1) ◽  
pp. 26 ◽  
Author(s):  
Axel Harting
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Language ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Task Performance ◽  
Social Networking Sites ◽  
Speech Acts ◽  
Pragmatic Competence ◽  
Learning Approach ◽  
Daily Routines ◽  
Pragmatic Skills ◽  
Pragmatic Knowledge

This study explores ways of using Facebook as a tool to improve the pragmatic competence of German as a foreign language students in Japan. Nine students of a textbook-based German class (CFER level A2) voluntarily participated in this blended learning approach, in which they were assigned weekly online tasks aimed at eliciting speech acts commonly used in online interaction. The tasks required the students write posts concerning their daily routines onto the timeline of a dedicated Facebook Group page and to comment on each other’s posts. In order to find out what difficulties learners face when producing certain speech acts, the students’ posts and comments were analysed qualitatively and quantitatively by determining the frequency, accuracy, and appropriateness of speech acts performed per task. The results suggest that the tasks developed seemed to be appropriate for eliciting a large number of speech acts, while types, frequency, and appropriateness of the speech acts produced varied significantly. As was revealed, difficulties in task performance did not only stem from a lack of L2 (socio-pragmatic) knowledge, but also from inexperience in the use of the network itself. For task performance students strongly relied on the expressions provided in pre-task activities. As the results of a post-course students’ survey indicate, most students agreed that using Social Networking Sites is an appropriate tool for language learning, and that they were able to increase their knowledge and use of German speech acts significantly during this course. However, only those students who frequently used SNS in their everyday lives seemed to be able to reap the full benefits of the project.

scholarly journals An Overview on Explicit and Implicit instructions on Learners’ Pragmatic Awareness in Making Request in English

2016 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 60
Author(s):  
Saeedeh Shokouhi
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Language ◽  
Speech Acts ◽  
Communicative Action ◽  
Pragmatic Competence ◽  
Key Factors ◽  
Implicit Instruction ◽  
Efl Learners ◽  
Grammatical Competence ◽  
Pragmatic Awareness ◽  
Pragmatic Knowledge

<p>One of the important part of the pragmatics studies in recent years is about the intercultural communication. EFL learners should know both grammatical competence and also sociolinguistic rules to use the language in an appropriate context. This review explores the effect of the explicit and implicit instruction on the learners’ attention in the production of the speech act of request. Pragmatics includes “the study of how speakers use and understand speech acts” (Richards and Schmidt 2002). Moreover, pragmatics plays a very important role in the production and perception of the language. That is why interlocutors should have enough pragmatic knowledge to produce and perceive the proper and intended speech acts based on context. Therefore, having pragmatic competence is one of the key factors in the process of communication. Pragmatic competence in foreign language contexts is defined as the knowledge of communicative action or speech acts, how to perform it, and the ability to utilize the language in proper ways based on the context or contextual factors (Kasper 1997; Kasper &amp; Roever 2005).</p>

scholarly journals Pragmatics of English Speech Acts: Compliments Used by Macedonian Learners

2018 ◽  
Vol 8 (5) ◽  
pp. 272
Author(s):  
Marjana Vaneva ◽  
Marija Ivanovska
Keyword(s):  
Language Learning ◽  
Learning Strategies ◽  
Speech Acts ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
English Language ◽  
Speech Act ◽  
Language Education ◽  
Pragmatic Competence ◽  
English Teaching ◽  
Pragmatic Knowledge

This study investigated the pragmatic knowledge and competence of the Macedonian learners of English, i.e. Macedonian high school English students’ views on and perceptions of pragmatics, their pragmatic competence in the speech act of complimenting, and the language learning strategies employed in the process of acquiring pragmatic knowledge.Although “student-oriented” and “evaluation-oriented”, the teaching methods currently used do not sufficiently develop students’ communicative competence in the process of English teaching and learning. Many students lack pragmatic knowledge of how to use the foreign language in specific settings and how to interpret certain utterances used by native speakers of the other language.Despite all the efforts made to improve the English language education in Macedonia, yet greater emphasis should be put on students’ linguistic and pragmatic competence in the English teaching and learning process. This area is the focus of the current study that analyses the English speech act of complimenting and its use by the Macedonian learners of English.  

scholarly journals Pragmatic Competence: Difficulties faced by Pakistani EFL Learners

sjesr ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
pp. 444-451
Author(s):  
Dr. Sikander Ali ◽  
Muhammad Ashraf
Keyword(s):  
Speech Acts ◽  
Speech Act ◽  
Effective Communication ◽  
Likert Scale ◽  
Target Language ◽  
Pragmatic Competence ◽  
Efl Learners ◽  
Competence Level ◽  
Pragmatic Failure ◽  
Pragmatic Knowledge

The study investigates the pragmatic knowledge; pragmatic competence level as well as speech act strategies used by Pakistani EFL learners. It reveals that Master level English language learners are unable to produce and comprehend the intended meanings in the target language. As a result, pragmatic failure and misunderstanding occurred. Pragmatic comprehension and production is essential for effective communication especially for EFL learners in this modern age where people have to communicate cross-culturally as English is being used as lingua franca internationally. The study explores the problems faced by EFL learners in comprehending and producing the correct speech acts in English. The study used two data collection tools: a WDCT in which speech acts of refusal and apology are used to find out pragmatic competence level and difficulties faced by Pakistani EFL learners. A Likert Scale questionnaire is used to know about the views and suggestions of the Pakistani EFL learners about the teaching and learning environment regarding the pragmatics. The data of speech acts of refusal is analyzed qualitatively according to the taxonomy of Beebe, keeping in view frequency, shift and content of semantic formulas. While the data of speech acts of apology is analyzed according to the speech act strategies of Cohen. Data collected through the Likert scale questionnaire is analyzed quantitatively. The study finds out that pragmatic competence level of Pakistani EFL learners is very low as well as they have to face many difficulties which result in pragmatic failure.  Findings of the study show that Pakistani EFL learners lack knowledge of pragmatics in the target language. EFL learners acknowledged that pragmatic knowledge is very important for effective communication and it should be an integral part of syllabus and classroom activities.

scholarly journals Cultural Collision: The Interference of First Language Cultural Identity on Pragmatic Competence of the Target Language

2016 ◽  
pp. 131-147
Author(s):  
Yi-Fen Cecilia Liu
Keyword(s):  
Cultural Identity ◽  
Speech Acts ◽  
Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis ◽  
Mother Tongue ◽  
First Language ◽  
Target Language ◽  
Pragmatic Competence ◽  
Cultural Backgrounds ◽  
Reflective Study ◽  
Pragmatic Knowledge

This reflective study explores a different perspective of intercultural communicative competency (ICC) by focusing on the speech acts that nonnative speakers of Spanish from diverse linguistic and cultural backgrounds find difficult to perform competently in various contexts in Colombia. This article covers a qualitative case study using interpretative phenomenological analysis to describe these foreign learners’ experiences. It aims to understand the role of their first language, culture, and identity in their use of Spanish and intercultural communication. The data was collected through interviews and reflection notes. The findings demonstrate the interaction and negotiation between the pragmatic knowledge embedded in participants’ mother tongue and the target language as they encountered contradictions of their native cultural identity and that of the target culture.

scholarly journals The Study of Iranian Teachers’ and Learners’ Perceptions Towards Implicit and Explicit form - Focused Instruction of Speech Acts

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Melahat Amir Jahansouz Shahi ◽  
Neda Gharagozloo
Keyword(s):  
Language Proficiency ◽  
Speech Acts ◽  
Study Data ◽  
Pragmatic Competence ◽  
Validity And Reliability ◽  
Language Curriculum ◽  
Efl Learners ◽  
Material Development ◽  
Pragmatic Knowledge ◽  
The Impact

Abstract Pragmatic competence is an essential component in communicative competence (Bachman & Palmer, 2010; Canale, 1983). Therefore, teaching pragmatic knowledge plays an important role in a foreign language curriculum, particularly in teaching English as a ForeignLanguage (EFL). However, there exists a lack of literature about the teaching of pragmatics with little empirical research on teachers’ and learners’ perceptions in Iran. The purpose of this study is to investigate the impact of focus-on-form instruction (FFI) speech acts on Iranian EFL learners’ pragmatic competence. Cooperative grouping, role plays, and other pragmatically oriented tasks were used to promote the learning of the intended speech acts. To come up with conclusive and persuasive findings, 132 Iranian male and female learners, intermediate- above, served as the subjects. The Oxford Placement Test (OPT) was used to evaluate the participants’ language proficiency level. Teachers’ and students’ questionnaires about the instructions and teachers’ interview were used as the instruments in this study. Data collected by different instruments were analyzed and compared by way of a mixed method and. then was triangulated to enhance its validity and reliability. The finding of the study showed that explicitness leads to better pragmatic knowledge development than the implicit knowledge. This study showed that consciousness-raising at the metapragmatic level improved EFL learners’ pragmatic performance and variety of form-strategy use substantially; thus, it should be taken more seriously in L2 instruction and material development.

The Importance of Intercultural Communicative Competences for Tourism Labour Market: Students’ Views and their Self-Assessment

2019 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 103-117
Author(s):  
Zuzana Sándorová
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Language ◽  
Self Esteem ◽  
Daily Basis ◽  
Tourism Industry ◽  
Theory And Practice ◽  
Self Assessment ◽  
Current Trends ◽  
Migration Flows ◽  
Globalized World ◽  
The Given

Abstract The present paper is founded on two pillars. Firstly, it is one of the current trends in education worldwide, i.e. to connect theory and practice. Secondly, it is the need to be interculturally competent speakers of a foreign language in today’s globalized world of massive migration flows and signs of increasing ethnocentrism. Based upon these two requirements, the ability to communicate in a FL effectively and interculturally appropriately in the tourism industry is a must, since being employed in whichever of its sectors means encountering other cultures on a daily basis. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to find out undergraduate tourism students’ opinion on the importance of intercultural communicative competences for their future profession as well as their self-assessment in the given field. The findings of the research, which are to be compared to employers’ needs, revealed that there is considerable difference between the respondents’ views on the significance of the investigated issues and their self-esteem.

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.

Politeness in power-asymmetrical e-mail requests of Korean and American corporate employees

2017 ◽  
Vol 14 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sun Hee Kim ◽  
Hikyoung Lee
Keyword(s):  
Cultural Values ◽  
Speech Acts ◽  
Native Speakers ◽  
Intercultural Experience ◽  
Politeness Strategies ◽  
Employee Groups ◽  
Pragmatic Knowledge ◽  
American Employees ◽  
Pragmatic Strategies ◽  
E Mail

AbstractPrevious research on politeness tends to examine the inadequacy of non-native speakers’ pragmatic knowledge. In this study, we broaden our focus to the influence of different lingua-cultural values on politeness in simulated workplace e-mail requests of Korean and American corporate employees. By exploring differential perceptions towards power-asymmetry, this study investigates how and why politeness strategies are realized similarly and/or differently in and around the speech acts of requests in English. By quantitatively and qualitatively analyzing the elicited data, the study suggests that lingua-cultural values influenced perception and production in power-asymmetrical situations. Findings reveal that power is a more prominent factor than familiarity for Korean employees, but to a lesser extent for American employees when doing politeness in e-mail requests. Results showed that the underlying reasons for formulating requests differed not only between Korean and American employees but also between two Korean employee groups that differed according to depth of intercultural experience. This study contributes to recent research strands in intercultural pragmatics and communication by arguing that pragmatic strategies to express politeness in relation to power are culture specific with existing and newly reconstructed lingua-cultural values coming into play.

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.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document