Teaching L2 pragmatics to young learners

Abstract

This paper reviews research on teaching pragmatics – and more specifically speech acts – to young L2 learners from two perspectives: (1) studies investigating young L2 learners’ pragmatic competence and (2) studies examining the potential of different materials with regard to pragmatics instruction. The review of L2 learners’ speech act competence addresses cross-sectional and longitudinal developmental studies, as well as studies that examined the effects of specific instructional approaches, learning contexts or materials on young L2 learners’ pragmatic competence. The review of studies examining materials addresses both studies focusing on designated L2 teaching materials produced for the explicit purpose of foreign language instruction of young learners, as well as studies examining speech acts included in children’s books. The paper concludes with a discussion of issues relevant to young learners and the teaching and researching of L2 pragmatics.

The Role of Learner Variables in Pragmatic Development during Study Abroad: A Systematic Review

“…This can be partly due to the nature of SA programs, which require individuals to spend a considerable period away from their families and home countries. Yet, as the literature suggests, this is not only the case for SA research, and in general, studies on young learners' pragmatic competence and development have not received due attention (Alemi and Haeri 2020;Schauer 2022).…”

“…The majority of the previous studies revealed that intrinsic or communication-oriented motivation helps individuals to use more appropriate pragmatic forms, have a greater awareness of L2 pragmatics, and better identify pragmatic errors (Tagashira et al 2011;Takahashi 2015;Tajeddin and Zand Moghadam 2012). However, so far, some variables such as learners' age or gender and their role in their pragmatic development have received less attention (Schauer 2022;Tajeddin and Malmir 2014) The findings from the studies reviewed above have contributed to our understanding of pragmatic acquisition and provided a lens to see how learner variables are implicated in this acquisition. However, despite the rich literature on SA as well as various reviews on pragmatic instruction and the roles of different variables on learners' achievements (e.g., Barron 2019;Nightingale and Alcón-Soler 2023;Wyner and Cohen 2015;Xiao 2015b), no systematic review has yet specifically targeted the interplay of learners' variables, including their cognitive, affective, personal, and psychological ones, with their pragmatic development during their SA programs.…”