Pragmatic gains in the study abroad context: Learners' experiences and recognition of pragmatic routines The present study investigates second language (L2) learners' pragmatic development during study abroad (SA) programs by focusing on the recognition of pragmatic routines, and how sociocultural adaptation and intensity of interaction influence pragmatic gains. It is a longitudinal investigation that employed a mixed-method approach. Thirty-one Brazilian students in their first semester of study in a US university completed a pretest and posttest version of a sociocultural adaptation questionnaire, a language contact survey, and a routine recognition test. Quantitative data were complemented with qualitative information from semi-structured interviews with 2 of the participants, who provided details about the nature of their adaptation experiences and the patterns of interaction they held during the sojourn. Findings revealed that the recognition of pragmatic routines significantly increased during a semester abroad, and that this development was influenced by both sociocultural adaptation and intensity of interaction, interaction being the main predictor of pragmatic gains. Results from this study emphasize the importance of SA programs for the acquisition of pragmatic routines, and suggest that learners' willingness to acculturate in the SA environment, and exposure to recurrent situations outside of the classroom are determinant aspects for routine recognition. Keywords: L2 pragmatic development; interlanguage pragmatics; pragmatic routines; sociocultural adaptation; intensity of interaction; pragmatic awareness 2. Theoretical background 2.1 Pragmatic development in the study abroad context In the recent years, the field of Interlanguage Pragmatics (ILP) has seen a proliferation of longitudinal studies addressing the development of pragmatic competence over a period of time studying abroad (see Xiao, 2015a, for a review of longitudinal ILP studies). As different scholars have argued (e.g. Taguchi, 2015), developmental studies are particularly necessary in the ILP field. Given the non-linear and variable nature of L2 pragmatic development, the analysis of the processes rather than the outcomes of SA provides a more comprehensive understanding of the SA experience. Nowadays, there is substantial evidence of the benefits of participation in SA programs for the development of L2 pragmatic ability (Barron, 2003;
A mixed-methods study of the impact of sociocultural adaptation on development of pragmatic production This study employs a mixed-method research approach to investigate the effect of sociocultural adaptation on the development of pragmatic production in a study abroad (SA) context. It focuses on the ability to produce pragmatic routines, and whether sociocultural adaptation experiences by learners of different cultural backgrounds predict pragmatic gains. Seventy-eight college students participating in SA programs in the US completed a pre-test and a post-test version of a sociocultural adaptation scale (SCAS) and of a written discoursecompletion task (DCT) that measured their ability to use prototypical routines. Supplementary interviews to a subset of 2 students provided further insights on the nature of their adaptation experiences. A quantitative analysis revealed that sociocultural adaptation development had a partial effect on pragmatic gains, due to the mediation of learners' background culture, which had a direct influence on routine production. The qualitative analysis revealed individual trajectories that illustrated the interplay among sociocultural adaptation, background culture, and gains in production of pragmatic routines.
The increasing mobility of speakers of different languages to different countries, together with the globalized world we live in, have led to multilingual societies in which linguistic exchanges between both native and non-native speakers have become a very common practice. This reality emphasizes the need to help learners of foreign and second languages become not only linguistically competent but also pragmatically competent, in order not to sound impolite or inappropriate in the target language. Addressing this need, studies in interlanguage pragmatics (ILP) have explored which methodology is most effective for teaching pragmatics. Earlier ILP studies compared explicit versus implicit instruction, highlighting the key role of explicit metapragmatic explanations. More recently, scholars have investigated how to create opportunities to for authentic pragmatic practice inside the classroom. To do so, some studies have implemented task-based language teaching to provide students with goal-oriented meaningful activities that address their real-world needs. Other studies have incorporated technology-enhanced materials such as simulated immersive environments and computer-mediated communication to promote students’ engagement in authentic use of the language beyond the classroom. Another current concern in L2 pragmatic instruction is how to account for the emergence of English as an International Language (EIL), and the consequent need to guide learners into acquiring language as a tool to mediate across linguistic and cultural boundaries. Different studies have adopted an EIL perspective, proposing the enhancement of students’ metapragmatic awareness and strategies to deal with the hybrid nature of English and its associated varieties and cultures. The special issue ‘Teaching second language pragmatics in the current era of globalization’ aims to illustrate such current trends, with six contributions by distinguished scholars in the field of L2 pragmatics from all over the globe.
The purpose of this study is to investigate the production of pragmatic markers (PMs) by multilingual students in a CLIL context. Previous studies have analyzed pragmatic competence in multilingual settings (e.g., Cenoz, 2003; Martín-Laguna & Alcón-Soler, 2015; Portolés, 2015; Safont & Portolés, 2016). However, to the best of our knowledge, no previous study has investigated the use of PMs across languages at the oral level in the multilingual classroom. As suggested by Nashaat-Sobhy (2017, p. 69), there is a need for studies that support or refute whether CLIL helps students communicate more appropriately. In an attempt to fill this gap, the overall aim of this research study is to explore how multilingual students use PMs across languages –namely Spanish, Catalan and English- in terms of frequency and type of PM. Participants were 19 Spanish students in an instructional context where three languages are in contact, namely English, Catalan and Spanish. They completed a language background questionnaire and comparable oral decision-making tasks carried out in pairs, one task in each of the target languages. The analysis explored the frequency and type of PMs (i.e. textual and interpersonal markers). Findings revealed significant differences in the frequency and type of both interpersonal and textual PMs across the three languages, shedding some light on the particular characteristics of the pragmatic competence of multilingual learners in a CLIL setting.
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