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Pragmatics and Speech
Acts
An important area of the field of second/foreign language teaching and
learning is pragmatics -- the appropriate use of language in conducting
speech
acts such as apologizing, requesting, complimenting, refusing, thanking.
This website offers information about speech acts and how they can be
learned and taught, and outlines a research project focused on this important
topic.
Why Teach Speech Acts?
Learners of all languages tend to have difficulty understanding the intended
meaning communicated by a speech act, or producing a speech act using appropriate
language and manner in the language being learned. Research has found that
classroom instruction on speech acts can help learners to improve their
performance of speech acts and thus their interactions with native speakers.
Descriptions of
Speech Acts
A collection of research-based descriptions of speech acts which includes
practical information for language teachers, advanced learners, and developers
of language learning materials.
Learner Strategy Training
in the Development of Pragmatic Ability (2002-2006)
This innovative research study seeks to determine the impact of specialized
speech act training materials on non-natives' ability to learn and use
pragmatic information more successfully when speaking a foreign language.
The project began with learners of Japanese using learning module about
Japanese speech acts (see below). The study will be replicated with learners
of Spanish.
Learning
Speech Acts (Japanese)
The speech act learning module for learners of Japanese features a series
of introductory exercises and is followed by five units of exercises to
learn about and practice several speech acts in Japanese.
Dancing with
Words: Strategies for Learning Pragmatics in Spanish
A self-access website designed for learning Spanish pragmatics. It contains an
introductory unit, resource unit, and eight learning modules addressing different
speech acts. Each module is self-contained and includes video clips, interactive
activites, and models for self-correction. Enjoy your journey!
Speech Acts Bibliography
This extensive annotated bibliography focuses primarily on research studies
on speech acts and is organized alphabetically by area of focus.
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