Instructional Pragmatics: Bridging Teaching, Research, and Teacher Education

Abstract

Abstract Pragmatics deals with meaning in context that is the meaning conveyed often indirectly beyond what is literally communicated. Ever since Hymes (1972, Sociolinguistics: Selected readings, Penguin, Harmondsworth, England, 269–93) highlighted the importance of socially appropriate language use, ability to use language in context has been identified as an essential component of communicative competence (e.g., Canale and Swain, 1980, Applied Linguistics, 1: 1–47; Canale, 1983, Language and communication, Longman, Harlow; Bachman, 1990, Fundamental considerations in language testing, Oxford University Press, Oxford; Bachman & Palmer, 1996, Language testing in practice: Designing and developing useful language tests, Oxford University Press, Oxford; Celce‐Murcia, 2008, Intercultural language use and language learning, Springer, The Netherlands, 41–58; Celce‐Murcia et al. 1995, Issues in Applied Linguistics, 6: 5–35), and there has been rigorous research investigating the pragmatic competence of second/foreign language (L2) learners. This paper aims to provide an overview of research conducted in the area of interlanguage pragmatics with a focus on its pedagogical component, instructional pragmatics . The primary emphasis of this paper will be placed on the introduction of current resources in instructional pragmatics and recent efforts that empirically inform pragmatic‐focused instruction and classroom‐based assessment. The paper concludes with the discussion of the issues associated with future pragmatics‐focused instruction and curriculum development, along with a suggested direction for future research and teacher education in support of instructional pragmatics.