TY - JOUR
T1 - Teaching pragmatics to instructors of L2 Japanese
T2 - A relevance-theoretic approach
AU - Marcet, Erika
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2024 The Author
PY - 2024/11
Y1 - 2024/11
N2 - There are few continuing professional development (CPD) courses for language instructors who want to incorporate the teaching of pragmatics, particularly outside second and foreign language (L2) English and Spanish (e.g., Cohen et al., 2023; Vellenga, 2011). Furthermore, most courses rarely include pragmatics theories that describe the cognitive processes involved in communication. To address this gap, this study assesses what pre-service and in-service instructors of L2 Japanese (n = 9) know about pragmatics and presents data from a 3-hCPD course. The CPD is based on Sperber & Wilson's (1986/1995) Relevance Theory, an ostensive-inferential pragmatics theory that explains the cognitive mechanisms used to interpret utterances. These cognitive processes and how to teach them are explained through a pedagogical framework that equips instructors with the pragmatic knowledge and tools needed to help their learners achieve effective communication. A qualitative pre- and post-test was employed to ascertain instructors' knowledge of pragmatics and ability to activate their pragmatic competence. Focus groups with each cohort were conducted to gather insights into instructors' willingness and preparedness to teach pragmatics. The CPD increased both participants' understanding of pragmatics and knowledge of how to activate learners' pragmatic competence. The data also reveals differences between pre-service and in-service teachers, as well as native and non-native speakers’ willingness to include pragmatics in their teaching.
AB - There are few continuing professional development (CPD) courses for language instructors who want to incorporate the teaching of pragmatics, particularly outside second and foreign language (L2) English and Spanish (e.g., Cohen et al., 2023; Vellenga, 2011). Furthermore, most courses rarely include pragmatics theories that describe the cognitive processes involved in communication. To address this gap, this study assesses what pre-service and in-service instructors of L2 Japanese (n = 9) know about pragmatics and presents data from a 3-hCPD course. The CPD is based on Sperber & Wilson's (1986/1995) Relevance Theory, an ostensive-inferential pragmatics theory that explains the cognitive mechanisms used to interpret utterances. These cognitive processes and how to teach them are explained through a pedagogical framework that equips instructors with the pragmatic knowledge and tools needed to help their learners achieve effective communication. A qualitative pre- and post-test was employed to ascertain instructors' knowledge of pragmatics and ability to activate their pragmatic competence. Focus groups with each cohort were conducted to gather insights into instructors' willingness and preparedness to teach pragmatics. The CPD increased both participants' understanding of pragmatics and knowledge of how to activate learners' pragmatic competence. The data also reveals differences between pre-service and in-service teachers, as well as native and non-native speakers’ willingness to include pragmatics in their teaching.
KW - Higher-level explicature
KW - Implicature
KW - Inference
KW - Interlanguage pragmatics
KW - L2 Japanese
KW - L2 pragmatics instruction
KW - Pragmatic competence
KW - Professional development
KW - Relevance theory
KW - Teacher training
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85203413581&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.system.2024.103472
DO - 10.1016/j.system.2024.103472
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85203413581
SN - 0346-251X
VL - 126
JO - System
JF - System
M1 - 103472
ER -