Teaching and Learning Second Language Pragmatics for Intercultural Understanding

This collection argues for the need to promote intercultural understanding as a clear goal for teaching and learning pragmatics in second and foreign language education.

The volume sees the learning of pragmatics as a challenging yet enriching process whereby the individual expands their capacity for understanding how meaning making processes influence social relationships and how assumptions about social relationships shape the interpretation and use of language in context. This locates pragmatics within a humanistically oriented conception of learning where success is defined relative to the enrichment of human understanding and appreciation of difference. The book argues that intercultural understanding is not an “add on” to language learning but central to the learner’s ability to understand and construct meaning with individuals from diverse linguistic and cultural backgrounds. Chapters analyse teachers’ and learners’ ways of making sense of pragmatics, how their assumptions about social relationships impact their perceptions of language use, and how reflection on pragmatic judgments opens up possibilities for developing intercultural understanding.

This book will be of interest to students and scholars in intercultural communication, language education, and applied linguistics.

Troy McConachy is Associate Professor in Applied Linguistics at University of Warwick, UK. His research focuses on how the teaching and learning of L2 pragmatics can contribute to intercultural understanding, looking at the relationship between pragmatics and culture, metapragmatic awareness, classroom discourse, and teacher education.

Anthony J. Liddicoat is Professor in the Department of Applied Linguistics at University of Warwick, UK, and Adjunct Professor in Justice and Society at the University of South Australia. His research interests include issues relating to the teaching and learning of intercultural capabilities in language education and language policy and planning.