Giving Students a Fighting Chance: Pragmatics in the Language Classroom

Authors

  • Terrence McLean

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.18806/tesl.v21i2.175

Keywords:

Language education

Abstract

In order to give language learners a fighting chance outside the classroom, teachers must provide them with consciousness-raising opportunities for developing pragmatic awareness. By attending to pragmatic factors in second-language (L2) situations, students will be better able to make informed decisions in negotiating effective communication., This article examines the potential use of the pragmatic discourse completion task (DCT) as a springboard for discussion in the L2 classroom. A description of a DCT used in a study involving advanced L2 learners at the University of Alberta (Ranta, 2002) is provided. The author also provides suggestions for developing students' pragmatic awareness.

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Published

2004-06-12

How to Cite

McLean, T. (2004). Giving Students a Fighting Chance: Pragmatics in the Language Classroom. TESL Canada Journal, 21(2), 72–92. https://doi.org/10.18806/tesl.v21i2.175

Issue

Section

In the Classroom