Teaching Pragmatics

Pragmatics is the area of language function that embraces the use of language in social contexts (knowing what to say, how to say it, and when to say it - and how to "be" with other people). Children with pragmatic difficulties have great trouble using language socially in ways that are appropriate or

However, there is a lot of dispute about the use of target language (TL) in the MFL classroom and key questions such as when and how often should we use the TL?’ as well as when should we use the mother tongue?’ have arisen. On one side, many argue in favour of the TL and feel that the national curriculum requirement is best met if classes are taught as often and as possible, using the target language as ‘a real means of communication’ (Jones, Halliwell, Holmes, 2002) and ‘using it not only as a ‘target’ to be learnt but for other purposes, students are more likely to perceive it as a useful medium for communication (Littlewood, Yu) and develop more motivation to learn it (Chambers, 2013)’. In addition, using TL in the classroom provides significant learning opportunities, especially when there are few opportunities to use the TL outside of lesson (Yoshida). This view is reinforced by Turnbull (2001) who states that ‘the teacher is most often the sole linguistic model for the students and therefore their main source of TL input’ further emphasising the importance of communication in the TL in the classroom, especially when is not uncommon for

The all too familiar situation of English language learners (ELLs) struggling in a classroom that is not meeting their needs is the theme of this short film. ELL’s present unique challenges for teachers given how the California educational system calls for only one year of English language development (EDL). After this time, English language development goals rest on the shoulders of the general education teacher with the additional requirement of infusing SADIE strategies into their daily lessons.

Conversation is a ritual every person must encounter throughout their lives in order to function properly with one another in today’s society. However, every individual has a “different idea about what’s appropriate” when approaching someone in any sort of conversation; that is why we are referred to as individuals (Tannen 327). There are thousands of diverse languages to speak to one another with, in fact that means there are thousands of different ways to offend each other with our words. Within those languages there are several contrasting gestures that can offend any single person, such as the amount of times individuals apologize in one meeting, giving criticism too harshly, or thanking someone so often it does not seem genuine. In the article “What Do You Mean,” Deborah Tannen touches upon apologies, criticism, and thank yous in further detail to explain where individuals go wrong within conversation and how they can fix their actions. Individuals find it satisfying to please others by being polite because it is the ‘right’ thing to do, however like myself others need to stand up for themselves and get directly to the point now in order to avoid conflict later in life.

Lancaster’s class communicate in a variety of ways ranging from talking using body language and mouthing words to all out yelling across the room, this behavior is evident in all of her classes. Standard English is not always used in this class between students, but between Lancaster and her students she prefers to use Standard English to communicate, but if she is in the middle of conducting and cannot talk she will use hand gestures to communicate. Also, conducting is her form of talking to tell her students to get louder, quieter, hold out notes, or stop playing or singing all together. In her class, no ESL students are enrolled, while there may be bilingual students, all of her students speak fluent English. Evans as a school offers foreign language classes that all students must attend for at least two years, but no “bilingual” courses are

Reading chapter six from Beyond Grammar Language, Power, and the Classroom, written by Mary R. Harmon and Marilyn J. Wilson has open my eyes not to base peoples’ language off from standard American English because everyone has a different dialect depending on their culture. I am going to be more mindful of peoples’ dialect, and not be quick to judge a person based on their language because a person's language is what makes that individual unique. Instead, I am going to embrace the different dialects and use them as an advantage when teaching a classroom

Talking incorrectly can sometimes have advantages and disadvantages while communicating with others. People nowadays talk slang and incorrect grammar. But still, it is still very effective to us right now. People haven’t noticed but language today has changed very much compared to how people used to speak 10 or even 20 years ago. Stories written by Kirk Johnson, David Sedaris, and Anita Jain all show the how speaking today has changed.

Working hard amounts to nothing when students cannot understand the subject due to language barriers. Therefore, teachers need to be flexible in their teaching methods to help students understand Standard English. Educators can be flexible by accepting the use of social language by the students in order to help them transition to Standard English. As Hill indicates it is vital “to recognize that everyone speaks a deviation from Standard English” and thus teachers need to “acknowledge [students] voices in their writings” (121). By accepting the student’s use of social language students will better understand context and be encouraged to express their ideas and feelings without limitations. Students will also be able to learn the basic skills of code-switching because they are using their social language to start with. White and Ali-Khan indicate that accepting the students social language “[encourages] students to see the adoption of academic discourses as a component of code-switching rather than as a rejection of other forms of communication” (35). Students will hesitate to learn if they perceive

Strategies for Teaching ESL Student - ESL Students in the Classroom. (n.d.). Retrieved February 02, 2016, from https://www.eslpartyland.com/teaching-esl-student

Communicating what we want to say, how we want to say it is the goal of expressing ourselves linguistically. For English Language Learners (and their teachers), the ability to do that successfully in their new language presents a challenge. In the content areas of instruction, it is especially important to draw out the information that a student already knows in their native language – even when they do not have the linguistic ability to express themselves in English – in order to assess their level of understanding and engage prior knowledge. Using non-linguistic representations provides a way of bridging that gap between actual understanding and the ability to express that

The main objective of pragmatics is to study on how non-native speakers comprehend and produce speech acts in a target language. Speech act is not the whole of pragmatics, but is perhaps currently the most important part of the subject. Many of the topics addressed in both narrow and broad views derive from three major pragmatic theories: Speech Acts, Conversational Implicatures,

The book, The ESL / ELL Teacher's Survival Guide it’s very well-organized with relevant information about English Language Learners, and full of practical strategies that can easily be incorporated in the classroom. It contains complete units with reproducible forms and worksheets, sample lesson plans, sample student assignments, and

George Santayana described Pragmatism this way, “American pragmatism connects the American experimental and inventive attitude with older philosophical ideas” (Stumpf 397).

In addition to differences in pronunciation, vocabulary and grammatical structures among cultural groups, variations also exist in the rules for general discourse in oral communication, covering such specific acts as narratives and conversation. In communicating with one another, teachers and students naturally will follow the assumptions and rules governing discourse within their respective cultures. Discourse rules govern such aspects of communication as: opening or closing conversations; taking turns during conversations; interrupting; using silence as a communicative device; interjecting humor at appropriate times and using nonverbal behavior. Once again, an American student studying in the middle east, who would constantly interrupt the teacher in order to clarify the professor’s opinion, would be considered to be

Learning a new language has many benefits; career advancement, bridging communication gaps, and strengthening life skills. “What theory implies, quite simply, is that language acquisition, first or second, occurs when comprehension of real messages occurs, and when the acquire is not ‘on the defensive’” wrote Steven D. Krashner (1981)