Pragmatic competence: Academic discourse

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.33910/2686-830X-2021-3-2-197-205

Keywords:

pragmatic competence, academic discourse, institutionalized communication, face threatening speech act, mitigation, imposition, communication pressure, hedging

Abstract

The article is devoted to the description of some aspects of pragmatic competence formation within the format of online education in academic discourse. In conditions of intensified written communication of the teacher — student type it is discovered that not all students have the skills of written academic communication which is normally formed within the framework of pragmatic competence. The aim of the work is a methodological research, during which students (1) update vocabulary related to the basic concepts of the theory of speech acts and theory of linguistic politeness; (2) they can compare the options for using different lexical and syntactic means, assess pragmatic potential of the construсtions used from the point of view of threatening a person. Both goals entail the formation of certain aspects of pragmatic competence in academic discourse. The data was elements of foreign authors on pragmatic competence. Methods used are reflective and pragmatic analysis, comparison of linguistic units of the considered units and constructions. The basic recommendations proposed by the author are to minimize communicative pressure and preserve the positive face of both sides of communication: the use of softening modal verbs, cliches, politeness markers, hedge mitigators, and an inclusive «we». The examples are in English, but the interpretation of most examples is applicable to both English and Russian.

References

ЛИТЕРАТУРА

Кожухова, И. В. (2015) Прагматическая компетенция на практикуме по иностранному языку. Вестник Челябинского государственного университета, № 27 (382), с. 96–100.

Кожухова, И. В., Редькина, О. Ю. (2018) Прагматическая компетенция: in vivo и in vitro. В кн.: Образование. Язык. Межкультурная коммуникация: сборник статей по материалам Всероссийской научно-практической конференции с международным участием. Пермь: Изд-во Пермского государственного национального исследовательского университета, с. 59–63.

Кожухова, И. В., Редькина, О. Ю. (2019) Проблема формирования прагматической компетенции на уроках родного языка. В кн.: Художественное произведение в современной культуре: творчество — исполнительство — гуманитарное знание: сборник статей и материалов. Челябинск: Изд-во ЮУрГИИ им. П. И. Чайковского, c. 189–192.

Alqurashi, F. (2019) Pragmatic competence for L2 learners: The case of maybe, perhaps, and possibly as hedging terms. Theory and Practice of Language Studies, vol. 9, no. 6, pp. 637–644. https://www.doi.org/10.17507/tpls.0906.05

Buckingham, L. (2015) Doing a research project in English studies. London: Routledge Publ., 204 p. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315720852

Case, A. (2015) Leading seminars / Discussions politeness competition game. UsingEnglish.com. [Online]. Available at: https://www.usingenglish.com/teachers/lesson-plans/view-leading-seminars-discussions-politeness-competition-game/ (accessed 10.02.2021).

Cohen, A. D. (2018) Learning pragmatics from native and nonnative language teachers (Second Language Acquisition). Clevedon: Multilingual Matters Publ., 312 p. https://www.doi.org/10.21832/COHEN9924

Hymes, D. H. (1972) On communicative competence. In: J. B. Pride, J. Holmes (eds.). Sociolinguistics. Selected readings. Harmondsworth: Penguin Publ., pp. 269–293.

Ifantidou, E., Tzanne, A. (2012) Levels of pragmatic competence in an EFL academic context: A tool for assessment. Intercultural Pragmatics, vol. 9, no. 1, pp. 47–70. https://www.doi.org/10.1515/ip-2012-0003

Molle, D., Sato, E., Boals, Th., Hedgspeth, C. A. (eds.). (2015) Multilingual learners and academic literacies: Sociocultural contexts of literacy development in adolescents. New York; London: Routledge Publ., 332 p. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315727479

The CEFR illustrative descriptor scales: Communicative language competences. (2001) CEFR. [Online]. Available at: https://rm.coe.int/0900001680a084c3 (accessed 17.03.2021).

Weasenforth, D. (2021) What do you think? Requesting responses from professors. [Online]. Available at: https://americanenglish.state.gov/files/ae/resource_files/weasenforth.pdf (accessed 10.02.2021).

REFERENCES

Alqurashi, F. (2019) Pragmatic competence for L2 learners: The case of maybe, perhaps, and possibly as hedging terms. Theory and Practice of Language Studies, vol. 9, no. 6, pp. 637–644. https://www.doi.org/10.17507/tpls.0906.05 (In English)

Buckingham, L. (2015) Doing a research project in English studies. London: Routledge Publ., 204 p. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315720852 (In English)

Case, A. (2015) Leading seminars / Discussions politeness competition game. UsingEnglish.com. [Online]. Available at: https://www.usingenglish.com/teachers/lesson-plans/view-leading-seminars-discussions-politeness-competition-game/ (accessed 10.02.2021). (In English)

Cohen, A. D. (2018) Learning pragmatics from native and nonnative language teachers (Second Language Acquisition). Clevedon: Multilingual Matters Publ., 312 p. https://www.doi.org/10.21832/COHEN9924 (In English)

Hymes, D. H. (1972) On communicative competence. In: J. B. Pride, J. Holmes (eds.). Sociolinguistics. Selected readings. Harmondsworth: Penguin Publ., pp. 269–293. (In English)

Ifantidou, E., Tzanne, A. (2012) Levels of pragmatic competence in an EFL academic context: A tool for assessment. Intercultural Pragmatics, vol. 9, no. 1, pp. 47–70. https://www.doi.org/10.1515/ip-2012-0003 (In English)

Kozhukhova, A. V. (2015) Pragmaticheskaya kompetentsiya na praktikume po inostrannomu yazyku [Pragmatic competence in L2 acquisition]. Vestnik Chelyabinskogo gosudarstvennogo universiteta — Bulletin of Chelyabinsk State University, no. 27 (382), pp. 96–100. (In Russian)

Kozhukhova, A. V., Redkina, O. Yu. (2018) Pragmaticheskaya kompetentsiya: in vivo i in vitro [Pragmatic competence: In vivo and in vitro]. In: Obrazovanie. Yazyk. Mezhkul’turnaya kommunikatsiya: sbornik statej po materialam Vserossijskoj nauchno-prakticheskoj konferentsii s mezhdunarodnym uchastiem [Education. Language. Intercultural Communication: Proceedings of All-Russian conference]. Perm: Perm State University Publ., pp. 59–63. (In Russian)

Kozhukhova, A. V., Redkina, O. Yu. (2019) Problema formirovaniya pragmaticheskoj kompetentsii na urokakh rodnogo yazyka [Problem of formation of pragmatical competence at lessons of the native language]. In: Khudozhestvennoe proizvedenie v sovremennoj kul’ture: tvorchestvo — ispolnitel’stvo — gumanitarnoe znanie: sbornik statej i materialov [Work of art and modern culture: Creativity — performance — humanitarian knowledge: Proceedings of All-Russian conference]. Chelyabinsk: South-Ural States Institute of Arts the name after P. I. Tchaikovsky Publ., pp. 189–192. (In Russian)

Molle, D., Sato, E., Boals, Th., Hedgspeth, C. A. (eds.). (2015) Multilingual learners and academic literacies: Sociocultural contexts of literacy development in adolescents. New York; London: Routledge Publ., 332 p. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315727479 (In English)

The CEFR illustrative descriptor scales: Communicative language competences. (2001) CEFR. [Online]. Available at: https://rm.coe.int/0900001680a084c3 (accessed 17.03.2021).

Weasenforth, D. (2021) What do you think? Requesting responses from professors. [Online]. Available at: https://americanenglish.state.gov/files/ae/resource_files/weasenforth.pdf (accessed 10.02.2021). (In English)

Published

2021-11-12

Issue

Section

Linguodidactics and Language Teaching Methodology