Lesson 3: Pragmatics in the L2 Classroom

Dialogue

Since pragmatic expression and interpretation by definition are realized in the context of language use, a natural choice to practice pragmatics is found in dialogues in the classroom that the learners themselves have to create.

Observe the following activity; then think about how this example can help learners understand pragmatics and practice their language.

Actividad: ¿Cómo nos organizamos nosotros?

Ahora es el turno de que tus compañeros y tú se organicen las actividades domésticas en su casa compartida. Decidan quién es responsable de los quehaceres domésticos que aparecen en la actividad anterior. Now is the time for you and your friends to organize the chores in your shared house. Decide who is responsible for the chores that appear in the previous exercise.
Modelo: Model:
  • Yo prefiero lavar los platos y regar las plantas. ¿Y tú?
  • I prefer to wash the dishes and water the plants. And you?
  • Prefiero planchar la ropa, pero no quiero quitar el polvo.
  • I prefer to iron the clothes, but I don't want to dust.
Play

A discussion of features taught in the dialogue.

Duration: 01:47


One point made in the video is that learners need to know not only how to initiate a speech act but also how to respond to one in a coherent and appropriate manner to continue the conversation. Dialogues are valuable because they:

  • entail a wider scope of language practice, at sentence level,
  • move from word to phrase to longer units,
  • emphasize co-construction of meaning or the changing roles of "speaker" and "listener", and
  • can illustrate sociocultural differences in the dialogue.
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