Volume 20, Issue 3

Abstract

This paper describes the developmental pattern of the interlanguage pragmatic comprehension of young learners of English based on their performance in a multiple-choice comprehension exercise consisting of five direct and indirect speech acts (requesting, apology, refusal, compliment and complaint) in contextualised dialogues, supplemented with information on their processing strategies as elicited from their verbal protocols. The findings contribute to the literature on the interlanguage developmental pragmatics of young learners, an area on which research literature is scarce. Three groups of seven-, nine- and twelve year-old Cantonese learners of English participated. The overall mean comprehension scores of the three groups increased steadily, but the difference in the scores across groups was only statistically significant between the seven- and nine-year-olds. All of the learners performed well in the comprehension of direct speech acts, but the seven- and nine-year-old learners encountered problems in comprehending indirect speech acts, particularly indirect refusals, compliments and complaints. Their performance and processing strategies provide some evidence for the development of direct and indirect speech act comprehension in learning a second language - from relying on literal meaning or the semantic congruence between meaning and expression to other strategies, such as speaker intention and contextual clues, as they transit from early to middle childhood.

Loading

Article metrics loading...

/content/journals/10.1075/prag.20.3.03lee
2010-01-01
2024-03-29
Loading full text...

Full text loading...

References

  1. Achiba, Machiko
    (2003) Learning to Request in a Second Language: Child Interlanguage Pragmatics. Clevedon, England: Multilingual Matters.
    [Google Scholar]
  2. Austin, John Langshaw
    (1962) How to Do Things with Words. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
    [Google Scholar]
  3. Bardovi-Harlig Kathleen
    (2002) Pragmatics and second language acquisition. In Robert B. Kaplan (ed.), The Oxford Handbook of Applied Linguistics. Oxford: Oxford University Press, pp. 182-192.
    [Google Scholar]
  4. Beebe, L. , T. Takahashi , and R. Uliss-Weltz
    (1990) Pragmatic transfer in ESL refusals. In R. Scarcella , E. Andersen and S. Krashen (eds.), Developing Communicative Competence in a Second Language. New York: Newbury House, pp. 55-73.
    [Google Scholar]
  5. Bialystok, Ellen
    (1991) Language Processing in Bilingual Children. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. doi: 10.1017/CBO9780511620652
    https://doi.org/http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511620652 [Google Scholar]
  6. (2001) Bilingualism in Development: Language, Literacy and Cognition. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. doi: 10.1017/CBO9780511605963
    https://doi.org/http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511605963 [Google Scholar]
  7. Blum-Kulka, Shoshana , Juliane House , and Gabriele Kasper
    (eds.) (1989) Cross-cultural Pragmatics: Requests and Apologies. Norwood, NJ: Ablex Publishing.
    [Google Scholar]
  8. Bouton, Lawrence
    (1992) The interpretation of implicature in English by NNS: Does it come automatically without being explicitly taught?In L.F. Bouton and Y. Kachru (eds.), Pragmatics and Language Learning: Vol 5. Urbana-Champaign, IL: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, pp. 53-65.
    [Google Scholar]
  9. (1994) Can NNA skill in interpreting implicature in American English be improved through explicit instruction? A pilot study. In Lawrence Bouton (ed.), Pragmatics and Language Learning Monograph Series (Vol 5). University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign: DEIL, pp. 88-109.
    [Google Scholar]
  10. (1999) Developing nonnative speaker skills in interpreting conversational implicatures in English: Explicit teaching can ease the process. In Eli Hinkel (ed.), Culture in Second Language Teaching and Learning. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, pp. 47-70.
    [Google Scholar]
  11. Brown Penelope , and Stephen C. Levinson
    (1987) Politeness: Some Universals in Language Usage. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
    [Google Scholar]
  12. Bucciarelli, Monica , Livia Colle , and Bruno G. Bara
    (2003) How children comprehend speech acts and communicative gestures. Journal of Pragmatics35: 207-241. doi: 10.1016/S0378‑2166(02)00099‑1
    https://doi.org/http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S0378-2166(02)00099-1 [Google Scholar]
  13. Byrnes, James P. , and Barbara A. Wasik
    (2009) Language and Literary Development: What Educators Need to Know. New York, London: The Guildford Press.
    [Google Scholar]
  14. Carrell, Patricia L
    (1982) Relative difficulty or request forms in L1/L2 comprehension. In Mary Hines and William Rutherford (eds.), On TESOL ’81. Washington, D.C. Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages, pp. 141-152.
    [Google Scholar]
  15. Chamot, Anna Uhl , and Pamela Beard El-Dinary
    (1999) Children’s learning strategies in language immersion classrooms. The Modern Language Journal 83.iii: 319-338. doi: 10.1111/0026‑7902.00025
    https://doi.org/10.1111/0026-7902.00025 [Google Scholar]
  16. Cohen, Andrew D
    (1987) Using verbal reports in research on language learning. In Claus Færch and Gabriele Kasper (eds.), Introspection in Second Language Research, Clevedon, Philadelphia: Multilingual Matters Ltd, pp. 82-95.
    [Google Scholar]
  17. Cook, Misty , and Anthony J. Liddicoat
    (2002) The development of comprehension in interlanguage pragmatics: The case of request strategies in English. Australian Review of Applied Linguistics25: 19-39.
    [Google Scholar]
  18. Curriculum Development Council
    (1997) Syllabuses for Primary Schools: English Language (Primary 1-6). Hong Kong SAR: The Education Department.
    [Google Scholar]
  19. (2004) English Language Education Key Learning Area: English Language Curriculum Guide (Primary 1-6). Hong Kong SAR: The Education and Manpower Bureau.
    [Google Scholar]
  20. Ellis, Rod
    (2003) Task-based Language Learning and Teaching. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
    [Google Scholar]
  21. Ericsson, K. Anders , and Herbert A. Simon
    (1987) Verbal reports on thinking. In Claus Færch and Gabriele Kasper (eds.), Introspection in Second Language Research. Clevedon, Philadelphia: Multilingual Matters Ltd, pp. 24-54.
    [Google Scholar]
  22. Ervin Tripp, Susan
    (1977) Wait for me, roller skate!In Susan Ervin-Tripp and Claudia Mitchell-Kernan (eds.), Child Discourse. New York, Sand Francisco and London: Academic Press, Inc, pp. 165-188. doi: 10.1016/B978‑0‑12‑241950‑8.50015‑0
    https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-241950-8.50015-0 [Google Scholar]
  23. Fan, Kwok , et al
    (1997) Guide to LSHK Cantonese Romanization of Chinese characters. Hong Kong: Linguistic Society of Hong Kong.
    [Google Scholar]
  24. Félix-Brasdefer, J. César
    (2003) Declining an invitation: A cross-cultural study of pragmatic strategies in American English and Latin American Spanish. Multilingua22: 225-255. doi: 10.1515/mult.2003.012
    https://doi.org/10.1515/mult.2003.012 [Google Scholar]
  25. (2004) Interlanguage refusals: Linguistic politeness and length of residence in the target community. Language Learning 54.4: 587-653. doi: 10.1111/j.1467‑9922.2004.00281.x
    https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-9922.2004.00281.x [Google Scholar]
  26. Golato, Andrea
    (2002) German compliment responses. Journal of Pragmatics 34.5: 547-571. doi: 10.1016/S0378‑2166(01)00040‑6
    https://doi.org/10.1016/S0378-2166(01)00040-6 [Google Scholar]
  27. Gu, Peter Yongqi , Guangwei Hu , and Lawrence Jun Zhang
    (2005) Investigating language learner strategies among lower primary school pupils in Singapore. Language and Education19.4: 281-303. doi: 10.1080/09500780508668682
    https://doi.org/http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/09500780508668682 [Google Scholar]
  28. Haastrup, Kristen
    (1987) Using thinking aloud and retrospection to uncover learners’ lexical inferencing procedures. In Claus Færch and Gabriele Kasper (eds.), Introspection in Second Language Research. Clevedon, Philadelphia: Multilingual Matters Ltd, pp. 197-212.
    [Google Scholar]
  29. Holtgraves, Thomas
    (2007) Second language learners and speech act comprehension. Language Learning57: 595-610. doi: 10.1111/j.1467‑9922.2007.00429.x
    https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-9922.2007.00429.x [Google Scholar]
  30. Kasper, Gabriele
    (1984) Pragmatic comprehension in learner-native speaker discourse. Language Learning 34.1: 1-20. doi: 10.1111/j.1467‑1770.1984.tb00349.x
    https://doi.org/http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-1770.1984.tb00349.x [Google Scholar]
  31. Kasper, Gabriele , and Kenneth R. Rose
    (2002) Pragmatic Development in a Second Language. Malden & Oxford: Blackwell Publishing.
    [Google Scholar]
  32. Kasper, Gabriele , and Merete Dahl
    (1991) Research methods in interlanguage pragmatics. Studies in Second Language Acquisition13: 215-247. doi: 10.1017/S0272263100009955
    https://doi.org/http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/S0272263100009955 [Google Scholar]
  33. Laforest, Marty
    (2002) Scenes of family life: Complaining in everyday conversation. Journal of Pragmatics34.10-11: 1595-1620. doi: 10.1016/S0378‑2166(02)00077‑2
    https://doi.org/http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S0378-2166(02)00077-2 [Google Scholar]
  34. Lorenzo-Dus, Nuria
    (2001) Compliment responses among British and Spanish university students: A contrastive study. Journal of Pragmatics33: 107-127. doi: 10.1016/S0378‑2166(99)00127‑7
    https://doi.org/http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S0378-2166(99)00127-7 [Google Scholar]
  35. Mckay, Penny
    (2006) Assessing Young Language Learners. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
    [Google Scholar]
  36. McLean, James , and Lee Snyder-McLean
    (1999) How Children Learn Language. San Diego and London: Singular Publishing Group, Inc.
    [Google Scholar]
  37. Menyuk, Paula
    (1988) Language Development: Knowledge and Use. Glenview, Illinois: Scott, Foresman and Company.
    [Google Scholar]
  38. Menyuk, Paula , and Maria Estela Brisk
    (2005) Language Development and Education: Children with Varying Language Experiences. Hampshire and New York: Palgrave Macmillan.
    [Google Scholar]
  39. Nassaji, Hossein
    (2004) The relationship between depth of vocabulary knowledge and L2 learners’ lexical inferencing strategy use and success. Canadian Modern Language Review 61.1: 107-134. doi: 10.3138/cmlr.61.1.107
    https://doi.org/10.3138/cmlr.61.1.107 [Google Scholar]
  40. Nisbett, Richard E. , and Timothy D. Wilson
    (1977) Telling more than we can know: Verbal reports on mental processes. Psychological Review84: 231 - 259. doi: 10.1037/0033‑295X.84.3.231
    https://doi.org/10.1037/0033-295X.84.3.231 [Google Scholar]
  41. Ochs, Elinor
    (1979) What child language can contribute to pragmatics. In Elinor Ochs and Bambi Schieffelin (eds.), Developmental Pragmatics. New York: Academic Press, Inc, pp. 1-17.
    [Google Scholar]
  42. Olshtain, Elaine
    (1983) Sociocultural competence and language transfer: The case of apology. In Susan Gass and Larry Selinker (eds.), Language Transfer in Language Learning. Rowley, MA: Newbury House, pp. 232-249.
    [Google Scholar]
  43. Rose, Kenneth R
    (2000) An exploratory cross-sectional study of interlanguage pragmatic development. SSLA22: 27-67.
    [Google Scholar]
  44. (2009) Interlanguage pragmatic development in Hong Kong, phase 2. Journal of Pragmatics4: 2345-2364. doi: 10.1016/j.pragma.2009.04.002
    https://doi.org/http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.pragma.2009.04.002 [Google Scholar]
  45. Schmidt, Richard
    (1983) Interaction, acculturation, and the acquisition of communicative competence: A case study of an adult. In Nessa Wolfson and Judd Elliot (eds.), Sociolinguistics and Language Acquisition. Rowley, London, Tokyo: Newbury House Publishers, Inc., pp. 137-174.
    [Google Scholar]
  46. Schumann, John H
    (1978) The acculturation model for second language acquisition. In Rosario C. Gingras (ed.), Second Language Acquisition and Foreign Language Teaching. Virginia: Centre for Applied Linguistics, pp. 27-50.
    [Google Scholar]
  47. Searle, John
    (1975) Indirect speech act. In Peter Cole & Jerry L. Morgan (eds.), Syntax and Semantics (Vol 3): Speech Acts. New York, San Francisco & London: Academic Press, pp. 59-82.
    [Google Scholar]
  48. Selinger, H.W
    (1983) The language learning as linguist: Of metaphors and realities. Applied Linguistics 4.3: 179-191. doi: 10.1093/applin/4.3.179
    https://doi.org/10.1093/applin/4.3.179 [Google Scholar]
  49. Sperber, Dan , and Deirdre Wilson
    (1995) Relevance: Communication and Cognition (second edition). Oxford, UK & Cambridge: Blackwell.
    [Google Scholar]
  50. Skehan, Peter
    (1989) Individual Differences in Second Language Learning. London, New York: E. Arnold.
    [Google Scholar]
  51. Snow, Donald B
    (2004) Cantonese as Written Language: The Growth of a Written Chinese Vernacular. Hong Kong: Hong Kong University Press.
    [Google Scholar]
  52. Taguchi, Naoko
    (2002) An application of relevance theory to the analysis of L2 interpretation processes: The comprehension of indirect replies. International Review of Applied Linguistics in Language Teaching 40.2: 151-176. doi: 10.1515/iral.2002.006
    https://doi.org/10.1515/iral.2002.006 [Google Scholar]
  53. (2005) Comprehending implied meaning in English as a foreign language. Modern Language Journal89: 543 - 562. doi: 10.1111/j.1540‑4781.2005.00329.x
    https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1540-4781.2005.00329.x [Google Scholar]
  54. (2007) Development of speed and accuracy in pragmatic comprehension in English as a foreign language. TESOL Quarterly 41.2: 313-338.
    [Google Scholar]
  55. (2008a) Cognition, language contact, and the development of pragmatic comprehension in a study-abroad context. Language Learning 58.1: 33 - 71. doi: 10.1111/j.1467‑9922.2007.00434.x
    https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-9922.2007.00434.x [Google Scholar]
  56. (2008b) The role of learning environment in the development of pragmatic comprehension. SSLA30: 423 - 452.
    [Google Scholar]
  57. Walters, J
    (1980) Grammar, meaning, and sociological appropriateness in second language acquisition. Canadian Journal of Psychology34: 337-345. doi: 10.1037/h0081107
    https://doi.org/10.1037/h0081107 [Google Scholar]
  58. Yamanaka, Janice E
    (2003) Effects of proficiency and length of residence on the pragmatic comprehension of Japanese ESL learners. Second Language Studies 22.1: 107-175.
    [Google Scholar]
  59. Yip, Virginia , and Stephen Matthews
    (2007) The Bilingual Child: Early Development and Language Contact. Cambridge, U.K.,New York: Cambridge University Press. doi: 10.1017/CBO9780511620744
    https://doi.org/http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511620744 [Google Scholar]
  60. Yoshida, Mami
    (2008) Think aloud protocols and type of reading task: The issue of reactivity in L2 reading research. In Melissa Bowles , et al (eds.), Selected Proceedings of the 2007 Second language Research Forum. Somerville, MA: Cascadilla Proceedings Project, pp. 199-209.
    [Google Scholar]
  61. Young, Kristy A
    (2005) Direct from the source: The value of ‘think-aloud’ data in understanding learning. Journal of Educational Enquiry 6.1: 19-33.
    [Google Scholar]
http://instance.metastore.ingenta.com/content/journals/10.1075/prag.20.3.03lee
Loading
Keyword(s): English; Interlanguage pragmatic comprehension; Speech act

Most Cited