Pragmatics and Language Teaching: Bringing Pragmatics and Pedagogy Together.

Discussion of the role of pragmatics research in language teaching looks at the role such research should play in the language classroom, and the role of researcher, teacher, and teacher educator in making that connection. It is noted that pragmatics research has discovered a number of differences in the ways in which firstand second-language learners acquire the target language: differences in speech acts used, in forms of speech acts, in choice of semantic formulas, and in the content of semantic formulas. Research has also revealed the importance of input and its sources, and cross-cultural and interlanguage pragmatics research has begun to help in development of pedagogically appropriate materials. It is argued that a speech act framework is useful for translating pragmatics research into classroom practice that helps learners attend to interactions and reactions and consider the effects of one choice of words over another. Learner-centered teaching methods are viewed as useful in this effort. Suggestions are offered on the selection of speech acts on which to focus in the second language classroom and techniques for presenting new speech act information, drawing on results of research. Contains 44 references. (MSE) Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made from the original document.