16. Testing pragmatic competence in a second language

Abstract

Since the communicative turn in L2 teaching and learning, the field has been grappling with the difficult theoretical question of what it means to be pragmatically competent in an L2, and the specific role that awareness plays in the development of pragmatic competence inside and outside the classroom. This chapter presents a critical review of the research on pragmatic awareness development within the context of L2 language learning. The chapter discusses theoretical tenets related to the conceptualization of awareness and its role within L2 pragmatic development within three main theoretical paradigms: the interlanguage paradigm, sociocultural theory, and intercultural language learning. Following discussion of theoretical tenets, the chapter then provides an overview of main empirical work within each paradigm and considers relative contributions and shortcomings. At the end of the chapter, there is a critical synthesis of the main issues and consideration of future directions for theorising and researching pragmatic awareness.