ABSTRACT
Pragmatics learning entails understanding form–function–context mappings of target pragmatic features. The difficulty of pragmatics learning lies in its complexity. Because form–function–context mappings are not always straightforward or salient, pragmatics learning poses a special challenge to students learning a second language. Additionally, pragmatic competence encompasses a wide range of knowledge including ‘how to interpret and perform speech acts, conversational management, discourse organization, turn taking, implicature, negotiation, pragmatic routines, and sociolinguistic aspects of language use such as choice of address terms’ (Bardovi-Harlig, 2015, p. 135) (see also Chapter 1 in this volume). Providing effective instruction can facilitate students’ learning of the target pragmatics. However, as Kasper (1997) has noted, arranging learning opportunities in a way that promotes the development of L2 pragmatic competence has been a challenge for both researchers and practitioners alike for the past two decades.
