‘I no say you say is boring’: the development of pragmatic competence in L2 apology

Abstract

While the number of studies on pragmatic development has been increasing since Kasper and Schmidt’s call for more research into this under-researched area (e.g., [Barron, A., 2003. Acquisition in Interlanguage Pragmatics: Learning How to do Things with Words in a Study Abroad Context. Benhamins, Amsterdam; Achiba, M., 2003. Learning to Request in a Second Language: Child Interlanguage Pragmatics. Multilingual Matters, Clevedon, UK; Schauer, G., 2006. Pragmatic awareness in ESL and EFL contexts: contrast and development. Language Learning 56(2), 269–317]), the development of certain speech behaviors such as the speech act of request in a second language seems to receive more attention than the others. In addition, as Kasper and Schmidt [Kasper, G., Schmidt, R., 1996. Developmental issues in interlanguage pragmatics. Studies in Second Language Acquisition 18, 149–169] pointed out, studies investigating the order of acquisition for interlanguage pragmatics have been scant. Furthermore, most of the studies on pragmatic development have examined adult learners of higher proficiency level and have been limited in the range of first and target languages. The need to include young beginning-level learners and to expand the range of first and target language studies examined has therefore been advocated (e.g., [Bardovi-Harlig, K., 1999. Exploring the interlanguage of interlanguage pragmatics: a research agenda for acquisitional pragmatics. Language Learning 49(4), 677–713; Kasper, G., Rose, K., 2002. Pragmatic development in a second language. Language Learning 52(Suppl. 1)]). This article is intended to contribute to the body of research on acquisitional pragmatics by examining the development of pragmatic competence in L2 apology produced by Chinese learners of English of different proficiency levels.