Investigating the of Explicit Instruction of Apology Speech Act on Pragmatic Development of Iranian EFL Learners

Shima Rajabi ,Akbar Azizifar ,Habib Gowhary

doi:10.7575/aiac.alls.v.6n.4p.53

Abstract

Learning a foreign language requires students to acquire both grammatical knowledge and socio-pragmatic rules of a language. Pragmatic competence as one of the most difficult aspects of language provides several challenges to L2 learners in the process of learning a foreign language. To overcome this problem, EFL teachers should find the most effective way of teaching pragmatic knowledge to their students. Accordingly, the present study investigated the effect of explicit teaching of apology speech act, as an aspect of pragmatic competence, on the Iranian EFL learners’ appropriate use of the mentioned speech act. In so doing, a total of 73 EFL students at intermediate and advanced levels participated in a pre-posttest design research with experimental and control group. Data were collected using a Discourse Completion Test (DCT). The selection of apologetic situations in DCT was based on two variables of social status and social distance. The results revealed that explicit instruction was a facilitative tool that helped students use the proper apology strategies in different situations. Moreover, it was found that L2 proficiency had a significant influence on overall appropriateness of speech act production. Keywords : Explicit instruction; Apology speech act; Pragmatic competence; Iranian EFL learners

Highlights

IntroductionIt depends on the negotiation of meaning between two or more persons and one's understanding of the situation and on prior experience of the same kind (Savignon, 1983)
The analysis revealed that the subjects in explicit teaching group performed significantly better in terms of apology speech act, and the results showed that learners who received explicit apology strategy instruction used intensifiers more appropriately than the other group.Another study conducted by Istifci and Kampusu, (2009) investigated the use of apology by EFL learners, with subject from two different levels of English proficiency
Goal of the present study was to explore the effect of explicit instruction of speech act of apology on Iranian EFL learners’ performance of this speech act with regard to their proficiency levels

Summary

Introduction

It depends on the negotiation of meaning between two or more persons and one's understanding of the situation and on prior experience of the same kind (Savignon, 1983). 87) model, "language competence" is divided into two components: "organizational competence" and "pragmatic competence". Organizational competence comprises knowledge of linguistic units and the rules of ordering them to form a text. These abilities are of two types: ‘grammatical competence’ and discourse ('textual competence'). Pragmatic competence is divided in to ' illocutionary competence’ and 'sociolinguistic competence'. 'Sociolinguistic competence' consists of the ability to perform language functions in the ways that are appropriate to the context. 'Sociolinguistic competence' consists of the ability to perform language functions in the ways that are appropriate to the context. Brock and Nagasaka (2005) define pragmatic competence as a range of abilities in the use and interpretation of language in context; the ability to use language for different purposes such as greeting, requesting, informing, refusing, and so on

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