Pragmatic Competence and Willingness to Communicate Among L2 Learners of Chinese.

Xiaoxuan Lv,Lin Li,Wei Ren

doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2021.797419

Abstract

Research in second language (L2) pragmatics has paid increasing attention to learners’ individual differences, but few studies have examined the relationship between learners’ willingness to communicate (WTC) in L2 and their pragmatic competence. To this end, this study investigates the association between WTC and pragmatic awareness and comprehension of Chinese as a second language (CSL) learners. A total of 80 CSL learners studying abroad in three universities in China participated in this study. Data were collected through a WTC questionnaire, a self-perceived communication competence (SPCC) questionnaire, a pragmatic awareness judgment task, and a multiple-choice test for pragmatic comprehension. Statistical analyses were conducted to explore the relationship between the learners’ pragmatic awareness and pragmatic comprehension on the one hand and their WTC and SPCC in L2 on the other. The findings indicated that SPCC correlated positively with the learners’ L2 pragmatic comprehension, but not with their L2 pragmatic awareness. No correlation was found between WTC and pragmatic awareness and comprehension. The results suggest that SPCC may contribute to learners’ L2 pragmatic comprehension; some implications for teaching and future research directions are also discussed.

Highlights

Pragmatic competence is key to effective communication and success in second language (L2) learning
Aside from Hosseinpur and Nevisi (2017), which found a positive relation between pragmatic production and willingness to communicate (WTC), few studies have investigated the relationship between pragmatic competence and WTC
The results showed that all the Chinese as a second language (CSL) learners were good at identifying pragmatic errors and judging the degree of inappropriateness

Summary

Introduction

Pragmatic competence is key to effective communication and success in second language (L2) learning. Developing pragmatic competence can bring challenges for L2 learners, regardless of their language proficiency. Even those with advanced abilities in a L2 sometimes use the language inappropriately in daily communication due to their lack of pragmatic knowledge (Bardovi-Harlig and Dörnyei, 1998; Bardovi-Harlig, 2001; Ren, 2013). Willingness to communicate (WTC), which is a learner’s intention to speak in the target language given free choice (MacIntyre, 2020; MacIntyre et al, 2020), is a factor that influences. Previous studies have found that self-perceived communication competence (SPCC) is one of the most highly correlated factors with WTC (e.g., Yu, 2009). This study will examine the relationship between pragmatic competence and WTC, including SPCC

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Discussion

Conclusion