The effects of pragmatic consciousness-raising activity on the development of pragmatic awareness and use of hearsay evidential markers for learners of Japanese as a foreign language

Abstract

This study investigates the effects of pragmatic consciousness-raising (PCR) activities in the acquisition of pragmatic competence, focusing on hearsay evidential markers such as rashii ‘I heard that’ in Japanese. PCR is an inductive approach to facilitating awareness of how language forms are used appropriately in a given context. Schmidt (1995) has proposed in his noticing hypothesis that L2 learners must first demonstrate a conscious awareness of some particular form in the input before any subsequent processing or intake of that noticed form can take place. This study explores the question of whether awareness is necessary for L2 pragmatic learning. A quasi-experimental pre-test/post-test/delayed post-test format was adopted. Forty-one learners of Japanese as a foreign language (JFL) were divided into two groups: the PCR treatment group and the control group. The tests consisted of metapragmatic knowledge tests and an oral discourse production test. In total, four treatment sessions were given to the PCR group just before the post-tests. This study showed that the PCR group performs better than the control group on both the immediate post-tests and the delayed post-tests. Through the PCR activities, JFL learners may become aware of critical differences between L1 and L2, and enhance their L2 pragmatic competence successfully.