Registration ends 07.4.2026 at 23:59 h

In linguistics, the saying "Actions speak louder than words" conceals the fact that in using language, in producing words, we act and change the world. A request uttered by a friend has to be responded to; an apology changes the way we feel about someone. Second language pragmatics investigates how such abilities develop, what challenges learners face, and how instruction can support pragmatic development.

In this course, we look at how native speakers of different cultures "do things with words" (Austin 1962) and "how learners come to know how-to-say-what-to-whom-when.” (Bardovi-Harlig 2013:68-69). We also discuss how pragmatic competence, an important component of communicative competence, can be taught and we examine how well EFL textbooks are suited to the challenge of equiping learners for communicating in the foreign language.

By the end of the seminar, participants will be able to:

- explain central concepts and research methods in second language pragmatics
- analyze learner production of speech acts and identify developmental patterns
- recognize instances of pragmatic transfer and pragmatic failure
- design instructional activities to support the acquisition of speech acts
- critically reflect on the role of pragmatic competence in language education

Students will be expected to engage in empirical research, i.e. to collect and analyse data in groups. This empirical work will form the basis of the module assessment (cf. below)

The course is conducted through the medium of English.

Further information on teaching evaluation: https://www.leuphana.de/en/teaching/quality-management/evaluation/course-evaluation.html