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The Significance of Pragmatics Abstract 明道學術論壇3(2)：91-102(2007) MINGDAO JOURNAL 3(2)：91-102(2007) Copyright©2007 MINGDAO UNIVERSITY The Significance of Pragmatics Grace Hui Chin Lin Assistant Professor of Department of Applied English Studies, MingDao University Abstract The education of pragmatics is necessary and important in our globalized world. The reason is that English is currently used by people in the world for interaction and communi- cation with each other in order to do international trade or participate in the academic con- ferences (McKay, 2002). For avoiding miscommunication caused by cultural difference, being familiar with diverse cultures and pragmatics is essential. Studies of Pragmatics em- phasize the appropriateness in inter-cultural discourses. Through learning pragmatics, the English speakers’ intercultural communication competence should be raised. Their Prag- matic Competence would be better because of knowing cultural differences and being aware of the significance in appropriate languages. In other words, the teaching and learning of pragmatics would release the difficulties of international communications for both native and non-native speakers. Keyword: Pragmatic Competence, Mutual Comprehension, Linguistic Competence, Glob- alized World, Speech Acts 通訊作者. Tel.：04 728 3321 Fax：04 722 6123 E-mail：[email protected] 91 The Significance of Pragmatics／Grace Hui Chin Lin globalized world. INTRODUTION PRAGMATIC COMPETENCE: Kasper (1997) argues that a further as- A SIGNIFICANT COMPO- pect of students' pragmatic competence is NENT IN COMMUNICATIVE their awareness of what is, and is not appro- COMPATENCES priate in the given contexts. About this point he has mentioned, pragmatics is a field of Many scholars explore the close rela- knowledge that makes people know how to tion between pragmatics competence and appropriately achieve the mutual compre- English proficiency in their researches and hension, and politely face the challenges, studies. For example, Crystal (1997) empha- that are caused by the miscommunication sizes that the pragmatics knowledge is nec- and misunderstanding in international situa- essary and useful in second language learn- tions. ing. He proposes that pragmatics is the study Truly, people in different cultures have of language form and the point of view of a need of accomplishing the appropriateness users, especially of the choices they make, and politeness in English as an International/ the constraints they encounter in using lan- English as a Foreign Language (EIL/EFL) guage in social interaction, and the effects communication. Therefore, in order to speak their use of language has on other partici- to people from different areas around the pants in the act of communication. world effectively and politely, English na- I think another way the pragmatics tive and non-native speakers have to be should be interpreted, is that pragmatics is a trained with pragmatics that involves diverse field of knowledge that can be recognized as cultures and languages. a socio-cultural context study in intercultural I believe that English speakers need to communication. I mean that the pragmatics be not only proficient in linguistic compe- knowledge indicates that English native and tence, but also in pragmatics knowledge. non-native speakers need to have a broader They need to be informed with issues of focuses in their English interactions, includ- cultural disagreements, which include issues ing the focuses of grammar structure and of politeness, appropriateness, and speech vocabulary accuracy, the considerations of act strategies in communication. In a word, speech appropriateness, and the different the teachers should educate students to learn cultural issues. pragmatics in order to integrate themselves into different international environments and interact with foreigners appropriately in our 92 明道學術論壇，3(2)：91-102 (2007) SPEECH ACTS EIL/EFL speakers will be more sensitive to people’s intentional meanings embedded in From a perspective of functions in lan- international interaction. They can also learn guages, communications for various par- to be proficient in reacting to the EIL/EFL ticular purposes are categorized into many speakers’ interlocutions in an effective and specific “speech acts”. According to Kasper comprehensive fashion. and Rose (1999), communication action includes not only using speech acts such as INTERCULTURAL INTER- apologizing, complaining, complimenting, ACTION and requesting, but also engaging in differ- ent types of discourse and participating in From the perspective of EIL/EFL in- speech events of varying length and com- teraction, there is not a cultural or a lan- plexity. guage which are better than the others. For Their statement actually means that the this point, Rose and Kasper (2001) argue dissimilar types of functional languages can that the best thing pragmatists can do for be created by concerning the language com- English speakers is to operate with a differ- plexities from aspects of grammatical accu- ent hypothesis rather than with a deficit hy- racy, sociolinguistic competence, and strate- pothesis. I think that Rose and Kasper (2001) gic communication competence. Therefore, have pointed out that the non-native English for facing the challenges in the intercultural speakers, and even native speakers should communications, English speakers need to learn pragmatics by describing and explain- learn techniques and strategies in speech ing interlanguage communication from a acts in order to accomplish goals of estab- universal and intercultural perspective, lishing closer interpersonal relations and rather than stereotype the native-like English completing tasks efficiently through suitable as a standard form of communication. languages. Accordingly, when learning pragmatics, there is no limitation of how many foreign ADVANTAGE OF LEARN- cultures a learner should learn. I might say ING PRAGMATICS the more cultural learned the better, if a learner can absorb sufficient intercultural In fact, one of the advantages in learn- knowledge. Similarly, there is also no re- ing pragmatics is that the learners can inter- straint of how many assumptions of inten- pret the meanings of language from a tional meanings a learner should make when broader intercultural aspect. Through estab- interacting in international situations. lished pragmatics foundation in mind, The reason is that adequate assump- 93 The Significance of Pragmatics／Grace Hui Chin Lin tions made through a more complete prag- FOR AVOIDING MISUN- matics knowledge foundation would attrib- DERSTANIND AND MIS- ute to a correct judgment of the intentional COMMUNICATION meanings in intercultural communications. To conclude, one significant issue of prag- From views of House, Kasper, and matics is that there are no classical and Rose (2003), the pragmatics is a type of standard patterns in each speech act of Eng- knowledge that makes people detect the in- lish. Therefore, the EFL/EIL speakers have tercultural interaction structures and speech to raise their consciousness about various act strategies in order to resolve problems of types of speech acts which are based on a misunderstanding encountered in the inter- structure and convention paragon of another national social settings. Through pragmatics different culture. training, English speakers should be able to For this point, Rose (2001) in one of perceive different interpretations of his studies argues that “pragmatics con- cross-cultural languages, and get accus- sciousness raising is basically an inductive tomed to assorted conventions, structures, approach to develop a general awareness of and forms in speech acts in the other cul- how language forms are used appropriately tures. in context” (p. 171). Accordingly, the goal of We all know that different customs of pragmatic learning that Rose points out is dialogues patterns sometimes would cause that English speakers must be familiar with confusions or embarrassment. Misunder- different suitable forms based on intercul- standing and miscommunication caused tural knowledge, but not transform the from cultural gaps actually can be avoided speaking into a certain standard type of lan- by sufficient knowledge of pragmatics. guage. Therefore, the teachability of pragmatics is In other words, Rose (2001) reveals more and more noticed these years. Through that pragmatics is a study, which makes the being informed about the cultural alterna- learners comprehend that language varieties tiveness, language learners would be capable do exist in various speech acts of EIL/EFL in dealing with cultural diversities and in communications. Pragmatics is also a study, making compromise when talking with peo- which makes the learners accommodate to ple from different language backgrounds. diverse kinds of flexible colloquies in Indeed, the English speakers’ construc- EFL/EIL communication. tion of their pragmatics knowledge is a sig- nificant factor why they can interact and communicate effectively and appropriately in their social life. In reality, for participat- 94 明道學術論壇，3(2)：91-102 (2007) ing international activities as a decent and various strategies of speech acts. Actually, polite member in the current globalized so- everyone is able to provide misunderstand- ciety, the English speakers need to constitute ing examples of pragmatics that indicate the a concept of interaction structures and politeness and appropriateness issues in speech act strategies in cross-cultural inter- communication of his/her original cultures action. Then, they can work,
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