Cover not available

Article published In: Trends in Second Language Pragmatics Research Part I:
[Applied Pragmatics 4:2] 2022
► pp. 159–177

Get fulltext from our e-platform
JBE logo with link
PDF logo with download linkDownload PDF
EPUB logo with download linkDownload EPUB
authorization required

The interface between instructed L2 pragmatics and TBLT research

A review of instructional materials

ORCiD logo with link | Georgia State University
Published online: 13 April 2022
DOI logo with link
https://doi.org/10.1075/ap.00007.kim
Abstract
Over the past two decades, the theoretical backgrounds of instructed second language (L2) pragmatics studies have diversified, and instructional materials have been designed and implemented based on various theories of second language acquisition (SLA). As a result, the field of instructed pragmatics has made significant strides in developing empirically driven, effective instructional methods. Recently, researchers in the fields of task-based language teaching (TBLT) and L2 pragmatics have claimed there are synergistic effects when teaching pragmatics from a TBLT perspective. These researchers argue that both pragmatics instruction and TBLT approaches to language teaching highlight the importance of language use in authentic contexts and achieving communication goals. The focus of the current review article is on task design and implementation in L2 pragmatics research, particularly those studies which were conducted from a TBLT perspective. Pedagogical implications of these studies are discussed, and future directions for task-based approaches to teaching L2 pragmatics for both research and pedagogy are proposed.
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
  • 2.Interface between TBLT and instructed L2 pragmatics research
  • 3.Article selection criteria and coding
  • 4.Findings
    • 4.1Survey of previous instructed pragmatics studies
    • 4.2TBLT approaches to teaching L2 pragmatics
  • 5.Future directions for converging the fields of instructed pragmatics and TBLT
    • 5.1Technology-mediated task design
    • 5.2Transferability of task-based abilities
    • 5.3Going beyond individual lessons
  • 6.Conclusion
  • References
References (54)
References
Ajabshir, Z. (2019). The effect of synchronous and asynchronous computer-mediated communication (CMC) on EFL learners’ pragmatic competence. Computers in Human Behavior, 921, 169–177. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Alcón-Soler, E. (2015a). Instruction and pragmatic change during study abroad email communication. Innovation in Language Learning and Teaching, 9(1), 34–45. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
(2015b). Pragmatic learning and study abroad: Effects of instruction and length of stay. System, 481, 62–74. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
(2017). Pragmatic development during study abroad: An analysis of Spanish teenagers’ request strategies in English emails. Annual Review of Applied Linguistics, 371, 77–92. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
(2018). Effects of task supported language teaching on learners’ use and knowledge of email request mitigators. In N. Taguchi & Y. Kim (Eds.), Task-based approaches to teaching and assessing pragmatics (pp. 56–81). Amsterdam/Philadelphia: John Benjamins. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Alcón-Soler, E., & Guzman-Pitarch, J. R. (2013). The effect of instruction on learners’ use and negotiation of refusals. In O. Martí-Arnandiz & P. Salazar-Campillo (Eds.), Refusals in instructional contexts and beyond (pp. 41–63). Amsterdam: Rodopi.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Bacela da Silva, A. (2003). The effects of instruction on pragmatic development: Teaching polite refusals in English. Second Language Studies, 221, 55–106.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Bachman, L. F., & Palmer, A. S. (1996). Language testing in practice: Designing and developing useful language tests. Oxford: Oxford University Press.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Bardovi-Harlig, K., Mossman, S., & Vallenga, H. (2015). The effect of instruction on pragmatic routines in academic discussion. Language Teaching Research, 19(3), 324–350. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Barón, J., Celaya, M. L., & Levkina, M. (2020). Learning pragmatics through tasks: When interaction plays a role. Applied Pragmatics, 2(1), 1–25. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Belz, J. A., & Vyatkina, N. (2005). Learner corpus analysis and the development of L2 pragmatic competence in networked intercultural language study: The case of German modal particles. The Canadian Modern Language Review, 62(1), 17–48. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Cunningham, J., & Vyatkina, N. (2012). Telecollaboration for professional purposes: Towards developing a formal register in the foreign language classroom. The Canadian Modern Language Review, 68(4), 422–450. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
East, M. (2017). Research into practice: The task-based approach to instructed second language acquisition. Language Teaching, 50(3), 412–424. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Ekiert, M., Lampropoulou, S., Révész, A., & Torgersen, E. (2018). The effects of task type and L2 proficiency on discourse appropriacy in oral task performance. In N. Taguchi & Y. Kim (Eds.), Task-based approaches to teaching and assessing pragmatics (pp. 247–263). Amsterdam/Philadelphia: John Benjamins. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Ellis, R. (2017). Position paper: Moving task-based language teaching forward. Language Teaching, 50(4), 507–526. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Ellis, R., Skehan, P., Li, S., Shintani, N., & Lambert, C. (2020). Task-based language teaching: Theory and practice. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Eslami, Z. R., Mirzaei, A., & Dini, S. (2015). The role of asynchronous computer mediated communication in the instruction and development of EFL learners’ pragmatic competence. System, 481, 99–111. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Gilabert, R., & Barón, J. (2018). Independently measuring cognitive complexity in task design for interlanguage pragmatics development. In N. Taguchi & Y. Kim (Eds.), Task-based approaches to teaching and assessing pragmatics (pp. 159–190). Amsterdam/Philadelphia: John Benjamins. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Gómez, T., & Ede-Hernández, L. (2021). Effectiveness of a post-study abroad pedagogical intervention in learning compliments and compliment responses in L2 Spanish. In J. César Félix-Brasdefer & R. Shively (Eds.), New directions in second language pragmatics (pp. 81–102). Berlin: De Gruyter. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Gomez-Laich, M. P., & Taguchi, N. (2018). Task complexity effects on interaction during a collaborative persuasive writing task. In N. Taguchi & Y. Kim (Eds.), Task-based approaches to teaching and assessing pragmatics (Vol. 101, pp. 83–109). Amsterdam/Philadelphia: John Benjamins. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
González-Lloret, M. (2015). A practical guide to integrating technology into task-based language teaching. Georgetown University Press.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
(2019). Task-based language teaching and L2 pragmatics. In N. Taguchi (Ed.), The Routledge handbook of second language acquisition and pragmatics (pp. 338–352). New York/London: Routledge. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
González-Lloret, M., & Ortega, L. (Eds.). (2014). Technology-mediated TBLT: Researching technology and tasks. Amsterdam/Philadelphia: John Benjamins. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
(2018). Pragmatics, tasks, and technology. In N. Taguchi & Y. Kim (Eds.), Task-based approaches to teaching and assessing pragmatics (pp. 192–214). Amsterdam/Philadelphia: John Benjamins. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Hernández, T., & Boero, P. (2018). Explicit intervention for Spanish pragmatic development during short-term study abroad: An examination of learner request production and cognition. Foreign Language Annals, 51(2), 389–410. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Iwai, T. (2013). Using n desu in small talk: JFL learners’ pragmatic development. In K. Kondo-Brown, Y. Saito-Abbott, S. Satsutani, M. Tsutsui, & A. Wehmeyer (Eds.), New perspectives on Japanese language learning, linguistics, and culture (pp. 27–47). University of Hawaii, National Foreign Language Resource Center.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Kakegawa, T. (2009). Development of the use of Japanese sentence-final particles through email correspondence. In N. Taguchi (Ed.), Pragmatic competence (pp. 301–333). Berlin: Mouton De Gruyter.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Kim, Y., Jung, Y., & Tracy-Ventura, N. (2017). Implementation of a localized task-based course in an EFL context: A study of students’ evolving perceptions. TESOL Quarterly, 51(3), 632–660. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Kim, M., Lee, H., & Kim, Y. (2018). Learning of Korean honorifics through collaborative tasks: Comparing heritage and non-Heritage speakers. In N. Taguchi & Y. Kim (Eds.), Task-based approaches to teaching and assessing pragmatics (pp. 28–54). Amsterdam/Philadelphia: John Benjamins. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Kim, Y., & Taguchi, N. (2015). Promoting task-based pragmatics instruction in EFL classroom contexts: The role of task complexity. Modern Language Journal, 99(4), 656–677. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
(2016). Learner-learner interaction during collaborative pragmatic tasks: The role of cognitive and pragmatic task demands. Foreign Language Annals, 49(1), 42–57. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Lee, I., Kim, S., Yoon, S., Nam, C., Park, S., Hong, Y., & Orr, T. (2010). Middle school English 2. Seoul: Chunjae Gyoyuk.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Levkina, M. (2018). Developing pragmatic competence through tasks in EFL contexts: Does proficiency play a role? In N. Taguchi & Y. Kim (Eds.), Task-based approaches to teaching and assessing pragmatics (pp. 137–158). Amsterdam/Philadelphia: John Benjamins. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Long, M. (2016). In defense of tasks and TBLT: Nonissues and real issues. Annual Review of Applied Linguistics, 361, 5–33. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Louw, K., Derwing, T. M., & Abbott, M. (2010). Teaching pragmatics to L2 learners for the workplace: The job interview. Canadian Modern Language Review, 66(5), 739–758. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
McDonough, K., & Chaikitmongkol, W. (2007). Teachers’ and learners’ reactions to a task-based EFL course in Thailand. TESOL Quarterly, 41(1), 107–132. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Nguyen, M. T. T., Do, H. T., Nguyen, A. T. & Pham, T. T. (2015). Teaching email requests in the academic context: A focus on the role of corrective feedback. Language Awareness, 24(2), 169–195. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Nguyen, T., Pham, T., & Pham, M. (2012). The relative effects of explicit and implicit form-focused instruction on the development of L2 pragmatic competence. Journal of Pragmatics, 44(4), 416–434. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Plonsky, L., & Kim, Y. (2016). Task-based learner production: A substantive and methodological review. Annual Review of Applied Linguistics. 361, 73–97. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Robinson, P. (2001). Task complexity, task difficulty, and task production: Exploring interactions in a componential framework. Applied Linguistics, 221, 27–57. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Song, J. (2019). Enhancing intercultural competence with 360-degree virtual reality videos. The Korean Language in America, 23(1), 85–98. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Sydorenko, T. (2015). The use of computer-delivered structured tasks in pragmatic instruction: An exploratory study. Intercultural Pragmatics, 12(3), 333–362. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Taguchi, N. (2015). Instructed pragmatics at a glance: Where instructional studies were, are, and should be going. Language Teaching, 48(1), 1–50. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
(2019). SLA and pragmatics: An overview. In Taguchi, N. (Ed.), The Routledge handbook of Second language acquisition and pragmatics (pp. 1–14). New York/London: Routledge.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
(2020). Digitally mediated remote learning of pragmatics. Foreign Language Annals, 53(2), 353–358. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Taguchi, N., & Kim, Y. (2016). Collaborative dialogue in learning pragmatics: Pragmatics-related episodes as an opportunity for learning request-making. Applied Linguistics, 37(3), 416–437. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
(Eds.). (2018a). Task-based approaches to teaching and assessing pragmatics. Amsterdam/Philadelphia: John Benjamins. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
(2018b). Task-based approaches to teaching and assessing pragmatics: An introduction. In. N. Taguchi & Y. Kim (Eds.), Task-based approaches to teaching and assessing pragmatics (pp. 2–24). Amsterdam/Philadelphia: John Benjamins. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Taguchi, N., & Roever, C. (2017). Second language pragmatics. Oxford: Oxford University Press.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Tajeddin, Z., & Hosseinpur, R. (2014). The impact of deductive, inductive, and L1-based consciousness-raising tasks on EFL learners’ acquisition of the request speech act. The Journal of Teaching Language Skills, 6(1), 73–92.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Taylor, G. (2002). Teaching gambits: The effect of instruction and task variation on the use of conversation strategies by intermediate Spanish students. Foreign Language Annals, 35(2), 171–189. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Van den Branden, K., Bygate, M., & Norris, J. (2009). Task-based language teaching: Introducing the reader. In K. Van den Branden, M. Bygate, & J. Norris (Eds.), Task-based language teaching: A reader (pp. 1–14). Amsterdam/Philadelphia: John Benjamins.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Yoshimi, D. (2001). Explicit instruction and JFL learners’ use of interactional discourse markers. In K. Rose & G. Kasper (Eds.), Pragmatics in language teaching (pp. 223–244). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Youn, S. (2018). Task-based needs analysis of L2 pragmatics in an EAP context. Journal of English for Academic Purposes, 361, 86–98. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Cited by (3)

Cited by three other publications

Róg, Tomasz
2025. Empirical Investigations into the Use of Tasks in L2 Pragmatics Instruction. In Task-based Language Teaching and Beyond: L2 Pragmatics Instruction for Young Learners [Second Language Learning and Teaching, ], ► pp. 143 ff. DOI logo
Chen, Tzu-Hua
2023. Dynamic fluctuations in foreign language enjoyment during cognitively simple and complex interactive speaking tasks. Studies in Second Language Learning and Teaching 13:3 ► pp. 627 ff. DOI logo
Roever, Carsten
2023. Second Language Pragmatics. In The Encyclopedia of Applied Linguistics, ► pp. 1 ff. DOI logo

This list is based on CrossRef data as of 1 december 2025. Please note that it may not be complete. Sources presented here have been supplied by the respective publishers. Any errors therein should be reported to them.

Mobile Menu Logo with link to supplementary files background Layer 1 prag Twitter_Logo_Blue