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Article published In: Trends in Second Language Pragmatics Research Part 2
[Applied Pragmatics 6:2] 2024
► pp. 168–181

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Thematic article

Learner pragmatics in English-medium‑instruction courses at university

Current research and future avenues

ORCiD logo with link | Universitat Jaume I
ORCiD logo with link | Universitat Jaume I
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Available under the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) 4.0 license.

For any use beyond this license, please contact the publisher at rights@benjamins.nl.

Open Access publication of this article was funded through a Transformative Agreement with Universitat Jaume I.

Published online: 7 February 2025
DOI logo with link
https://doi.org/10.1075/ap.00025.mar
Abstract
This paper critically reviews pragmatic-oriented investigations of English-medium instruction (EMI) courses in tertiary education. Analyses on potential gains in pragmatic competence, classroom interaction, and e-politeness define some of the lines of research identified. Speech acts like requests and opinions (e.g., Taguchi, N. (2012). Context, individual differences, and pragmatic competence. Multilingual Matters. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar, (2014). Pragmatic socialization in an English-medium university in Japan. International Review of Applied Linguistics in Language Teaching, 52(2), 157–181. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar) or directives (e.g., Smit, U. (2010). English as a lingua franca in higher education: A longitudinal study of classroom discourse. De Gruyter Mouton. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar) are still the main foci of interest, along with pragmatic markers (e.g., Ament, J., Pérez-Vidal, C., & Barón Parés, J. (2018). The effects of English-medium instruction on the use of textual and interpersonal markers. Pragmatics, 28(4), 517–545. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar) or openings and closings (e.g., Codina-Espurz, V., & Salazar-Campillo, P. (2019). Openings and closings in emails by CLIL students: A pedagogical proposal. English Language Teaching, 12(2), 57–67. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar). A more holistic perspective has also been adopted to examine functional adequacy in writing (e.g., (2019). Pragmatic outcomes in the English-medium instruction context: The influence of intensity of instruction. Applied Pragmatics, 1(1), 68–91. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar). Strengths and limitations of studies conducted in the EMI context are discussed and, from this, a research agenda is put forward. Lastly, future investigators are encouraged to explore the complex interplay between external (e.g., target language contact) and internal factors (e.g., proficiency, motivation, or willingness to communicate) which may have an impact on learner pragmatics.
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction: Why EMI?
  • 2.Learning pragmatics in EMI: Does pragmatic competence take care of itself?
    • 2.1Pragmatic gains of EMI: Learner written performance
    • 2.2Pragmatic gains of EMI: Learner oral performance
  • 3.Critical insights and future directions: Towards CLIL-ising EMI?
  • References
References (40)
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