A place for pragmatics in intercultural teaching and learning

This paper describes the way in which a small group of Japanese EFL learners engaged with pragmatics based ideas and texts as a part of a short course designed to raise intercultural awareness through language learning. The data within shows how students construct understandings and interpretations of language use in a textbook dialogue, upon which they explore their own cultural assumptions. The paper also pays attention to the teacher’s role in supporting intercultural learning, particularly through the use of questions and other scaffolding strategies.