Pragmatics and Its Applications to TESOL and Sla - by Salvatore Attardo & Lucy Pickering (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

A concise introduction to the field of theoretical pragmatics and its applications in second language acquisition and English-language instruction

Pragmatics and its Applications to TESOL and SLA offers an in-depth description of key areas of linguistic pragmatics and a review of how those topics can be applied to pedagogy in the fields of second language acquisition (SLA) and teaching English to speakers of other languages (TESOL). This book is an excellent resource for students and professionals who have an interest in teaching pragmatics (speech acts, the cooperative principle, deixis, politeness theory, and more) in second language contexts.

This book introduces technical terminology and concepts--including the fundamentals of semantics and semiotics--in simple language, and it provides illuminating examples, making it an excellent choice for readers with an elementary linguistics background who wish to further their knowledge of pragmatics. It also covers more advanced pragmatics topics, including stance, indexicality, and pragmatic appropriateness. Key features include:

• A comprehensive introduction to pragmatics, covering meaning, speech acts, the cooperation principle, politeness, metapragmatics, and more
• A unique orientation toward practical application in second language acquisition studies and English-language instruction
• Two-part chapters clearly separating theoretical introductions from concrete, real-world applications of the theory
• Thorough coverage that is accessible to both students and professionals currently teaching English to speakers of other languages, including sample lesson plans
• Practical chapters on the interface between pragmatics and teaching, and on research design

Pragmatics and its Applications to TESOL and SLA is a comprehensive and coherent introduction, perfect for students, researchers, and scholars of pragmatics, second language acquisition, language teaching, and intercultural communication. It is also an excellent resource for professionals in the field of English-language education.

From the Back Cover

Pragmatics and its Applications to TESOL and SLA offers an in-depth description of key areas of pragmatics and a review of how the contributions from this branch of linguistics can be applied to the pedagogies of teaching English to speakers of other languages (TESOL) and second language acquisition (SLA). This book introduces technical terminology and concepts--including some of the fundamentals of semantics and semiotics--in simple language and provides illuminating examples, making it an excellent choice for readers with some familiarity with linguistics who wish to further their knowledge of pragmatics.

Authored by two leadings scholars in applied linguistics, this valuable text is uniquely oriented towards practical application in second language acquisition studies and English-language instruction. In this book, students training to become language teachers and teachers currently working with learners of other languages will find a valuable resource on speech acts, the cooperative principle, deixis, and politeness theory in second language contexts, as well as more advanced pragmatics topics, including stance, indexicality, metapragmatics, and pragmatic appropriateness. This book has been developed with the needs of students and working teachers in mind, with each chapter divided into two parts to clearly separate theory from concrete, real-world applications, and with sample less plans and a chapter devoted to research design.

Pragmatics and its Applications to TESOL and SLA is a comprehensive and clear introduction, ideal for students, researchers, and scholars of pragmatics, second language acquisition, language teaching, and intercultural communication. It is also an excellent resource for professionals in second-language education.

Review Quotes

"The textbook ranges broadly across the field of pragmatics...This has advantages in that an instructor can introduce students to a great many topics and approaches which are likely to get short shrift or no shrift at all in the language textbooks available to learners." - LINGUIST List 33.238, January 2022

"This volume is indeed a source of insights for researchers intending to explore the applications ofL2 pragmatics in English language teaching and second language acquisition...We strongly recommend this valuable book." - Corpus Pragmatics (2022) 6:249-252, March 2022

About the Author

SALVATORE ATTARDO is Professor of Linguistics at Texas A&M-Commerce, USA. He is editor of The Encyclopedia of Humor Studies (2014) and The Handbook of Language and Humor (2017) and co-author of Understanding Language Structure, Interaction and Variation, Third Edition (2014). He has published 12 books and over 100 articles. His latest book is The Linguistics of Humor: An Introduction (2020).

LUCY PICKERING is Professor of Applied Linguistics and Director of the Applied Linguistics Laboratory at Texas A&M-Commerce, USA. She is the author of Discourse Intonation: A discourse-pragmatic approach to teaching the pronunciation of English (2018), co-editor of Language Learning, Discourse & Cognition (2018), co-editor of Talking at Work (2016), and co-author of English Communication for International Teaching Assistants (2013).