Researching and Teaching Speech Acts with Young L2 Learners: Beneath the Linguistic Surface - Paperback

by Milica Savic (Author), Anders Myrset (Author), Maria Economidou-Kogetsidis (Author)

This book introduces the main concepts of pragmatics as they relate to the young English language learner classroom and research with young second language learners (YLLs). It considers the speech acts which are particularly relevant to YLLs and presents research findings on learners' development of speech act perception and production. It provides pre- and in-service second language (L2) teachers, teacher educators and researchers with an understanding of young learners' pragmatic development and with ideas for research-based approaches and specific classroom activities to help foster speech act development in the YLL classroom. Moving beyond the research methods traditionally employed in L2 pragmatics research, it also demonstrates how participant-centred data elicitation methods can be effective when conducting research with children. This book will appeal to researchers, advanced undergraduate and postgraduate students in applied linguistics and TESOL, as well as pre- and in-service primary school L2 teachers and teacher educators.

Author Biography

Milica Savic is Professor of English and Applied Linguistics at the University of Stavanger, Norway. Her research focuses on L2 pragmatics, linguistic politeness, pragmatics instruction and research with children. Her publications include a monograph Politeness through the Prism of Requests, Apologies and Refusals. A Case of Advanced Serbian EFL Learners, a co-edited volume Email Pragmatics and Second Language Learners, as well as papers in a number of edited volumes and peer-reviewed journals.

Anders Myrset is Associate Professor of ELT Methodology at the University of Stavanger, Norway. His research explores the teaching and development of pragmatic competence, (meta)pragmatic awareness of young EFL learners and issues related to research with children, and has appeared in various peer-reviewed journals and edited volumes. He is an executive board member of the International Association for Teaching Pragmatics and an author of ELT textbooks for young language learners.

Maria Economidou-Kogetsidis is Professor of English and Applied Linguistics at the University of Nicosia, Cyprus. Her research spans L2 and intercultural pragmatics, cross-cultural communication, linguistic politeness and L2 email pragmatics. She has published widely in edited volumes and peer-reviewed journals such as the Journal of Pragmatics, the ELT Journal and the Language Learning Journal. She is the co-editor of the edited volumes Interlanguage Request Modification and Email Pragmatics and Second Language Learners (John Benjamins).