The Grammar-Pragmatics Interface in Second and Foreign Language Teaching

Dr. Andreas Trotzke, University of Konstanz

In this workshop, we will focus on properties of the grammar whose meaning contributions depend on information coming from the discourse context. More specifically, we will look at word order variations that mark topic and focus across second and foreign languages, pronoun reference, and the use of discourse markers and particles. The goal of second and foreign language learners, as fixed by the European CEFR framework for language learning, certainly encompasses the use of these grammatical means. Many phenomena at the grammar-pragmatics interface are highly frequent in oral communication, and they are without doubt a crucial means to establish ‘coherence’ (as stated on the CEFR website) in oral communication.

However, we observe a lack of Instructed-S(econd)L(anguage)A(cquisition) research in the grammar-pragmatics domain and a lack of textbook materials on teaching this interface in the L2 classroom. This workshop aims at better articulating the implications of theory-driven research in SLA for language pedagogy, and it will also discuss why classroom instruction in the domain of grammar-pragmatics should be considered an important variable in current experimental SLA research.