The role of pragmatics in second language acquisition

This paper investigates the role of pragmatics in a learner's L2 (second language), with a focus on English as a L2 in Austrian school education. Since the acquisition of grammar and consequently the production of error-free texts has been the dominant factor in language learning for a long time, pragmatics is a relatively young discipline of linguistic research. Although research has presented findings that do account for the significance of acquiring pragmatic skills, comparatively little has been done in regard of integrating pragmatics explicitly in learning material. Some guidelines for language learning that specifically mention pragmatic competence as a vital skill are presented and also analyzed in terms of what seems to be the major instrument of research concerning pragmatics: speech acts. In order to link this theoretical framework with some practical examples, the study designed for obtaining results collected data from pupils' written speech act performance. The research questions posed focused on three key aspects of analysis: proficiency difference, situational variation and pragmatic transfer.