Let's have some fun! Today we're going to go beyond the topics of feedback, metalinguistic knowledge, and effective group work to talk about pragmatics. Taguchi (2011) defines pragmatic competence as "the ability to communicate and interpret meaning in social interactions" (p. 289). According to the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, the study of pragmatics is concerned with contextual language use in social …
Tag: Sociolinguistics
Overcoming the Monolingual Bias
In my last post (Translanguaging: Establishing Some Foundations), I highlighted the monolingual bias in language education and discussed the importance of being strategic in employing translanguaging strategies, including through having clear guidelines for when it is appropriate. However, I feel that I did not adequately address the question of why it is important to challenge the monolingual principle in …
What’s the Standard?
In my last post (Interacting with Linguistic Capital and Teacher Agency), I alluded to the balance that language teachers must find between working within the bounds of educational policy and making accommodatons for inclusion, perhaps at times pushing the boundaries. I feel that the topic merits further attention.
Interacting with Linguistic Capital and Teacher Agency
Previously, I have mentioned processes which lead to the valuing of a standard dialect of a national language over other languages and dialects...
Oppression, Power, and Policy In the Classroom
Have you ever stopped to question why you're not supposed to use ain't or end a sentence with a prepostion? Or the fact that, unless you're in very formal situation, you probably end sentences with prepositions all the time?
Language, Power, and Nation-Building
So far, we have been looking at teacher identity and critical self reflection; now let’s zoom out to look at some of the “big picture” influences that shape the content and atmosphere in the language classroom. As I wrote last time, language is not neutral. Corson (1993) is quick to note that there is a …
