The Centrality of Pragmatics – David Crystal (video)

pragmatics – the study of the choices of language you use.

context impinges on the choice of language completely.

get sts to notice different ways to say something depending on the context.

How to exploit a listening transcript or a conversation for heightening students’ pragmatic awareness
and their linguistic competence?

1. Ask sts to describe the context, who are the speakers are, what do they know about each
other. What is implied by one of the responses? Get sts to write the obvious e.g., A. Come on
Tony. Let’s have an ice cream? B. No, thanks. I’m really hungry? – he is implying that the ice
cream would not fill him up.
2. An interview on a radio show. Sts can notice how a radio interview usually proceeds – a little
bit of formality, politeness, turn-taking, addressing the questions asked. Task: change of
scenario – the interviewee is rude, unpleasant, and hating the interview (celebrities).
3. A woman complaining to a man – a friend in a shop. Task: get sts to carry on the
conversation in pairs, in which the man politely talks to the shop assistant to complain in a
firm but pleasant way, and the sales assistant replies.
4. A dialogue – ask sts if dialogue is formal or informal, and to back it up with examples – not
teacher-led but TPS.
5. Using a dialogue, get sts to notice level of formality and context and implicature. Remove
question tags, and get sts to gill them in – as gap fill. Take the dialogue or script and turn it
into a gap fill. Take the dialogue, and jumble it up while highlighting any pragmatical aspects.
Task: for sts to suggest the language function being realised by the language (request, denial,
recommendation, suggestion, disagreement).

Language Testing

Validity – when an exam assesses what it is supposed to, then it is valid.

Reliability – if an exam is reliable, the marks given have to reliable

Practicality – the practicality of exams (getting them back in time, finding them when you need
them).

Impact – the impact of test scores (they need to guide their learning).