Teachability and bilingualism effects on third language learners' pragmatic knowledge

Abstract

The present study focuses on the benefits that teaching the speech act of refusal from a discourse perspective can have on third language learners’ pragmatic knowledge. Additionally, it also explores whether receptive and productive bilinguals resort to pragmalinguistic, sociopragmatic and linguistic information in different ways during the planning and execution of refusals in English. Ninety-two students of English (52 receptive bilinguals and 40 productive bilinguals of Catalan and Spanish) participated in the study, which involved a one-group pre-test/post-test design and an instructional treatment. Retrospective verbal reports were used to examine the information attended to during the pre-test and post-test role-plays, that is to say, before and after receiving instruction on refusals. Research findings showed that both receptive and productive bilinguals increased their attention and pragmalinguistic awareness of refusals in English, but the latter seemed to display a higher degree of metapragmatic awareness. In addition, productive bilinguals showed higher communicative sensitivity, mainly in the form of concern for the interlocutor’s feelings, and a conversational approach that can be defined as hearer-oriented. Findings of the study add new insights on how bilingualism may influence third language pragmatic learning in instructional settings.