Considerations in Assessing Pragmatic Appropriateness in Spoken Language

This paper is a revised version of a plenary prompted by the upsurge of interest in the role of pragmatics in teaching, learning, and assessment, and has as its purpose to take a fresh look at recent developments in the assessment of target-language (TL) pragmatics in spoken language. The first issu...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Language teaching 2020-04, Vol.53 (2), p.183-202
Main Author: Cohen, Andrew D
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Classrooms
Data Analysis
Gender
Language Proficiency
Linguistics
Pragmatics
Second Language Instruction
Second Language Learning
Speaking
Speech
Speech Communication
Spoken language
Teaching
Teaching Methods
Verbal communication
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Summary:This paper is a revised version of a plenary prompted by the upsurge of interest in the role of pragmatics in teaching, learning, and assessment, and has as its purpose to take a fresh look at recent developments in the assessment of target-language (TL) pragmatics in spoken language. The first issue considered is the question of whether to attempt to assess pragmatics as it unfolds naturally in interactions, and if so, how to do it. Next, micro-level and macro-level factors in the assessment of TL pragmatics are considered. Third, a close look is given to the specific elements of TL pragmatics to assess. Fourth, there is attention to the matter of which instruments are most appropriate for collecting the desired data in the given context. Fifth, issues relating to data analysis are discussed. Finally, matters pertaining to the assessment of classroom instruction are looked at. Recommendations are given as to potentially viable directions for dealing with these issues both in terms of research studies and for assessment of classroom instruction.
ISSN:0261-4448
1475-3049
DOI:10.1017/S0261444819000156