Sociocultural Theory and L2 Instructional Pragmatics

Rezensionen / Stimmen

This book provides a remarkably robust theoretical reconceptualization of L2 instructional pragmatics. The book is situated in a cutting edge treatment of sociocultural theory that is adeptly related to pedagogical practice in the difficult-to-teach area of pragmatics. Throughout the text, the theoretical and pedagogical discussions are richly illustrated with empirical examples. Overall, the work has significant implications for pragmatics and other discourse-based research in applied linguistics. -- American Association for Applied Linguistics Book Award Committee This remarkable book recounts an empirical study of L2 instructional pragmatics from a Vygotskian perspective...Combining rigorous scholarship and clever application, van Compernolle's study reflects SCT's commitment to praxis, understood as the unification of educational theory and practice. In brief, the book's theoretical import lies in its careful reconceptualization of instructional pragmatics in terms of SCT, while its practical significance derives from its insightful pedagogical recommendations for materials, teaching and assessment. The end result is a work that will be of great interest to many kinds of readers-researchers, teachers, and graduate students. -- Carl S. Blyth, University of Texas at Austin, USA * The Modern Language Journal 99 (2015) * Van Compernolle's research presents a theoretically motivated and evidence-based instructional framework for mediating the development of pragmatic ability in language learners. He brings together important pedagogical applications of sociocultural theory, e.g. dynamic assessment, concept-based instruction, and the use of strategic interaction scenarios as an instruction tool. As such, the book makes a significant contribution to the sociocultural literature and provides a new direction for the theory and practice of developing pragmatic variation in language learners. * Richard Donato, University of Pittsburgh, USA * This work is the first book-length proposal to reconceptualize instructional pragmatics from the perspective of Vygotskian Sociocultural Theory. Based on a cogent reconceptualization of 'appropriateness', the book offers a coherent approach to sociopragmatic and pragmalinguistic competencies as learning targets and to the instructional practices through which these competencies can effectively be developed and assessed in language instruction. With its profound theoretical grounding and empirical rigor, van Compernolle's book significantly advances scholarship on the instructed development of second language pragmatics. * Gabriele Kasper, University of Hawaii at Manoa, USA *