Investigating Students’ Receptive Pragmatic Competence : Comprehension of Conversational Implicatures by Third-Year and Master One Students in the Department of English at UMMTO.
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Date
2022
Authors
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Journal ISSN
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Publisher
Mouloud Mammeri University
Abstract
The importance of pragmatic competence in EFL context has widely been recognized by
applied linguists. However, very meagre inquiry was devoted to understand the extent to which
Algerian EFL learners possess this competence. Therefore, the present study aims to
comprehensively assess the level of receptive pragmatic competence among students in the English department at the University of Tizi-Ouzou, particularly in their ability to comprehend conversational implicatures. Additionally, it seeks to identify the instructional practices that help students develop their receptive pragmatic competence and understand conversational implicatures. Furthermore, it aims to identify and analyse the common challenges faced by
students at UMMTO in grasping the subtleties of conversational implicatures. To achieve these aims, a mixed-method approach combining both qualitative and quantitative data collection was employed. Two data collection instruments have been used which are: a questionnaire adopted from Zeghough and Hamoudi (2020) and a conversational test developed by Grice in 1975 and Bouton in 1994, administered in the form of a Discourse Completion Task (DCT) to 57 participants. The findings revealed that EFL students demonstrated a notable awareness of conversational implicatures and acknowledged the significance of pragmatic competence, aligning with Grice's Cooperative Principle. The agreement among students suggests a satisfactory level of awareness. Instructional practices, such as analyzing native speakers'
language, engaging in communicative practices with implicature, and incorporating cultural references, were identified as effective in enhancing pragmatic competence. Challenges in
understanding implicatures included misinterpretation, difficulty with understated criticism, and issues with scalar implicatures, emphasizing the necessity for sustained practice of implicatures thereby strengthening their skills in effectively understanding subtle aspects of communication
Description
61p. ; 30cm(+CD-Rom)
Keywords
Pragmatic competence, Conversational Implicature, UMMTO EFL learners
Citation
Language and Communication