Teaching Without Tears: Applying Pragmatics To Second /Foreign Language Teaching

Abstract

There is always a connection between the teacher and the learner in a functional foreign/ second language class. This connection is often reinforced by the teacher's deployment of appropriate methods and approaches to his teaching. As the learner is a product of a different cultural milieu from the teacher, and language is part of culture, the paper emphasizes the crucial role of culture in foreign/second language pedagogy. While describing the significance of second language learning, the paper advances how the teacher can make a second language class practical and result-oriented with insights from pragmatics. By applying aspects of pragmatics described, it is revealed that a certain level of immersion relevant to language learning can be achieved in the class, with the determination of the teacher. Rather than “chalk-talk” everyday as a matter of professional drudgery, it is contended that the teacher can make his second language class exciting for himself and the learner as well by being “pragmatic” and doing “things with words” .


Keywords: Pedagogy; pragmatics; linguistics; language teaching.

JORIND Vol. 6 (1) 2008: pp. 11-11