Pragmatics, Grammar and Meaning in SLA

This Element explores L2 acquisition considering generative grammar, semantics and pragmatics, from within the Relevance Theory.

Aoife K. Ahern (Author), José Amenós-Pons (Author), Pedro Guijarro-Fuentes (Author)

9781009011822, Cambridge University Press

Paperback / softback, published 18 April 2024

86 pages
22.8 x 15 x 0.5 cm, 0.14 kg

This Element explores the role of pragmatics, and its relationship with meaning and grammar, in second language acquisition. Specifically, this Element examines the generative paradigm, with its focus on purely linguistic aspects, in contrast with, and complemented by, the view of language adopted in the wider perspective on communication that Relevance Theory offers. It reviews several theoretical standpoints on how linguistic phenomena that require combining semantic, pragmatic and syntactic information are acquired and developed in second languages, illustrating how these perspectives are brought together in analysing data in different linguistic scenarios. It shows that the notion of procedural meaning casts light on the range of interpretative effects of grammatical features and how they vary across languages, suggesting ways to complete the picture of the interface factors that affect second language development.

1. What are the key concepts?
2. What are the main branches of research?
3. What are the key readings?
4. Concluding remarks: new avenues for research and implications for language teaching
References.

Subject Areas: Linguistics [CF]