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TitleBuilding Your Students’ Intercultural Pragmatic and Interactional Competence
SourceCASLS Topic of the Week
Body

By Linda Forrest, CASLS Research Director

As language instructors, we focus much of our time on vocabulary and grammar. But in the world outside our classrooms, students must choose among multiple options for the right words in a particular context. Their ability to do this successfully is intercultural pragmatic and interactional competence. In September, we discussed a framework for understanding the dimensions of this competence. In this article, we discuss how to apply the framework to introduce discussions of intercultural competence into your classroom.

Greetings are an excellent area to begin raising your students’ awareness of intercultural competence. Although greeting sequences are largely formulaic, and most students learn some greetings early on, they are steeped with cultural nuance. In English, for example, one can choose from “Hi!," “Hello,” “Hey!." “Yo!," and others. Each initial statement can be accompanied by an inquiry such as, “How are you?," "What’s up?," “How’s it going?” and others. Depending on the initial statement, the person addressed replies with a characteristic response, such as “Fine, thank you," “Nothing much," “Great, thanks,” and so on. The verbal statements may be accompanied by gestures, such as smiles, waves, and hugs.

Besides the knowing the specific details of each greeting sequence, speakers must also be familair with the surrounding dimensions that impact their use (i.e.,social distance between themselves and the hearer, the relative power relationship between themselves and the hearer, and degree of imposition they are placing on the hearer by greeting them). Read more about these dimensions here. Close friends are greeted differently from strangers, as are bosses from children. If the hearer appears to be in a hurry, a quick greeting is better. The Knowledge dimension of the framework addresses the learner's repertoire in terms of the number, type, and use of the pragmatic information available.

The Analysis dimension refers to the learner’s ability to select the most appropriate formulae and sequences based on their intended meaning, describe the various factors that affect their and their hearers’ choices, and consciously attempt to repair miscommunications. For example, a casual greeting is usually selected for a friend, while more formal greetings are used for a stranger. Authority figures usually require a more formal greeting than is necessary when your hearer is younger or below you in social status. And for anyone in an obvious hurry or at a distance, a simple “Hi!," or just a smile or wave, is best. Students demonstrate the Analysis dimension when they can explicitly state what factors are impacting a particular situation as related to their intended meaning or the intended meaning of others.

The Awareness dimension refers to the learner’s ability to perceive the effect their statement had on the other person. Were they too abrupt? Where they too familiar? Or not friendly enough? A friend greeted formally may feel unwelcome, while a stranger or authority figure may be affronted by an overly familiar greeting. And a long greeting sequence may impose on someone in an obvious hurry. To demonstrate Awareness, hearers should be able to explain why their hearer seemed put off by their greeting.

Finally, the Subjectivity dimension refers to the learner’s ability to make conscious choices about what they say. For example, they may make choices as expressions of personality, rather than simply conforming to social norms.  Other choices might convey information in a specific context. For example, the speaker might choose to greet a friend in a formal manner in order to indicate a rift in the relationship.

Today's Activity of the Week is designed to raise your students’ awareness of the intercultural dimensions of greetings. The approach has students analyze these dimensions within their L1, then extend their observations to their L2.

Publishdate2019-01-28 02:15:01