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Investigating longitudinal pragmatic development of complaints made by Chinese EFL learners

  • Zhou-min Yuan

    Dr. Zhou-min Yuan is an associate professor of linguistics at Nanjing University of Posts and Telecommunications, China. He has published articles in the fields of pragmatics and identity in journals such as Intercultural Pragmatics, Journal of Multicultural Discourses, Pragmatics and Society and Language in Society.He is the author of “Online News” (2015) in Tracy, K., C. Ilie, and T. Sandel (eds.), International Encyclopedia of Language and Social Interaction.

    and Runhan Zhang

    Dr. Runhan Zhang finished her PhD in applied linguistics at the University of Auckland, New Zealand. She is currently an associate professor of linguistics at Central University of Finance and Economics, which is a key university in P.R. China. Her research interests are mainly on second language acquisition and pragmatics. She has published articles in these fields in journals such as Studies in Second Language Acquisition, International Journal of English Linguistics.

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Published/Copyright: March 3, 2018

Abstract

Few studies have investigated the development of L2 complaints. This paper reports on a longitudinal study of L2 complaints produced by Chinese university English learners based on their performance of a discourse completion task consisting of 18 complaint scenarios in terms of power (+P, =P, −P) and social distance (−D, =D, +D), supplemented by a delayed retrospective verbal report. Data were collected twice, over two academic years. The results indicate that students in these two ‘phases’ showed broadly similar patterns of sociopragmatic competence in terms of their ability to calibrate complaints to complainees’ (addressees’) position on power and social distance continua. However, as to internal modifications, learners in Phase 2 used significantly more lexical and syntactic downgraders than in Phase 1 at all levels of power and social distance except for syntactic downgraders at +D and =D; they only used significantly more lexical upgraders at −D. As for external modifications, the findings also showed significantly different patterns in the use of pre-moves at all levels and post-moves at all levels except at −P. Increase of English proficiency and a certain degree of explicit pragmatic instruction may have contributed to Chinese EFL learners’ pragmatic development. Implications for pragmatic instruction are also discussed.

Funding statement: “Jiangsu Qinlan Project” (2016-15) and “Graduates Education and Teaching Innovation funding of Jiangsu Province” (JGLX13_033).

About the authors

Zhou-min Yuan

Dr. Zhou-min Yuan is an associate professor of linguistics at Nanjing University of Posts and Telecommunications, China. He has published articles in the fields of pragmatics and identity in journals such as Intercultural Pragmatics, Journal of Multicultural Discourses, Pragmatics and Society and Language in Society.He is the author of “Online News” (2015) in Tracy, K., C. Ilie, and T. Sandel (eds.), International Encyclopedia of Language and Social Interaction.

Runhan Zhang

Dr. Runhan Zhang finished her PhD in applied linguistics at the University of Auckland, New Zealand. She is currently an associate professor of linguistics at Central University of Finance and Economics, which is a key university in P.R. China. Her research interests are mainly on second language acquisition and pragmatics. She has published articles in these fields in journals such as Studies in Second Language Acquisition, International Journal of English Linguistics.

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Published Online: 2018-3-3
Published in Print: 2018-3-26

© 2018 Walter de Gruyter GmbH, Berlin/Boston

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