Pragmatics: The Overlooked competency and attitude towards holding conversations with native speakers.

Abstract

Pragmatic competence is seen to be a crucial component in successful and appropriate communication for second language learners. Hence, in this paper, two instruments of pragmatic knowledge test and attitude scale were used to collect data and study the interrelation of pragmatic knowledge with the factor of holding conversation with L2 native speakers. To this end, 55 Arab postgraduate students located in the UK were the sample in this study. The aim was to examine the relationship between the level of pragmatic knowledge, the length of stay in a native L2 context, and the attitude toward having conversations with native speakers. The data of both tests and scale were used to accept or reject the proposed hypotheses, and inferential statistical tests were used. The results showed that those with high scores in the knowledge test were more willing to communicate and use the language with everyone around them.  The paper also showed how important teaching these pragmatic skills in classrooms is to raise the level of language communicational competence. Finally, it showed that staying in a first language environment by itself is helpful but not enough by itself to activate pragmatic competence. These findings can be of great benefit to support the change and improvement in language pedagogy and pragmatic knowledge.