L2 pragmatics and CALL

Abstract

In order to develop pragmatic competence in a language other than our own (L2), it is important to have enough knowledge of the cultural norms of the target language and enough opportunities to interact with a wide range of speakers to deploy different speech acts, registers, levels of politeness, conversational moves, and the like. The limitations common in traditional face-to-face classrooms have brought researchers in the field of Computer-Assisted Language Learning (CALL) to recognize that technology can provide environments to expose language learners to a larger variety of sociopragmatic situations and contexts to test and develop their L2 pragmatic competence. This article presents a historical overview of the tools and digital spaces that have been explored for the teaching and the research of L2 pragmatics. Pedagogical practices that have evolved from presentational to more interactive are then briefly discussed. The article ends with a look into what the future may bring for the field of technology mediated L2 pragmatics.