Using speech frames to research interlanguage pragmatics: Facework strategies in L2 German argument
Issued Date: 14 Sep 2015
Abstract
This paper approaches L2 German argumentative discourse data from Goffman’s notions of face and frames. Face as the social identities and qualities speakers want to have upheld is seen to be associated with frames, i.e. the way speakers frame and interpret an event. Comparing three examples from a cross sectional dataset of discussions on issues surrounding university life, the paper shows that, in each of these cases, speakers applied different frames to the task, resulting in different patterns of turn-taking and modalization. These differences can be explained with the varying degrees of exposure to the target language in classroom and out-of-classroom situations as well as the educational environment in which the data were collected. The paper ends with a number of proposals for research in the field of interlanguage pragmatics, suggesting that politeness and speech act perspectives are insufficient to grasp learners’ real pragmatic intent. Instead, the question of how tasks and situations are interpreted by learners needs to be at the forefront of inquiry, with methods for data collection and analysis aligned properly.
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References
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Sage Publications.
Bardovi-Harlig, K. and Hartford, B. (2005) Institutional discourse and interlanguage
pragmatics research. In K. Bardovi-Harlig and B. Hartford (eds) Interlanguage Pragmatics:
Exploring Institutional Talk 7–36. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.
Bardovi-Harlig, K. and Salsbury, T. (2004) The organization of turns in the disagreements
of L2 learners: A longitudinal perspective. In D. Boxer and A. Cohen (eds) Studying
Speaking to Inform Second Language Learning 199–227. Clevedon: Multilingual Matters.
Barron, A. (2003) Acquisition in Interlanguage Pragmatics: Learning How to Do Things With
Words in a Study Abroad Context. Amsterdam: John Benjamins.
Blum-Kulka, S. and Olshtain, E. (1984). Requests and apologies: a cross-cultural study of
speech act realization patterns. Applied Linguistics 5 (3): 196–113. doi:10.1093/applin/
5.3.196
Brown, P. and Levinson, S. (1987) Politeness: Some Universals in Language Usage. Cambridge:
Cambridge University Press.
Byrnes, H. (1986) Interactional style in German and American conversations. Text 6 (2):
189–206. doi:10.1515/text.1.1986.6.2.189
Dippold, D. (2009) Face and self-presentation in spoken L2 discourse: renewing the
research agenda in interlanguage pragmatics. Intercultural Pragmatics 6 (1): 1–28. doi:
10.1515/IPRG.2009.001
Drew, P. and Heritage, J. (1992) Talk at Work: Interaction in Institutional Settings. Cambridge:
Cambridge University Press.
Firth, A. and Wagner, J. (1997) On discourse, communication and (some) fundamental
concepts in SLA research. Modern Language Journal 81 (3): 285–300. doi:10.2307/329302
Goffman, E. (1967) Interaction Ritual: Essays on Face-to-Face Behavior. New York: Pantheon
Books.
Goffman, E. (1974) Frame Analysis: An Essay on the Organization of Experience. New York:
Harper and Row.
House, J. (2000) Understanding misunderstanding: A pragmatic-discourse approach
to analysing mismanaged rapport in talk across cultures. In H. Spencer-Oatey (ed.)
Culturally Speaking: Managing Rapport Through Talk Across Cultures 145–164. London:
Continuum.
Jackson, S. and Jacobs, S. (1980) Structure of conversational argument: Pragmatic bases for the
enthymeme. Quarterly Journal of Speech 66 (3): 251–265. doi:10.1080/00335638009383524
Kasper, G. (2001) Four perspectives on L2 pragmatic development. Applied Linguistics 22
(4): 502–530. doi:10.1093/applin/22.4.502
Kasper, G. (2004) Speech acts in (inter)action: Repeated questions. Intercultural Pragmatics
1 (1): 125–133. doi:10.1515/iprg.2004.002
Kasper, G. and Roever, C. (2005) Pragmatics in second language learning. In E. Hinkel (ed.)
Handbook of Research in Second Language Teaching and Learning 317–334. Mahwah, NJ:
Lawrence Erlbaum.
Kasper, G. and Rose, K. (2003) Pragmatic Development in a Second Language. Malden:
Blackwell.
Kline, S. (1987) Identity management in argumentative discourse. In F. Van Eemeren,
R. Grootendorst, J. A. Blair and C. A. Willard (eds) Argumentation: Across the Lines of
Discipline. Proceedings of the Conference on Argumentation 1986 241–251. Dordrecht:
Foris Publications.
Kotthoff, H. (1988) Pro und Kontra in der Fremsprache: Pragmatische Defizite in
interkulturellen Argumentationen. Frankfurt am Main: Peter Lang.
Kotthoff, H. (1989) Stilunterschiede in argumentativen Gesprächen oder zum
Geselligkeitswert von Dissens. In V. Hinnekamp and M. Selting (eds) Stil und Stilisierung:
Arbeiten zur interpretativen Soziolinguistik 187–202. Tübingen: Max Niemeyer Verlag.
Kotthoff, H. (1991) Lernersprachliche und interkulturelle Ursachen für kommunikative
Irritationen: Zugeständnisse und Dissens in deutschen, anglo-amerikanischen und
nativ-nichtnativen Gesprächen. Linguistische Berichte 135: 375–397.
Kuha, M. (2003) Perceived seriousness of offense: the ignored extraneous variable. Journal
of Pragmatics 35 (12): 1803–1821. doi:10.1016/S0378-2166(03)00054-7
Muntigl, P. and Turnbull, W. (1998) Conversational structure and facework in arguing.
Journal of Pragmatics 29 (3): 225–256. doi:10.1016/S0378-2166(97)00048-9
Roebuck, R. (2000) Subjects speak out: How learners position themselves in a
psycholinguistic task. In J. Lantolf (ed.) Sociocultural Theory and Second Language
Learning 79–95. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Rose, K. (2000) An exploratory cross-sectional study of interlanguage pragmatic
development. Studies in Second Language Acquisition 22 (1): 27–67. doi:10.1017/
S0272263100001029
Salsbury, T. and Bardovi-Harlig, K. (2000) Oppositional talk and the acquisition of modality
in L2 English. In B. Swierzbin (ed.) Social and Cognitive Factors in Second Language
Acquisition 57–76. Somerville, MA: Cascadilla Press.
Salsbury, T. and Bardovi-Harlig, K. (2001) ‘I know your mean, but I don’t think so’:
Disagreements in L2 English. Pragmatics and Language Learning 10: 131–151.
Schauer, G. (2004) May you speak louder maybe? Interlanguage pragmatic development
in requests. In Foster-Cohen, Susan, S. Sharwood-Smith, A. Sorace and M. Ota (eds)
EUROSLA Yearbook 4 253–272. Amsterdam: John Benjamins.
Schegloff, E. (1968) Sequencing in conversational openings. American Anthropologist 70
(6): 1075–1095. doi:10.1525/aa.1968.70.6.02a00030
Schiffrin, D. (1985) Everyday argument: the organization of diversity in talk. In T. Van Dijk
(ed.) Handbook of Discourse Analysis. Volume 3: Discourse and Dialogue 35–46. London:
Academic Press
Schiffrin, D. (1993) ‘Speaking for another’ in sociolinguistic interviews: Alignments,
identities, and frames. In D. Tannen (ed.) Framing in Discourse 231–263. New York:
Oxford University Press.
Spencer-Oatey, H. (2000) Rapport management: A framework for analysis. In H. Spencer-
Oatey (ed.) Culturally Speaking: Managing Rapport Through Talk Across Cultures 11–45.
London: Continuum.
Thomas, J. (1983) Cross-cultural pragmatic failure. Applied Linguistics 4 (2): 91–112. doi:
10.1093/applin/4.2.91
Trosborg, A. (1995) Interlanguage Pragmatics: Requests, Complaints and Apologies. Berlin:
Mouton de Gruyter.
Wildner-Bassett, M. (1989) Coexisting discourse worlds and the study of pragmatic
aspects of learners’ interlanguage. In W. Oleksy (ed.) Contrastive Pragmatics 251–273.
Amsterdam: John Benjamins.
Wildner-Bassett, M. (1990) Coexisting discourse worlds: The development of pragmatic
competence inside and outside the classroom. In B. Van Patten and L. James (eds) Second
Language Acquisition/Foreign Language Learning 140–152. Clevedon: Multilingual
Matters.
Sage Publications.
Bardovi-Harlig, K. and Hartford, B. (2005) Institutional discourse and interlanguage
pragmatics research. In K. Bardovi-Harlig and B. Hartford (eds) Interlanguage Pragmatics:
Exploring Institutional Talk 7–36. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.
Bardovi-Harlig, K. and Salsbury, T. (2004) The organization of turns in the disagreements
of L2 learners: A longitudinal perspective. In D. Boxer and A. Cohen (eds) Studying
Speaking to Inform Second Language Learning 199–227. Clevedon: Multilingual Matters.
Barron, A. (2003) Acquisition in Interlanguage Pragmatics: Learning How to Do Things With
Words in a Study Abroad Context. Amsterdam: John Benjamins.
Blum-Kulka, S. and Olshtain, E. (1984). Requests and apologies: a cross-cultural study of
speech act realization patterns. Applied Linguistics 5 (3): 196–113. doi:10.1093/applin/
5.3.196
Brown, P. and Levinson, S. (1987) Politeness: Some Universals in Language Usage. Cambridge:
Cambridge University Press.
Byrnes, H. (1986) Interactional style in German and American conversations. Text 6 (2):
189–206. doi:10.1515/text.1.1986.6.2.189
Dippold, D. (2009) Face and self-presentation in spoken L2 discourse: renewing the
research agenda in interlanguage pragmatics. Intercultural Pragmatics 6 (1): 1–28. doi:
10.1515/IPRG.2009.001
Drew, P. and Heritage, J. (1992) Talk at Work: Interaction in Institutional Settings. Cambridge:
Cambridge University Press.
Firth, A. and Wagner, J. (1997) On discourse, communication and (some) fundamental
concepts in SLA research. Modern Language Journal 81 (3): 285–300. doi:10.2307/329302
Goffman, E. (1967) Interaction Ritual: Essays on Face-to-Face Behavior. New York: Pantheon
Books.
Goffman, E. (1974) Frame Analysis: An Essay on the Organization of Experience. New York:
Harper and Row.
House, J. (2000) Understanding misunderstanding: A pragmatic-discourse approach
to analysing mismanaged rapport in talk across cultures. In H. Spencer-Oatey (ed.)
Culturally Speaking: Managing Rapport Through Talk Across Cultures 145–164. London:
Continuum.
Jackson, S. and Jacobs, S. (1980) Structure of conversational argument: Pragmatic bases for the
enthymeme. Quarterly Journal of Speech 66 (3): 251–265. doi:10.1080/00335638009383524
Kasper, G. (2001) Four perspectives on L2 pragmatic development. Applied Linguistics 22
(4): 502–530. doi:10.1093/applin/22.4.502
Kasper, G. (2004) Speech acts in (inter)action: Repeated questions. Intercultural Pragmatics
1 (1): 125–133. doi:10.1515/iprg.2004.002
Kasper, G. and Roever, C. (2005) Pragmatics in second language learning. In E. Hinkel (ed.)
Handbook of Research in Second Language Teaching and Learning 317–334. Mahwah, NJ:
Lawrence Erlbaum.
Kasper, G. and Rose, K. (2003) Pragmatic Development in a Second Language. Malden:
Blackwell.
Kline, S. (1987) Identity management in argumentative discourse. In F. Van Eemeren,
R. Grootendorst, J. A. Blair and C. A. Willard (eds) Argumentation: Across the Lines of
Discipline. Proceedings of the Conference on Argumentation 1986 241–251. Dordrecht:
Foris Publications.
Kotthoff, H. (1988) Pro und Kontra in der Fremsprache: Pragmatische Defizite in
interkulturellen Argumentationen. Frankfurt am Main: Peter Lang.
Kotthoff, H. (1989) Stilunterschiede in argumentativen Gesprächen oder zum
Geselligkeitswert von Dissens. In V. Hinnekamp and M. Selting (eds) Stil und Stilisierung:
Arbeiten zur interpretativen Soziolinguistik 187–202. Tübingen: Max Niemeyer Verlag.
Kotthoff, H. (1991) Lernersprachliche und interkulturelle Ursachen für kommunikative
Irritationen: Zugeständnisse und Dissens in deutschen, anglo-amerikanischen und
nativ-nichtnativen Gesprächen. Linguistische Berichte 135: 375–397.
Kuha, M. (2003) Perceived seriousness of offense: the ignored extraneous variable. Journal
of Pragmatics 35 (12): 1803–1821. doi:10.1016/S0378-2166(03)00054-7
Muntigl, P. and Turnbull, W. (1998) Conversational structure and facework in arguing.
Journal of Pragmatics 29 (3): 225–256. doi:10.1016/S0378-2166(97)00048-9
Roebuck, R. (2000) Subjects speak out: How learners position themselves in a
psycholinguistic task. In J. Lantolf (ed.) Sociocultural Theory and Second Language
Learning 79–95. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Rose, K. (2000) An exploratory cross-sectional study of interlanguage pragmatic
development. Studies in Second Language Acquisition 22 (1): 27–67. doi:10.1017/
S0272263100001029
Salsbury, T. and Bardovi-Harlig, K. (2000) Oppositional talk and the acquisition of modality
in L2 English. In B. Swierzbin (ed.) Social and Cognitive Factors in Second Language
Acquisition 57–76. Somerville, MA: Cascadilla Press.
Salsbury, T. and Bardovi-Harlig, K. (2001) ‘I know your mean, but I don’t think so’:
Disagreements in L2 English. Pragmatics and Language Learning 10: 131–151.
Schauer, G. (2004) May you speak louder maybe? Interlanguage pragmatic development
in requests. In Foster-Cohen, Susan, S. Sharwood-Smith, A. Sorace and M. Ota (eds)
EUROSLA Yearbook 4 253–272. Amsterdam: John Benjamins.
Schegloff, E. (1968) Sequencing in conversational openings. American Anthropologist 70
(6): 1075–1095. doi:10.1525/aa.1968.70.6.02a00030
Schiffrin, D. (1985) Everyday argument: the organization of diversity in talk. In T. Van Dijk
(ed.) Handbook of Discourse Analysis. Volume 3: Discourse and Dialogue 35–46. London:
Academic Press
Schiffrin, D. (1993) ‘Speaking for another’ in sociolinguistic interviews: Alignments,
identities, and frames. In D. Tannen (ed.) Framing in Discourse 231–263. New York:
Oxford University Press.
Spencer-Oatey, H. (2000) Rapport management: A framework for analysis. In H. Spencer-
Oatey (ed.) Culturally Speaking: Managing Rapport Through Talk Across Cultures 11–45.
London: Continuum.
Thomas, J. (1983) Cross-cultural pragmatic failure. Applied Linguistics 4 (2): 91–112. doi:
10.1093/applin/4.2.91
Trosborg, A. (1995) Interlanguage Pragmatics: Requests, Complaints and Apologies. Berlin:
Mouton de Gruyter.
Wildner-Bassett, M. (1989) Coexisting discourse worlds and the study of pragmatic
aspects of learners’ interlanguage. In W. Oleksy (ed.) Contrastive Pragmatics 251–273.
Amsterdam: John Benjamins.
Wildner-Bassett, M. (1990) Coexisting discourse worlds: The development of pragmatic
competence inside and outside the classroom. In B. Van Patten and L. James (eds) Second
Language Acquisition/Foreign Language Learning 140–152. Clevedon: Multilingual
Matters.
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