A study of the Pragmatics of English in the Applied Linguistics School at PUCESE

Abstract

An analysis of the main difficulties related to pragmatics of the English language was done in the Applied Linguistics School (ALS) at the Pontifical Catholic University of Ecuador in Esmeraldas (PUCESE). A descriptive and qualitative investigation was carried out by using the deduction and induction methods; besides, some techniques such as observation, survey, and test were applied to a population of 43 students of third, sixth, and eight levels from the ALS were English is taught as a foreign language (EFL). The results revealed that the linguistic component investigated, pragmatics, is not taken into consideration at all, in the English language teaching-learning process. Learners, throughout the techniques employed, corroborated their lack of pragmatic competences of the English language when producing it. Several misinterpretations were noticeable in the test operated (Figure 3). This research coincides with a number of investigations done related to pragmatics. Those provided techniques and some materials to let learners be aware of the linguistic component studied. In this manner, a glossary was made for teachers and students of the ALS to be included as a didactic material to facilitate the English language teaching-learning process and to avoid possible misinterpretations. 

Key words: pragmatics; English language teaching; Applied Linguistics; pragmatic competences; glossary