Pedagogical Intervention and the Development of Pragmatic Competence in Learning Spanish as a Foreign Language

Using a quasi-experimental design, this study investigated the extent to which peda- gogical intervention facilitated the development of pragmatic competence of fifth-semester learners of Spanish as a foreign language when performing refusals. The design included 2 learner groups. Pragmatic development was observed during 1 semester. The learner data were compared to data from L1 English and L1 Spanish. The experimental group was exposed to explicit instruction on refusals. Posttest 1 results showed that the experimental group changed from a preference for direct to indirect refusals, whereas the control group did not. Higher frequency and a wider variety of indirect strategies were also observed. Posttest 2 results showed that most pragmatic features highlighted during the treatment were retained

Linguistic politeness in Mexico: Refusal strategies among male speakers of Mexican Spanish

Abstract This study investigates the linguistic strategies employed by monolingual native speakers (NSs) of Mexican Spanish of one community in Mexico in refusal interactions in formal/informal situations. The study focuses on three aspects of politeness: (1) degree of formality; (2) politeness systems and strategy use; and (3) politeness and the notion of face in Mexico. Twenty Mexican male university students participated in four role-play interactions; each participant interacted with two NSs of Spanish, with one NS in formal situations and with a different interlocutor in informal situations. The production data were supplemented by verbal reports to examine speakers' perceptions of refusals. The findings show that in this community politeness is realized by means of formulaic/semi-formulaic expressions employed to negotiate face (Watts, 2003). An analysis of the refusal interactions indicates that among these speakers, the negotiation of face is accomplished largely by various indirect attempts at (re)negotiating a successful resolution. Also, face needs are oriented towards the group, emphasizing involvement over independenc