Bridging the Pragmatic Gap: Native Speaker Perspectives on Czech Students’ Requests and Apologies in English (EFL)

Result code in IS VaVaI

<a href="https://www.isvavai.cz/riv?ss=detail&h=RIV%2F00216224%3A14640%2F25%3A00140620" target="_blank" >RIV/00216224:14640/25:00140620 - isvavai.cz</a>

Result on the web

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DOI - Digital Object Identifier

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Result language

angličtina

Original language name

Bridging the Pragmatic Gap: Native Speaker Perspectives on Czech Students’ Requests and Apologies in English (EFL)

Original language description

This presentation explores the vital role of pragmatic competence in EFL teaching, focusing on its importance in enabling learners to use language appropriately across diverse contexts. While interlanguage pragmatics research has traditionally examined non-native speakers’ production, this presentation shifts the focus to native speakers’ perceptions of the acceptability of speech acts. Specifically, it investigates how native British English speakers evaluate the pragmatic competence of Czech students (EFL), concentrating on requests and apologies in formal and informal settings. Using a four-point scale, evaluators assessed six categories, including politeness, speech act appropriateness, and the use of typical expressions. Quantitative findings reveal that informal requests received higher ratings than formal ones, indicating students’ stronger performance in informal contexts. Conversely, formal and informal apologies were rated similarly, suggesting minimal influence of formality on their perception. Qualitative analysis results, based on semi-structured interviews with evaluators, highlight challenges in assessing overlapping categories such as politeness and directness. Evaluators also stressed the importance of indirect strategies, intonation, and context-awareness for pragmatic competence. This presentation emphasizes the need for EFL teaching to prioritize pragmatic competence through targeted instruction and discusses practical implications for bridging gaps in students’ pragmatic development to enhance their communication skills in various contexts.

Czech name

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Czech description

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Type

O - Miscellaneous

CEP classification

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OECD FORD branch

50301 - Education, general; including training, pedagogy, didactics [and education systems]

Project

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Continuities

I - Institucionalni podpora na dlouhodoby koncepcni rozvoj vyzkumne organizace

Publication year

2025

Confidentiality

S - Úplné a pravdivé údaje o projektu nepodléhají ochraně podle zvláštních právních předpisů