Proficiency Effect on EFL Learners’ Realization of Complaints

7 pages•Published: February 23, 2017

Esther Usó-Juan and Alicia Martínez-Flor

Abstract

Research on the effect of language proficiency on L2 pragmatics seems to provide somewhat mixed results (Xiao, 2015). On that account, this paper investigates the effect of English language proficiency on English language learner’s use of complaining strategies in contrasting situations which varied according to the sociopragmatic factors of social status, social distance and severity of offense. Results show that learners at two proficiency levels demonstrated similar patterns with regard their use of buffer and complaint super-strategies across situations. However, negotiation super-strategies were more frequent across situations in the higher proficiency group. These findings are discussed and pedagogical implications suggested.

Keyphrases: complaints, interlanguage pragmatics, language proficiency, semantic formulas

In: Chelo Vargas-Sierra (editor). Professional and Academic Discourse: an Interdisciplinary Perspective, vol 2, pages 75-81.

Links:	https://easychair.org/publications/paper/5r
	https://doi.org/10.29007/9gjq

BibTeX entry

@inproceedings{AESLA2016:Proficiency_Effect_EFL_Learners,
  author    = {Esther Usó-Juan and Alicia Martínez-Flor},
  title     = {Proficiency Effect on EFL Learners’ Realization of Complaints},
  booktitle = {Professional and Academic Discourse: an Interdisciplinary Perspective},
  editor    = {Chelo Vargas-Sierra},
  series    = {EPiC Series in Language and Linguistics},
  volume    = {2},
  publisher = {EasyChair},
  bibsource = {EasyChair, https://easychair.org},
  issn      = {2398-5283},
  url       = {/publications/paper/5r},
  doi       = {10.29007/9gjq},
  pages     = {75-81},
  year      = {2017}}

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