The Effects of Recasts on the Acquisition of Pragmatic Competence in the Communicative Act of Complaining

Abstract

Drawing on the finding that EFL learners can improve in their pragmatic knowledge and their ability to use it (Wildner-Bassett, 1984), and that recasts promote 1st language acquisition (Bohannon et al, 1990; Farrar, 1992), this study investigates the effect of recasting on the acquisition of pragmatic competence of L2 learners in the communicative act of complaining. Subjects in the experiment were provided with positive evidence through an edited video clip, and only the experimental group received implicit corrective feedback on their pragmatic failures during the follow-up role-play activity. The results suggest the positive effect of recast even without overt uptake and of classroom tasks which actively engage learners in social interactions.