American Learners' Perceptions of the Pragmatics of German Interactions: What Do Germans Really Mean?

Autor/in	Svare, Ragnar
Titel	American Learners' Perceptions of the Pragmatics of German Interactions: What Do Germans Really Mean?
Quelle	(2018), (161 Seiten) PDF als Volltext Verfügbarkeit Ph.D. Dissertation, The University of Wisconsin - Madison
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	gedruckt; online; Monographie
ISBN	978-0-3555-9306-8
Schlagwörter	Hochschulschrift; Dissertation; Pragmatics; German; Speech Acts; Cues; Video Technology; Second Language Learning; Second Language Instruction; Television; Programming (Broadcast); Native Speakers; Surveys; Computer Software; Receptive Language; Familiarity; Educational Policy; Systems Approach; Standards; Student Attitudes; Language Usage; North Americans + Suchen Sie Ihr Suchwort? Thesis; Dissertations; Academic thesis; Pragmalinguistik; Deutscher; Sprechakt; Stichwort; Zweitsprachenerwerb; Fremdsprachenunterricht; Fernsehen; Fernsehtechnik; Programmgestaltung; Muttersprachler; Survey; Umfrage; Befragung; Rezeptive Kommunikationsfähigkeit; Politics of education; Bildungspolitik; Systemischer Ansatz; Standard; Schülerverhalten; Sprachgebrauch
Abstract	This dissertation sheds light on how learners of German, NSs of German, and Americans unfamiliar with German reach decisions about the nature of speech acts that they witness NSs of German perform in three authentic video clips. It also aims to gain a better understanding of what sources members of the three groups bring to bear when they attempt to disambiguate pragmatic information. The overarching goal is to explore whether and how learners develop the receptive pragmatic skills that they need to interpret the type of authentic L2 evidence that they are most likely to encounter, i.e., visual and auditory information contained in non-routinized speech acts in which they play an onlooker role. The dissertation survey was distributed via Qualtrics. Video clips from German reality TV shows were first shown without and then with sound to the three participant groups. At each viewing, they rated the likelihood of the clip depicting each of five speech acts and ranked four paralinguistic cues in the order of their contribution to the ratings. Three factors emerged as distinguishing among the participant groups: (1) the threshold for regarding a speech act as neutral as opposed to face-threatening; (2) familiarity with and attitude towards German, where NSs of German were most familiar and Non-Learners of German were least familiar; and (3) the extent to which the groups relied on respective cues to reach their decisions even in instances in which they agreed on the nature of the speech act. I suggest two policy recommendations: 1) amend the World-Readiness Standards so as to make explicit reference to pragmatics and thereby underscore the important role that it plays in language use; and 2) is for teachers to be cognizant of the fact that when learners perceive and interpret language situations, they may not draw on the full array of available cues and may require explicit guidance. Learners must be made aware of these complex, dynamic processes, so that they are better equipped to interpret meaning from a wide variety of sources. In theoretical terms, I suggest the use of Dynamic Systems Theory to explore L2 pragmatic development. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.] (As Provided).
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Update	2020/1/01