Second language pragmatics: a corpus-based study of the pragmatic marker like

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.15448/1984-4301.2019.4.34002

Keywords:

pragmatic markers, L2 pragmatics, corpus pragmatics, like.

Abstract

This paper presents the extent to which like is used as a pragmatic marker (PM) by Brazilian university students living in Ireland. This is a case study which is part of a broader PhD research project on L2 pragmatic development within a study-abroad context. The results and reflections of this study are based on a sample corpus of spoken language, which comprises four 30-minute informal interactions between 6 participants and the researcher. Drawing on the Limerick Corpus of Irish English, a representative corpus of spoken Irish English (IrE), the interpersonal functions and procedural meanings of the PM like in the participants’ L2 are compared and contrasted against those of the IrE data. Quantitatively, the PM like is found to be a keyword in the L2 corpus and three times more frequent by comparison to the IrE data. Qualitatively, this study shows evidence of like being used multifunctionally by the L2-speakers of English, with all functions of the PM also previously described in the literature on IrE. However, some specific functional patterns also emerge from the L2 data, which indicates the pragmatic needs and linguistic demands which may arise during communication when using an L2.

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Author Biography

Giovani Santos, Mary Immaculate College, Faculty of Arts, Structured PhD in Applied Linguistics, Limerick

Bachelor of Arts with a focus on Translation & Interpretation (Portuguese/English) from Universidade de Franca (2009) and specialist in Linguistic and Literary Studies from the same institution (2010). PhD candidate in the structured programme of Applied Linguistics at Mary Immaculate College, Ireland, conducting research on the development of L2 pragmatics within a study-abroad context. MIC Award recipient (Postgraduate Scholarship) and freelance corpus researcher with the Cambridge University Press’ ELT Research Team.

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Published

2019-12-27

How to Cite

Santos, G. (2019). Second language pragmatics: a corpus-based study of the pragmatic marker like. Letrônica, 12(4), e34002. https://doi.org/10.15448/1984-4301.2019.4.34002