The Development Of Pragmatic Competence In A Middle School Context

This article examines the development of pragmatic competence at the middle school stage by analysing the amount and type of pragmatic input provided in the four middle school textbooks. The speech act of greetings is taken as an example to test middle school learner’s pragmatic competence. The study aims at testing learners’ appropriate use of greetings and exploring learners’ understanding and choice of the appropriate greetings formulas that fit each context.