Second Language Pragmatics and Young Language Learners: EFL Primary School Contexts in Europe - Paperback

by Gila A. Schauer (Editor), Maria Economidou-Kogetsidis (Editor), Milica Savic (Editor)

This book brings together research on second language pragmatics in the underexplored context of EFL primary classrooms. Presenting studies from Croatia, Cyprus, Germany, Norway, Spain and the Netherlands, the book offers a rich exploration of different topics, such as learners' pragmatic performance, awareness and development, learners' and teachers' views on pragmatic instruction, and investigations concerning material use and lesson planning. The studies feature a range of data sources including animated films, arts-based instruction, classroom discourse, narrated picture-based tasks, questionnaires and interviews, introducing the reader to a wealth of opportunities for young learners' engagement with pragmatics. Being the first edited volume to provide an overview of the rapidly growing area of young learner pragmatics, it will be of great interest to researchers, graduate students and language teachers.

Author Biography

Gila A. Schauer is Professor of English and Applied Linguistics at the University of Erfurt, Germany. Her recent publications include Teaching and Learning English in the Primary School: Interlanguage Pragmatics in the EFL context (Springer, 2019) and her research focuses on L2 pragmatics, intercultural competence, and literature in L2 teaching and learning.

Maria Economidou-Kogetsidis is Professor of English and Applied Linguistics at the University of Nicosia, Cyprus. Her research spans L2 and intercultural pragmatics, cross-cultural communication, linguistic politeness and L2 email pragmatics. She is the co-author of Researching and Teaching Speech Acts with Young L2 Learners: Beneath the Linguistic Surface (with Savic and Myrset, Multilingual Matters, 2025).

Milica Savic is Professor of English and Applied Linguistics at the University of Stavanger, Norway. Her main research interests include L2 pragmatics, especially children's (meta)pragmatic development, email communication and, more recently, critical visual literacy and participatory research approaches with children.

Anders Myrset is Associate Professor of ELT Methodology at the University of Stavanger, Norway. His research has mainly focused on children's L2 (meta)pragmatic development, L2 pragmatics instruction and, more recently, aspects related to participatory research with children. He is also an author of ELT textbooks for young language learners.