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- Title
Understanding indirect meaning: A close replication.
- Authors
Knight, Laetitia; Edmonds, Amanda
- Abstract
Pragmatic competence covers a range of skills, including the ability to interpret indirect meaning (i.e., any instance where there is a mismatch between literal and intended meaning). Past research has suggested that indirect meaning poses comprehension challenges for learners of a second language (L2). This result has been explained with reference to the influence of proficiency and the linguistic/discourse‐level conventionality of indirect meaning types. To verify and potentially extend these results, we conducted a close replication of a 2016 study of indirect meaning comprehension in L2 Spanish by Taguchi and colleagues, for which we used a group of L2 French learners. Results confirmed most of the study's findings. In our interpretation, we suggest that our results are consistent with the idea that difficulties with indirect meaning comprehension largely stem from lacunae in general oral comprehension, thus calling into question the idea that indirect meaning may be globally more difficult to interpret. The Challenge: Understanding indirect meaning (e.g., indirect refusals and irony) in a second language (L2) is part of learners' pragmatic competence. Is indirect meaning really more difficult for L2 learners to understand than literal meaning? To what extent do L2 learners gain access to indirect meaning as proficiency improves?
- Subjects
ABILITY; SECOND language acquisition; FRENCH language; MIXED methods research; LINGUISTICS
- Publication
Foreign Language Annals, 2024, Vol 57, Issue 2, p450
- ISSN
0015-718X
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.1111/flan.12719