Speech Acts in English : From Research to Instruction and Textbook Development

Speech acts, those actions carried out mainly by means of language, are used in English in a range of complex ways.However, they have rarely been covered in English as a foreign language (EFL) materials and textbooks.Bringing together current theories from pragmatics and cognitive linguistics, this book addresses this gap by providing a comprehensive model of directive speech acts and showing how to teach them to learners of English.It provides a review of the strengths and weaknesses of current theories of illocution and a critical assessment of existing EFL textbooks.Descriptions of the meaning and form of directive speech act constructions are given in the cognitive pedagogical grammar of directive speech acts (included), which offers a wealth of examples to make the information accessible to non-specialist readers.The book also provides a wide range of practical activities, showing how research on illocutionary acts can be implemented in practice.