Production of Routine Formulae by Chinese Learners of Thai
An Interlanguage Pragmatic Study
Keywords:
Routine formulae, Language production, Communicative problems, Interlanguage pragmatics, Chinese learners of ThaiAbstract
Routine formulae are expressions used repeatedly in specific situations. While the use of routine formulae is common knowledge for native speakers, second-language learners often find it challenging. This research aims to examine the production and communication problems associated with routine formulae used by Chinese learners of Thai. The study adopts the perspective of interlanguage pragmatics and employs DCT for data collection. Participants include 33 Chinese learners of Thai, ranging from B2 to C2 proficiency levels, and 30 native speakers of Thai. In-depth interviews were also conducted with 30 native speakers. The results reveal that even though they are intermediate to advanced L2 learners, their usage of routine formulae appears to have two main problems. Firstly, learners use routine formulae significantly less frequently than native speakers. Secondly, they also use expressions rarely adopted by native speakers, especially in situations aimed at expressing emotions or goodwill. Some of these differences may lead to various types of communication problems, including issues related to intention, politeness and interpersonal relationships, suitability for interlocutors, and naturalness. Additionally, the findings reflect the influence of the learners' mother tongue on their language use.
References
ภาษาไทย
Jeerarat Patcharatmora จีรรัตน์ เพชรรัตนโมรา. (2001). Kanseuksa kankhotot khong phuphut thi mi sathanaphap thang sangkhom tangkan การศึกษาการขอโทษของผู้พูดที่มีสถานภาพทางสังคมต่างกันในภาษาไทย [A study of making apologies in Thai by speakers of different social status]. [Master thesis, Chulalongkorn University]. CUIR http://cuir.car.chula.ac.th/ handle/123456789/72832.
Narisa Paicharoen นริศา ไพเจริญ. (2016). Kanwikhro botsonthana nai baeprean phasa Thai samrap phurean tangchat การวิเคราะหบทสนทนาในแบบเรียนภาษาไทยสําหรับผูเรียนตางชาติ [A conversation analysis of dialogues in Thai textbooks for non-native learners]. [Doctoral dissertation, Thammasat University].
Passapong Pewporchai ภาสพงศ์ ผิวพอใช้. (2002). Kantoprap khamkhotot nai phasa Thai การตอบรับคำขอโทษในภาษาไทย [Responding to apologies in Thai]. [Master thesis, Chulalongkorn University]. CUIR. https://cuir.car.chula.ac.th/handle/123456789/10648.
Songthama Intachakra ทรงธรรม อินทจักร. (2007). Naewkhit phuenthan dan vacanapatibatsatแนวคิดพื้นฐานด้านวัจนปฏิบัติศาสตร์ [Fundamental concept of pragmatics]. Bangkok: Thammasat university press.
Thasanee Makthavornvattana ทัศนีย์ เมฆถาวรวัฒนา. (1998). Vacanakam kankhotot nai phasa Thai วัจนกรรมการขอโทษในภาษาไทย [The speech act of apologizing in Thai]. [Master thesis, Chulalongkorn University]. CUIR. http://cuir.car.chula.ac.th/ handle/123456789/ 11483.
Thasanee Makthavornvattana ทัศนีย์ เมฆถาวรวัฒนา. (2011). Kanwikhro khwammai baep khropkhlum khong khamsamkhan thang watthanatham “maipenrai” “krengchai” lae “khotot” nai phasa Thai tam naew thrisadi aphiphasa choeng atthasatthamachat การวิเคราะหความหมายแบบครอบคลุมของคําสําคัญทางวัฒนธรรม “ไมเป็นไร” “เกรงใจ” และ “ขอโทษ” ในภาษาไทยตามแนวทฤษฎีอภิภาษาเชิงอรรถศาสตรธรรมชาติ [The natural semantic metalanguage approach to a study of the comprehensive meanings of the cultural keywords “maipenrai”, “krengchai” and “khotot” in Thai]. [Doctoral dissertation, Chulalongkorn University]. CUIR. https://cuir.car.chula.ac.th/handle/123456789/28177.
Worrawan Fuangkajonsak วรวรรณ เฟื่องขจรศักดิ์. (2019). Nathi thang sangkhom khong “khwamkrengchai” lae “enryo” nai kanpatisamphan khong chawthai lae chawyipun หน้าที่ทางสังคมของ “ความเกรงใจ” และ “enryo” ในการปฏิสัมพันธ์ของชาวไทยและชาวญี่ปุ่น [The social functions of “khwam kreng jai” and “enryo” in Thai and Japanese Interactions]. Phasa lae phasasat ภาษาและภาษาศาสตร์ [Language and Linguistics], 37(1), 48-73.
ภาษาต่างประเทศ
Bardovi-Harlig, K. (2009). Conventional expressions as a pragmalinguistic resource: Recognition and production of conventional expressions in L2 pragmatics. Language Learning, 59(4), 755-795.
Bardovi-Harlig, K. (2012). Formulas, routines, and conventional expressions in pragmatics research. Annual Review of Applied Linguistics, 32, 206-227.
Bardovi-Harlig, K., & Bastos, M.-T. (2011). Proficiency, length of stay, and intensity of interaction and the acquisition of conventional expressions in L2 pragmatics. Intercultural pragmatics, 8(3), 347-384.
Bardovi-Harlig, K., Mossman, S., & Vellenga, H. E. (2015). The effect of instruction on pragmatic routines in academic discussion. Language teaching research, 19(3), 324-350.
Barron, A. (2003). Acquisition in interlanguage pragmatics: Learning how to do things with words in a study abroad context. Amsterdam. the Netherlands: John Benjamins.
Blum-Kulka, S., & Olshtain, E. (1986). Too many words: Length of utterance and pragmatic failure. Studies in second language acquisition, 8(2), 165-179.
Cambridge University Press. (2018). How Long Does It Take To Learn A Foreign Language? Retrieved 25 Jan, 2023, from https://www.cambridge.org/elt/blog/wpcontent/uploads /2018/10 /How-long-does-it-take-to-learn-a-foreign-language.pdf.
Coulmas, F. (1979). On the sociolinguistic relevance of routine formulae. Journal of pragmatics, 3(3-4), 239-266.
Davis, J. M. (2007). Resistance to L2 pragmatics in the Australian ESL context. Language Learning, 57(4), 611-649.
Gu, Y. (1990). Politeness phenomena in modern Chinese. Journal of Pragmatics, 14(2), 237-257.
Kádár, D., & Pan, Y. (2011). Politeness in China. In D. Kádár & S. Mills (Eds.), Politeness in East Asia (pp. 125-146). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. doi:10.1017/CBO978051197 7886.008.
Kasper, G. (1992). Pragmatic transfer. University of Hawai’i Working Papers in ESL 11(1), 1-34.
Kasper, G., & Rose, K. R. (2002). Pragmatic development in a second language. Blackwell.
Kecskes, I. (2000a). A cognitive-pragmatic approach to situation-bound utterances. Journal of pragmatics, 32(5), 605-625.
Kecskes, I. (2000b). Conceptual fluency and the use of situation-bound utterances in L2. Links & Letters, 7, 145-161.
Kecskes, I., Obdalova, O., Minakova, L., & Soboleva, A. (2018). A study of the perception of situation-bound utterances as culture-specific pragmatic units by Russian learners of English. System, 76, 219-232.
Myles, F., Hooper, J., & Mitchell, R. (1998). Rote or rule? Exploring the role of formulaic language in classroom foreign language learning. Language Learning, 48(3), 323-364.
Panpothong, N., & Phakdeephasook, S. (2014). The wide use of mai-pen-rai ‘It's not substantial’ in Thai interactions and its relationship to the Buddhist concept of Tri Laksana. Journal of pragmatics, 69, 99-107.
Panpothong, N., & Phakdeephasook, S. (2022). “I Am Well-Loved by the Voters”: Self-Praise in Thai Political Discourse and Two Emic Concepts of Thai (Im)politeness. In: C. Xie & Y. Tong (Eds.), Self-Praise Across Cultures and Contexts (pp. 351-378). Cham: Springer International Publishing. doi:10.1007/978-3-030-99217-0_1.
Pew Research Center. (2019). Generations. Retrieved 1 Feb, 2023, from https://www.pewresearch.org/ religion/chart/generations/.
Roever, C. (2014). Testing ESL pragmatics: Development and validation of a web-based assessment battery: Peter Lang.
Sánchez-Hernández, A., & Alcón-Soler, E. (2019). Pragmatic gains in the study abroad context: Learners' experiences and recognition of pragmatic routines. Journal of pragmatics, 146, 54-71.
Taguchi, N., Li, S., & Xiao, F. (2013). Production of formulaic expressions in L2 Chinese: A developmental investigation in a study abroad context. Chinese as a Second Language Research, 2(1), 23-58.
Thanavisuth, C. (1997). Phonetic and pragmatic characteristics of infant directed speech in Thai: A longitudinal study. [Doctoral dissertation, Chulalongkorn University]. CUIR. https://cuir.car. chula.ac.th/handle/123456789/40990.
Wildner-Bassett, M. E. (1994). Intercultural pragmatics and proficiency: “Polite” noises for cultural appropriateness. IRAL, 32, 3–17.
Yang, J. (2016). CFL learners’ recognition and production of pragmatic routine formulae. Chinese as a Second Language, 51(1), 29-61.
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
Copyright and plagiarism
Authors are responsible for obtaining permission to use copyrighted materials from copyright owners. Authors are responsible for observing requisite copyright law when quoting or reproducing copyrighted materials. Quotations and reproductions of content from other published sources must be accompanied by a reference and all sources should be clearly listed in the references section. Quotations and reproductions of content from external sources without due attribution could be considered a severe infringement of academic conduct and may constitute a legal offence under the Copyright Act of B.E. 2537. Any legal ramifications arising from the infringement of copyright regulations would be the sole responsibility of the author(s).
