Speech Acts in English From Research to Instruction and Textbook Development Studies in English Language Series

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.

1. Introduction; 2. What contemporary research tells us about speech acts; 3. Critical assessment of the representation of speech acts in advanced EFL textbooks; 4. A cognitive pedagogical grammar of directive speech acts I: know-what and know-how of directives; 5. A cognitive pedagogical grammar of directive speech acts II: activities and practice materials; 6. Conclusion.

Lorena Pérez-Hernández is a Tenured Associate Professor of Linguistics at the University of Rioja. Recent publications include Illocution and Cognition (2001). She is a member of the Editorial Board of the Review of Cognitive Linguistics, the Human Cognitive Processing Series, and the International Journal of Marketing Semiotics and Discourse Studies.