ABSTRACT
This chapter reviews second language (L2) pragmatics research taking a ‘cognitivist’ perspective. It reviews L2 pragmatics studies informed by second language acquisition (SLA) theories that share a ‘cognitivist’ perspective. The ongoing discussions in SLA research surrounding topics such as explicit vs. implicit knowledge, declarative vs. procedural knowledge, rule-based vs. instance-based representation, have all enriched our understanding of the L2 mental representation. Moreover, SLA theories focusing on the cognitive processes all aim to clarify whether and how these theorized processes can lead to changes in L2 mental representation. The ongoing discussions in SLA research surrounding topics such as explicit vs. implicit knowledge, declarative vs. procedural knowledge, rule-based vs. instance-based representation, have all enriched our understanding of the L2 mental representation. According to R. Ellis, theorizations of cognitive SLA primarily address issues related to knowledge representation or issues regarding cognitive processes.
