ABSTRACT
The aim of this chapter is to propose the use of sociopragmatics studies from a cultural perspective in the study of pragmatics in a L2 classroom environment. With this purpose, a description of communicative strategies related to politeness and impoliteness phenomena in informal interactions is provided. The analysed excerpts come from colloquial conversations gathered in Valencia, Spain (Briz and Grupo Val.Es.Co, 2002). These communicative strategies are used to produce certain social effects through the ongoing negotiation of participants’ face (Goffman, 1967). Bravo (2003, 2005) proposes face contents such as autonomy face, that in the Spanish society is reflected in contents which express self-assertion (autoafirmación), originality (originalidad), and self-esteem (autoestima); and affiliative face that would be expressed by means of consideration (consideración) and a deep sense of closeness and familiarity (confianza) (see also Hernández Flores, 2002; Bernal, 2007). Then, the chapter offers some pedagogic and didactic implications for the teaching of Spanish sociopragmatics.
