ABSTRACT

This book examines a neglected area of foreign-language teaching and learning: difficult and aggressive situations. The author presents the real-life experiences of language users and analyses how these individuals have dealt with confusion, impoliteness and hostility in target-language contexts in the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom and within their home country. By constructing a student-centred pedagogical model around the data collected, the author considers the choices available to language learners in difficult situations, as well as tools for language learners to develop pragmalinguistic and sociopragmatic resources.

chapter 1|14 pages

Introduction

chapter 2|28 pages

Choice

Importance of Face and Stance

chapter 3|36 pages

Facing Up to Difficult Situations

Confronting Confusion

chapter 4|38 pages

Impoliteness

Positionality and Adopting a Stance

chapter 5|32 pages

Hostile and Aggressive Situations

Formulating a Response

chapter 6|24 pages

Pedagogy

Raising Awareness and Stance-Taking

chapter 7|6 pages

Conclusion