ABSTRACT
L2 Spanish pragmatics instruction of a number of pragmatic targets has been studied in various learning contexts (e.g., foreign language classrooms, study abroad settings, courses for heritage language speakers, L2 Spanish for professional purposes). This chapter focuses on such teaching in the Spanish language classroom for students mostly at beginner and intermediate levels of proficiency. First, research-based interventional studies and pedagogical initiatives framed in speech act theory, conversation analysis, politeness theory, and genre analysis are examined from a socio-cognitive L2 acquisition perspective. Second, current issues for the implementation of a pragmatics pedagogy in Spanish as a foreign language (SFL) classrooms are discussed with a focus on the particular challenges of that learning context. Third, future directions for the integration of the teaching of L2 Spanish pragmatics to existing curricula are offered in order to advance the development of L2 Spanish learners’ pragmatic language ability.
