ABSTRACT
In order to promote the nonessentialist teaching of pragmatics and intercultural communication, the understanding of linguacultural diversity and agentic pragmatic use becomes a pivotal concern in L2 teacher development, especially in the context of today’s globalization. Even language educators may be prone to inadvertently stereotyping cultures or learners; however, stereotypes can lead to prejudice, marginalization, unequal social practices, and violation of human rights, the practices that defeat the very purpose of intercultural communication. In this chapter, we argue how the constructs of pragmatic variation and pragmatic resistance may be relevant to promoting teacher learners’ awareness and practice of nonessentialist pedagogy. We draw some dialogic examples from a teachers’ summer institute specifically focused on linguistic politeness and intercultural awareness. Excerpts of written interactions will illustrate how participants collaboratively co-constructed and deepened their metapragmatic awareness of linguacultural diversity and its dynamic, complex nature. Teacher learners’ understanding of translingual agency appeared in discussion forums, as well as in the instruction and assessments designed as part of the final project. The chapter concludes with pedagogical implications for L2 teacher education in the area of L2 pragmatics and the role of recursive and reflective interaction in co-constructing a nonessentialist pedagogy.
