Underuse of Pragmatic Markers among Non-native English Speakers: Causes and Suggestions for Interventions

Abstract

Pragmatic markers (PMs)—those optional markers used in conversations to facilitate communication—have been gaining attention among researchers in the field of pragmatics in the past three decades or so. Proper use of PMs contributes to the success of any interaction in real-life conversations. However, they are often underused by non-native English speakers (NNSs). This paper critically reviews the existing research literature to investigate the causes of the underuse of PMs among NNSs, focusing on linguistic and extralinguistic factors that might contribute to the limited use of PMs. The findings of this study show that the distinctive nature of pragmatic development in the first and second languages, lack of instructions on PMs, limited exposure to the target language, and the NNSs' level of proficiency are the main linguistic issues that arise during pragmatic development. Gender and age, as non-linguistic factors, also limit the use of PMs. These findings suggest that linguistic and extralinguistic factors constrain the use of PMs in NNSs’ speech. Based on the findings, suggestions for interventions are offered for language educators to better integrate PM use in ESL/EFL teaching.