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T H E N U T S A N D B O L T S O F P R A G M A T I C S I N S T R U C T I O N
adaptation in a teacher-delivered, classroom-based curriculum.
5
The ori-
ginal web-based, self-access curriculum was developed at the University of
Minnesota for third-year intermediate learners of Japanese at the university
level to support their learning of five speech acts: apologies, compliments/
responses to compliments, requests, refusals, and thanks. While the target
level of proficiency was set at novice high to intermediate high according to
ACTFL oral proficiency guidelines,
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its focus on pragmatics and naturalistic
speech samples makes it appropriate for some advanced learners as well. 
The development of this curriculum was financed in large part by the US
Department of Education Title VI National Language Resource Center grant
to CARLA. The curriculum was designed by Ishihara under the supervision
of Cohen during the spring and summer of 2003 and revised repeatedly in
2003–4.
7
All units were pilot-tested with adult learners of Japanese, and
their feedback was incorporated into various revisions of the materials.
8
A web-based, self-access curriculum and a classroom-based, teacher-
delivered curriculum both have their advantages. And of course, they need
not be mutually exclusive; instruction can combine learners’ self-study 
on the internet and face-to-face class meetings, as in some distance learning
courses. Some obvious strengths of a web-based curriculum include its con-
venience to learners, as well as the independent and learner-centered learn-
ing it can promote (see Chapter 13 for the pedagogical use of technology).
On the other hand, web-based instruction can benefit from being part of a
regular teacher-delivered language course. Teachers can provide systematic
attention to learners’ contextualized L2 use and give feedback about cultural
norms that is tailored to learners’ needs. This feedback may more effectively
instill in learners a sense of what is commonly considered appropriate 
language behavior in various cultural and situational contexts. Therefore, 
it would be valuable to build into the curriculum ample opportunities for
individual feedback from the instructor, as well as opportunities for self-
reflection and peer assessment. Below we will discuss ways that curriculum
writers can structure assessment of pragmatics in the classroom and ways
that teachers can provide feedback to learners, drawing examples from the
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Ishihara and Maeda (2010: to be available as a Japanese language textbook from
Routledge).
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ACTFL (1999: available online).
7
There was also input regarding the curriculum from Japanese language instructors at
the university, several applied linguists, and Japanese-speaking informants. In addi-
tion, Elite Olshtain provided timely insights as curriculum advisor for the project.
8
Initial versions were funded by the Graduate School and the CLA Infotech Fees
Committee and the final revision was funded by a Material Development Mini-Grant
from a CARLA Title VI Less Commonly Taught Language (LCTL) project.

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C U R R I C U L U M W R I T I N G F O R L 2 P R A G M A T I C S
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teacher-delivered, classroom-based version of the curriculum for intermedi-
ate learners of Japanese pragmatics.
Another noteworthy benefit of classroom-based instruction would be
that learners are able to engage in interactive practice with their peers and
the teacher, promoting the development of productive skills. A pragmatics
curriculum for even just occasional classroom use may still benefit from 
this interactional nature of the classroom. Learners gain opportunities to
engage in interactional speaking practice that simulates authentic dialogues.
Speaking activities could include role-plays in a series of different situations,
followed by discussion of L1 and L2 pragmatic norms and possible cross-
cultural misunderstandings. In second-language contexts where learners
have relatively easy access to pragmatically competent speakers of the L2, it
is possible to ask learners to leave the classroom setting in order to observe
how model speakers use the target language (as demonstrated in Chapter 7).
Learners could also be asked to interview those speakers regarding their 
preferred language use in certain contexts, and to practice L2 pragmatic 
use in authentic contexts outside the classroom (learners-as-ethnographers/
researchers approach,
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see Chapter 6). Learners’ pragmatic awareness can also
be heightened through journal writing tasks, which can be incorporated
into the curriculum on a regular basis (see Chapter 15 for a sample task and
teacher feedback).
Principles for curriculum development and 
sample materials
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In this section, we will discuss some principles of curriculum development
and sample materials that illustrate them. The principles include:
■
explicitly stating the primary goal and approach to L2 pragmatics;
■
utilizing empirically established information and naturalistic speech
samples;
■
guiding learners’ observations and raising pragmatic awareness;
■
providing interactional and language-focused practice;
■
facilitating self-evaluation;
■
explaining cultural reasoning for L2 pragmatic norms;
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Bardovi-Harlig (1996); Tanaka (1997); Tarone and Yule (1989).
10
For the components of the curriculum and impact on learners’ pragmatic aware-
ness, see Ishihara (2007b).

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