A01 cohe4573 01 se fm. Qxd

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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
In concentric circles
In rows
F I G U R E 7 . 2
Interactive practice for giving and responding to compliments
the types of response strategies found there. Learners share some of the written inter-
actions from their own data, and the class identifies the response strategies used in the 
interactions.
Finally, the giving and responding to compliments is practiced interactively in a 
mingling activity. Learners form two concentric circles (see Figure 7.2 for this visualiza-
tion and an alternative), each one facing a partner. One compliments the other and the 
other responds. They then sustain conversation until they are asked to wrap up and change
partners. At this point, the outer circle rotates and each takes on a new partner. This 
procedure is repeated, making sure to switch the roles after learners have practiced a given
role sufficiently. In this activity, the learners are advised that they are not always to accept
compliments, but to express themselves in the most comfortable manner, using the newly
learned expressions for avoiding self-praise avoidance when appropriate.
In case learner production observed in this interactional practice is awkward or not suf-
ficiently diversified, it would be helpful to expose learners to additional authentic language
data. Learners can role-play authentic interactional samples provided by the teacher, 
analyze them in terms of the word choice in the compliments and speech act strategies of
the responses, and produce similar role-plays to enhance their pragmalinguistic control.
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Subsequent class discussion can also enhance learners’ awareness of the nuances of the
interactions (e.g., how sincere or appropriate the compliment sounds, how the conversa-
tional partners tend to interpret each other’s pragmatic behavior, and what consequences
there may be).
E Sustaining conversation using compliments
Using an authentic transcript, a prolonged interaction is modeled in which a conversation
opens with a compliment. Learners are guided to notice a function of compliments – to
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Student worksheets for this additional input are available from a link at: http://
www.i.hosei.ac.jp/~ishihara.

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C L A S S O B S E R V A T I O N A N D T E A C H I N G D E M O N S T R A T I O N S
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open and sustain conversation, and to practice this function interactively using compli-
ments and related topics.
F Closing
The wrap-up stage offers opportunities to assess learners’ further needs and development
of pragmatic awareness and production with regard to compliments and responses to 
compliments. Assessment can be conducted not just by teachers but also by learners them-
selves or by their peers. Informal assessment in particular does not have to wait until the
end of instruction but can be incorporated into the regular instructional routine as a way 
of providing feedback. The teacher can ask learners to role-play what they think typical
speakers of the L2 would say to assess their pragmalinguistic control. Learners can also be
invited to self-assess their pragmatics with appropriate teachers’ guidance. In addition,
teachers may choose to elicit and assess learners’ awareness of the range of community
norms, as well as the match between their intention and listeners’ probable interpretations
of their pragmatic behavior.
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Learners’ feedback about the instruction can also be surveyed at this stage. A student
worksheet can contain several scenarios to elicit learners’ oral and/or written compliments
and responses,
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as well as other prompts such as:
1
Think of a real conversation you recently had with someone in English that included a
compliment. Write down the exchange as accurately as possible.
2
What did you learn about: a) giving compliments, b) responding to compliments, and
c) social and cultural norms of complimenting and responding to compliments,
3
After studying about complimenting, how comfortable and confident do you feel
about giving and responding to compliments in English? What questions do you 
still have?
4
Which of the following aspects of language and culture are you interested in learning
about? What would you like to know about them?
(a) greetings;
(b) addressing people;
(c) opening a conversation;
(d) closing a conversation;
(e) making an invitation/accepting and refusing an invitation;
(f ) making a request;
(g) apologizing;
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See Chapter 15 and Ishihara (in press, c) for more discussion and examples.
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Sample scenarios can be found in Rose and Ng (2001: 169–70).

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