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C H A P T E R 8
Adapting textbooks for
teaching pragmatics
Noriko Ishihara
Introduction
A
s noted in various other chapters in this volume (e.g., Chap-
ters 3, 4, 6, and 7), current views in the field would under-
score the importance of drawing as much as possible on empirically based
information in the teaching of L2 pragmatics. However, it takes time and
effort for teachers to find empirically based information either in published
research studies or elsewhere, and then to create materials. Given the busy
lives that teachers lead, this process may not always be realistic. It would be
convenient to use textbooks that offer material on pragmatics ready to be
taught without the need for modification. While most textbook series are
yet to incorporate pragmatics in a robust way, there are publications avail-
able which provide sample L2 pragmatics lessons.
1
However, depending on
the language being taught, the students’ levels of proficiency, and classroom
context, it is likely that teachers interested in including pragmatics instruc-
tion will need to adapt somewhat the materials they have, or prepare 
supplementary materials that address pragmatics more effectively. In this
chapter, we will look at pragmatics in currently available language teaching
materials, compare this pragmatics information with that available from
research studies, and consider how we might modify or complement text-
book materials in order to highlight appropriate language use in context.
1
See for example, Bardovi-Harlig and Mahan-Taylor (2003: available at http://exchanges.
state.gov/englishteaching/resforteach/pragmatics/html, accessed December 10, 2009)
and Tatsuki and Houck (in press).

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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
Textbook analysis for pragmatic components
As noted in Chapter 3, in current ESL/EFL commercially marketed materials,
empirically based information is rarely used as the source for instructional
materials in L2 pragmatics. The majority of published textbooks are written
on the basis of the curriculum writers’ intuitions. Textbook dialogues may at
times sound awkward or stilted. Such dialogues are inauthentic in the sense
that they do not represent spontaneous pragmatic language as used in natu-
ral conversation. Instead, they may reflect idealized examples of common
pragmatic routines. Or in other cases they may not necessarily take issues of
pragmatics into account or only give them passing attention.
For instance, while research has demonstrated that the act of closing
conversations in American English is fairly elaborate and often realized in
multiple turns, these insights have not generally been incorporated into L2
instruction. According to one study,
2
for example, the components of the
closing in American English consist of:
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