A01 cohe4573 01 se fm. Qxd

the shut-down (i.e., closing the topic) (e.g., So, let’s talk about this next
time I see you);
■
the pre-closing (i.e., verification of the end of the conversation) (e.g.,
OK, thank you very much); and
■
the terminal exchange (i.e., the actual good-bye to terminate the
conversation) (e.g., so long. Bye) (see Figure 8.1, below).
The authors of this study examined the presentation of conversational 
closures in 20 L2 textbooks and found that only 12 included a complete
closing in one or more dialogues and very few consistently included com-
plete closings.
3
Similarly, another survey of lessons on complaints in seven L2 func-
tional textbooks has demonstrated a mismatch between textbook represen-
tations of the speech act and its spontaneous realization.
4
According to the
researchers, complaints are often employed as a means for creating solidarity
between conversation partners (“commiserating” in indirect complaints), but
most of the textbooks they studied failed to represent this function com-
pletely. For example, a student griping to a fellow student about their badly
organized class would be making an indirect complaint, while another student
going straight to the teacher to discuss the same issue would be making 
2
Bardovi-Harlig et al. (1991).
3
Bardovi-Harlig et al. (1991).
4
Boxer and Pickering (1995).

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A D A P T I N G T E X T B O O K S F O R T E A C H I N G P R A G M A T I C S
1 4 7
F I G U R E 8 . 1 Saying goodbye
a direct complaint. Typical responses to indirect complaints have been
researched and the strategies include the following:
5
1
Agreement/reassurance:
A: [In a large class] God, he’s got the most annoying laugh!
B: Yeah, and the mic doesn’t help matters much.