Is Spanish Pragmatic Instruction Necessary in the L2 Classroom If Latin American Speakers of Spanish Take on American English Pragmatic Norms Once Prolonged Exposure in the United States Occurs? A Study on Refusal Strategies

As educators of foreign and second languages debate the most efficient methods of implementing pragmatic instruction in the L2 classroom, is it possible that Spanish pragmatic instruction is not necessary if American Spanish pragmatic norms are no different than American English norms? The present investigation studies the pragmatic norms in refusal strategies of speakers of Latin American Spanish who have had little exposure to English, speakers of Latin American Spanish who have spent over two years in the United States, and native speakers of American English. The study found that the Spanish speakers who had spent over two years in the United States took on the pragmatic norms of American English speakers in many instances when producing refusals. This leads to the broader question of this investigation. If instructors of Spanish are interested in teaching the Spanish of the United States, is pragmatic instruction still necessary if native Spanish speakers use the same strategies as American speakers of English? Study instruments are appended. (Contains 3 charts.