Pragmatic Learnability of Formulaic Expressions Among Persian-Speaking Learners of L2 English

Second language pragmatic research has shown that the acquisition of formulaic expressions is relatively problematic for learners at almost all levels of proficiency. This chapter investigated the developmental acquisitional patterns of formulaic expressions in adult Persian-speaking English Language learners and factors affecting their learnability. Participants consisted of learners from three proficiency levels, nonnative English language teachers who rated the frequency of the formulaic expressions in the L2 materials they taught, and American native English speakers whose responses were used as a benchmark to judge the appropriateness of learners’ responses. Data were collected through a written discourse completion test (WDCT) and retrospective verbal reports (RVRs). The results showed that the formulaic expressions exhibited differential learnability patterns. The observed variations were perceived to be the result of the interplay among several factors, including the degree of exposure to the formulas in L2 input, sociopragmatic awareness of the formulaic expressions’ context of use, the amount of language practice, and learners’ L1 pragmatic conventions and transfer.