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Intercultural pragmatic diversity

A longitudinal study of Chinese GTAs’ awareness of pragmatic transfer of modal particles in teacher requests in UK university classrooms

ORCiD logo with link | The University of Edinburgh
ORCiD logo with link | The University of Edinburgh
ORCiD logo with link | The University of Edinburgh
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Abstract
With English as the medium of instruction (EMI) at UK universities, international Chinese graduate teaching assistants (GTAs) are crucial in the delivery of teaching and learning support. While their English proficiency is generally strong, the influence of first language (L1) pragmatic transfer remains a key consideration, particularly the transfer of Chinese modal particles, which are functional words that convey the speaker’s attitude, stance, or communicative intent. Developing (meta)pragmatic awareness is therefore essential for second language (L2) speakers to interpret and apply pragmatic norms appropriately in instructional contexts. This study examines L2 speakers in instructional roles within EMI settings at UK universities. Through a longitudinal qualitative investigation of nine Chinese GTAs from two UK universities, this study delineates Chinese GTAs’ progression of (meta)pragmatic awareness of L1 pragmatic transfer and how Chinese modal particles (including ba 吧, ma 吗, and bei 呗) are reflected in their teacher requests during classroom teaching. The findings suggest that Chinese GTAs can retain L2 output intelligibility while incorporating L1-influenced pragmatic features, revealing how intercultural pragmatic transfer can transcend cultural and linguistic boundaries, and highlighting the importance of embracing intercultural pragmatic diversity for a more inclusive and internationalised discourse in UK higher education contexts.
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
  • 2.Literature review
    • 2.1Intercultural pragmatics, pragmatic transfer, and (meta)pragmatic awareness
    • 2.2Speech act of requests
    • 2.3Chinese modal particles
  • 3.Methodology
    • 3.1Research design
    • 3.2Context and participants
    • 3.3Data collection
    • 3.4Data analysis
  • 4.Findings
    • 4.1Chinese GTAs’ perceptions of their teacher requests
    • 4.2Awareness of L1 pragmatic transfer into English requests
    • 4.3Pragmatic transfer of L1 modal particles into L2 request patterns
      • 4.3.1Chinese modal particle 吧 (ba): Use of appealers
      • 4.3.2Chinese modal particle 吗 (ma): Use of declarative questions
      • 4.3.3Chinese modal particle 呗 (bei): Use of you can
  • 5.Discussion
  • 6.Conclusion
  • Acknowledgements
  • Authorship contribution statement
  • Declaration of competing interest
  • References
References (92)
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