Abstract
Pragmatics—the rules of how to say what to whom, when, and in what context—is often not included in second or foreign language classrooms, leaving learners without preparation for everyday interactions in the target language. This entry reviews potential obstacles to teaching pragmatics and suggests ways to overcome them. One major obstacle is that information about pragmatics is rarely found in commercial textbooks, either as input (as examples or models) or as explanations of language use or what might be expected in the target culture. However, some materials have been developed for teaching pragmatics, but they are still largely limited to the professional development literature. The entry concludes by suggesting what teachers can do to develop materials and activities, and how they can be shared with other teachers in order to promote curricular innovation.