Socio-Pragmatic Functions of Greeting Expressions in Teaching Turkish as a Foreign Language Textbooks

Abstract

Greetings serve as a fundamental aspect of human communication, playing a pivotal role in establishing and maintaining social relationships. This research investigates the socio-pragmatic functions of greetings reflected in teaching Turkish as a Foreign Language (TFL) textbooks, aiming to shed light on how the intricate interplay between language, culture, and social interaction is reflected in teaching materials. With this aim, greeting exchanges from five different series of TFL textbooks were collected and analyzed. In the quantitative analyses, the frequency of each form and strategy of greetings were determined in the data. In the qualitative analyses, the classification and pragmatic functions of the greetings were investigated by analyzing different variables such as the gender of the speakers, time relations, familiarity between the speakers, formality/speaker roles, the speech context, and the photographic details accompanying greetings. The data was also analyzed according to Ebsworth et al.’s (1995) categorization of American greetings. The Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) levels of the textbooks under focus were considered in the analyses. The findings showed that greeting forms have mostly been reflected in the A1 level according to the CEFR criteria and the most frequently reflected form of greeting in Turkish is merhaba (Ar. marhaba/Eng. hello) in the current data. In terms of the socio-linguistic/pragmatic and non-verbal aspects regarding greetings and the classification and the socio-pragmatic functions of greetings in TFL textbooks, various reflections of the role of greetings in shaping social interaction in Turkish culture were also displayed.