Abstract
This study presents findings of focus group interviews which investigated the challenges experienced by English second language (L2) students in writing and the observed lack of pragmatic competence in the use of speech acts in written business correspondence, in the context of South Africa. Current research indicates the challenge regarding low literacy skills, especially in writing, in English L2 tertiary students, globally. It further shows that English L2 speakers, particularly in higher education, do not possess enough pragmatic competence in using speech acts appropriately in English written business correspondence, worldwide. Moreover, the continued debate on decolonisation and Africanisation of the curriculum in South African higher education and attempts in the recognition of indigenous languages as official languages in higher education to promote multilingualism have not yet yielded positive results. The sample comprised first-year tertiary student participants (n=18) who are isiZulu first language (L1) and English second language (L2) speakers. The findings reveal that although students are aware of the importance of politeness in both languages, they experience various challenges in displaying this when using speech acts in business correspondence in English, especially in achieving their interactional intentions. It is concluded that there is a need to use indigenous languages in South Africa in developing literacy, especially business writing skills and intercultural communication. This paves the way for further investigations in transforming the South African higher education curriculum into a more inclusive language-in-use (pragmatics) approach, in which written business communication embraces the variation and diversity of languages in South Africa.
Presenters
Bulelwa NyangiweLecturer, Communication, Mangosuthu University of Technology, Kwazulu-Natal, South Africa
Details
Presentation Type
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Theme
KEYWORDS
Language, Literacy, Multilingualism, Speech acts, Politeness, Business communication, Pragmatic competence
