Ibrahim Mohammed Ali Murad
Dep. Of English Language, Charmo University, Chamchamal/ Sulaimani, Kurdistan Region-Iraq
Ibrahim.murad@chu.edu.iq
ABSTRACT
Pragmatics markers are linguistic units of multiple functions as they are used to meet different needs in both writing and speaking. Thus, this linguistic set is an inevitable part of learning for foreign language learners. Thus, from a metalinguistic perspective, they are supposed to be aware of identifying and using such markers relying on the knowledge they already provided in the class. Identifying this assumption, this paper investigates the metalinguistic awareness of Kurdish EFL students in manipulating the pragmatic markers in the English language. Recognizing the gaps related to this lexical area can guide EFL instructors to train their students to be better communicators in the English language. To meet these aims, a test has been designed in which the students were required to identify the appropriate pragmatic marker to use in a suitable context. The results indicate that EFL learners require more focused exposure to pragmatic markers to enhance their proficiency in both academic and everyday English communication. To achieve this, teachers need to highlight the materials with pragmatic content in the modules they teach to enable learners to consciously internalize them. To a reasonable extent, the EFL undergraduates could identify the pragmatic markers for being not part of the sentence structure, but their functions were not equally accessible to them.
Keywords: Metalinguistic, Pragmatics, Markers, Discourse, Communication, Knowledge