Abstract:
Larson-Freeman (2003) suggested that grammar, semantics, and pragmatics are three,
interconnected dimensions of language. Ideally, these three dimensions should all be developed
during SLA, with one not taking precedence over another. However, there is an obvious
imbalance in current ELT materials with grammar and semantics far outweighing pragmatics
(contextual constraints on language that assign meaning to an utterance or text (Brown, 2007, p.
420), which served as the catalyst for the creation of the current materials, as well as insufficient
academic discussion on the subject. Additionally, Tomlinson (2011), argued that “[l]anguage
learners who achieve positive affect are much more likely to achieve communicative competence
than those who do not” (p. 7). Therefore, the current materials attempt to introduce more abstract
and pragmatically-based language features (politeness, directness, formality) as well as nonverbal
forms of communication, such as eye-contact, while encouraging student affect.
