Translexeme Theory and the Teaching of Pragmatic Competence: Toward a Cross-Linguistic Framework for Formulaic Language in Second Language Education

Abstract

Teaching pragmatic competence has received increasing attention in the fields of second language education, English language teaching (ELT), applied linguistics, and intercultural communication research. Despite the fact that a plethora of research has been conducted in the areas of formulaic language, phraseology, pragmatics, speech acts, and translation equivalence, the cross-linguistic relationship between formulaic expressions and their pragmatically unmarked realizations in target languages has not received due attention. Drawing on the ideas in articles where the author introduced the concept of translexeme (Ghaemi & Ziafar, 2011; Khatib & Ziafar, 2012), this article elaborates on a theoretical framework centered on the new concepts of translexeme, translex, and allotranslex. A translexeme is defined as an abstract cross-linguistic formulaic unit representing the pragmatically and culturally unmarked realization of a communicative function across languages. A translex refers to the language-specific realization of a translexeme, whereas an allotranslex represents a contextually conditioned variant realization within the same language. Based on a critical review of literature on formulaic language research, interlanguage pragmatics, sociocultural theory, translation studies, phraseology, and communicative competence, this study puts forward the idea that translexemic competence may represent a neglected feature of pragmatic competence in second language learning. The author has attempted to synthesize and discuss the theoretical underpinnings of the proposed framework, introduce the pedagogical implications of translexemic instruction, and propose directions for future empirical research and validation. The main argument of this study is that grammatically proficient second language learners frequently experience communicative failure partly because of their insufficient command of pragmatically sanctioned formulaic correspondences across languages. Hence, the translexemic framework provides a theoretically integrated model for understanding pragmatics in multilingual communication and language pedagogy. Keywords: translexeme, translex, allotranslex, formulaic language, pragmatic competence, interlanguage pragmatics, phraseology, communicative competence, second language acquisition

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