From pragmatic routines and children's books to global English pragmatic competence

Abstract

This paper reflects on innovative pedagogical work conducted in English Language and Literature and Translation undergraduate courses offered in a university in China. In these courses, pragmatic routines were addressed through a corpus-informed Chinese translation of What Do You Say, Dear?, a picture book of manners featuring ordinary pragmatic routines embedded in fantastical scenarios, providing a playful yet contextualized entry point into critical discussions about language, culture and communication. In these activities, students follow a sequence of tasks required to complete possible translations while being invited to move between languages and semiotic systems, drawing on their translingual repertoires to negotiate meaning and justify choices. Rather than arriving at fixed equivalents, students are positioned as multicompetent users navigating between pragmatic norms. The pedagogical activity is designed purposefully to foster both contextualized language awareness and Global English pragmatic competence, with pragmatic meaning not modelled on monolingual ideals but constructed dialogically across languages.

Keywords

Pragmatic routines translation corpus linguistics children's books Global Englishes

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