The Pragmatic Suitability of the Algerian ELT Secondary School Textbooks: The Case of Requests and Apologies

Abstract:

The present study investigates the extent to which the Algerian ELT secondary school textbooks are pragmatically-suitable with regard to the speech acts of request and apology. The study aims at exploring the appropriacy and adequacy of the input at the pragmalinguistic and the sociopragmatic levels. It also aims to explore the metapragmatic information associated with it.  All the requests and apologies that appear in these books have been  identified, then coded and analysed. The findings show that although the textbooks provide a minimum of the linguistic forms used for the production of these two speech acts, they are rather limited when it comes to associating them with the relevant contextual and cultural factors. Also, there is a paucity in supplying the metapragmatic information. In this respect, the material used cannot lead to  the acquisition of these two speech acts. It is, therefore, recommended that the textbook writers should address these shortcomings.