Explicit Instruction of Formulaic Expressions and Second Language Pragmatic Competence: 
                      A Collective Case Study 
        
                           by 
                        Alisa Zavialova 
        
           A dissertation submitted to the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Affairs 
               in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of 
        
                          Master 
                           in 
                  Applied Linguistics and Discourse Studies 
                       Carleton University 
                        Ottawa, Ontario 
        
        
                          © 2015 
                        Alisa Zavialova 
        
        
        
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                         Abstract 
        
       Research on formulaic language pedagogy has shown that a wide repertoire of formulaic 
       expressions  can  help  second  language  (L2)  learners  to  present  themselves  as  proficient 
       language speakers. Formulaic expressions often carry a strong sense of social contract and 
       perform specific pragmatic purposes (Bardovi-Harlig, 2012) and therefore play a crucial role 
       in developing L2 pragmatic competence. However, research in this area lacks solid findings 
       about the role of explicit instruction in developing L2 pragmatic competence as well as in 
       stimulating  acquisition  and  retention  of  formulaic  sequences  that  possess  pragmatic 
       functions. The present study investigated whether and how the explicit instruction of refusal 
       and thanking formulaic expressions can foster acquisition and retention of these expressions 
       and help L2 learners in developing their pragmatic competence and overcoming challenges 
       they face while performing these speech acts. The research design consisted of pre-, post- and 
       delayed post-tests, a 9-hour instructional intervention (Boers & Lindstromberg, 2012), and 
       thematic  analysis  of  students‘  written  and  oral  reflections  about  the  explicit  instruction 
       course. The results imply that explicit instruction of such expressions and semantic formulas 
       can increase learners‘ understanding of the complex phenomenon of formulaicity and help 
       their spoken language become more pragmatically appropriate, more grammatically accurate, 
       more fluent, concise and confident. Explicit instruction also helps L2 learners to overcome 
       the  challenges  they  may  face  while  performing  refusal  and  thanking  speech  acts.  These 
       findings  have  practical  implications  for  incorporating  activities  focused  on  meanings  and 
       pragmatic functions of various formulaic expressions into every day classroom practices. 
          Key words: Formulaic expressions, L2 pragmatic competence, L2 learners, explicit 
       instruction.  
                                                 
        
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                       Acknowledgements 
        
          First and foremost, I consider completing this Master‘s dissertation to be my greatest 
       academic achievement so far. As an international student, I have been living through various 
       challenges since my arrival to Canada. Nevertheless, my passion for knowledge and language 
       teaching  has  kept  me  strong  and  motivated  to  continue  my  graduate  studies  at  Carleton 
       University. I wish to acknowledge that I would not have been able to accomplish this without 
       many people who have supported me in various ways.  
          It  has  been  my  great pleasure  and honour to work under supervision of Professor 
       David Wood and I owe my deepest gratitude to him for guiding me throughout this research. 
       Dr.  Wood is  an  exceptional  mentor  and  a  wonderful  person.  His  expertise  and  valuable 
       advice have made the completion of this thesis possible. Thank you very much for believing 
       in me, David.   
          I  am also very grateful to Professors Eva Kartchava and Janna Fox for providing 
       constructive feedback on this study and for supporting my decision to pursue my career as a 
       PhD candidate in ALDS. I would like to thank Matthew Fillmore, Tina Beynen, and my other 
       classmates for their  contribution  to  this  research  project.  Special  thanks  to  my  colleague 
       Nwara Abdulhamid for her valuable suggestions and for putting her confidence in me. I am 
       also thankful to Agatha Shantz and Brenda Windmill, ESL teachers from Ottawa Community 
       Immigrant  Services  Organization  (OCISO);  Randy  Kwak  and  Todd  Finnigan,  ESL 
       instructors from Language Training Centre of Ottawa (LTCO), for letting me work with their 
       students and for their willingness to help. I am indeed grateful to all participants who took 
       part in this study. Their priceless contribution has strengthened the findings of this research.  
          Moreover, I owe my deepest appreciation and gratitude to Katarina Oltusova-Shave 
       for kindly offering me her helping hand and continuous support ever since my first days in 
                                                 
        
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       Ottawa. I would like to give special thanks to Vera and Hamid Rahimy for reminding me 
       about the warmth of a far-away home.  
          Above all, I am indebted to my beloved husband Anton for his infinite love, support 
       and encouragement on every step of the way. Thank you, darling, for being an integral part of 
       my life. Finally, I dedicate this thesis to my dear grandparents, Zoia and Victor, and thank 
       them from the bottom of my heart for their enormous contribution to my upbringing and 
       well-being.