Abstract
This study examines Japanese university EFL learners’ knowledge and use of pragmatic routines
by two computer-delivered assessments: a Pragmatic Routine Knowledge Scale (PRKS) and an
Oral Discourse Completion Task (ODCT). The results confirmed that 50 participants’ confidence
in the knowledge of pragmatic routines differed largely depending on the type of pragmatic
routines in the comprehension task (PRKS). Recognition knowledge (PRKS) did not necessarily
relate to production knowledge (ODCT). Moreover, the results of the production task (ODCT)
revealed that learners used some pragmatic routines more frequently than others. The results of
this study suggest that Japanese EFL classrooms need to provide learners with sufficient
instruction of both grammatical and pragmalinguistic knowledge to understand and use complex
pragmatic routines, and then provide them with sufficient instruction of sociopragmatic
knowledge to map those forms onto appropriate communicative functions.
