The goal for this useful volume is to survey and evaluate research on pragmatic development of second language learners. In the first chapter, Kasper and Rose note that numerous studies in crosscultural pragmatics assess nonnatives' language use and contrast it with the performance of natives but that relatively few studies have focused on how language learners' pragmatic abilities change and develop over time. For researchers in SLA, however, this question of development is central.

Chapter 2 identifies and summarizes five theoretical frameworks suitable for discussing pragmatic development: (a) the acculturation model, (b) cognitive processing, (c) sociocultural theory, (d) language socialization, and (e) interactional competence. These frameworks “theorize conditions for pragmatic development … but they do not specify how pragmatic learning proceeds” (p. 58). Chapter 3 situates pragmatics research methodologically, outlining numerous different approaches of pragmatics research, the variety of research designs, strengths and weaknesses of each, and the wisdom of using several data-collecting methods.

The fourth chapter focuses specifically on studies of second language (L2) pragmatic development; in large part, these studies focus on acquisition of L2 discourse skills, speech acts of various types, and pragmatic transfer, although a few address the development of pragmatic comprehension. A discussion of the positive correlation hypothesis, which claims that “second language proficiency is positively correlated with pragmatic transfer” (p. 153), links this chapter with the one that follows. Chapter 5 focuses on the relation of pragmatic abilities with grammatical development. Here, research results are mixed, with some studies showing that adult L2 learners' pragmatic capabilities outstrip their grammatical capacities, whereas others show the opposite. This seeming contradiction is the result of a focus on learners at different stages in various studies; although adult beginners are more pragmatically than grammatically capable, advanced learners use grammatical forms without having learned secondary—and pragmatically more subtle—uses for them (e.g., the epistemic use of modals).

The sixth chapter deals with the complex of factors that includes the learning context, setting, amount and quality of interaction, identities, and attitudes of interactants. Although length of residence in a community where the target language is spoken would seem to contribute to pragmatic development, studies of pragmatic comprehension indicate that quality of exposure to the language matters even more. Ethnographic data on learners interacting with native speakers indicates that hosts' attitudes toward learners and the learnability of the language can play a role in quality of input, because “foreigner talk modifications” can produce input that is “pragmatically and sociolinguistically distorted” (p. 203). Institutional settings may provide input that learners perceive as “status-bound” (p. 208), or, in other words, input that learners find inappropriate to use because it is provided by speakers whose status is sufficiently different from that of the learners. On the other hand, skillful structuring of classroom interaction can foster pragmatic development even in foreign language classrooms. In general, however, L2 learners seem to outperform foreign language learners pragmatically, as reflected in the “commonsense notion” (p. 220) that study abroad is necessary for fluency. But even residence in an L2 community may be insufficient if learners are socially isolated, or if interlocutors do not provide metapragmatic feedback on pragmatic challenges such as honorifics. In sum, pragmatic development is “a non-linear process” (p. 229), and even a year-long stay in the language community may not suffice.

Although chapter 6 focuses on the setting for pragmatic development, chapter 7 addresses the question of whether explicit instruction in pragmatics is effective. In this presentation, learning goals included items such as discourse markers, pragmatic strategies, discourse organization, pragmatic routines, and speech act realization. The authors found that “some areas targeted for instruction proved resistant to improvement” (p. 258). Nevertheless, explicit teaching of pragmatics emerges as more effective than mere exposure even with sociopragmatic items, which are harder to teach than pragmalinguistic ones. Even though explicit teaching cannot be claimed as either necessary or sufficient for pragmatic development, it does seem to be helpful.

Chapter 8 focuses on “individual differences,” such as “age, gender, … personality, cognitive, social and affective factors” (p. 277). However, the authors note that isolating variables runs counter to the assumption that “language learning is always socially contextualized and often co-constructed” (p. 278). Chapter 9, the “Epilogue,” concludes that more research is needed to connect micro and macro levels of pragmatic development.

The breadth of material covered in this volume is impressive; researchers in pragmatic development or intercultural pragmatics will want to use it to launch literature searches and to situate research questions. I noted one flaw; several studies cited in chapter 3 do not appear in the References section. However, this disappointing slip-up can be readily corrected in a second edition, which I expect will be forthcoming given the comprehensiveness of the scholarship displayed here.