Talking Is Playing: The Role of Social Context in Communication

Abstract

In this contribution, we examine how linguistic communicative interaction can be studied as a communicative game. This communicative game consists not only of explicit statements and arguments, but also of implicit presuppositions. The aim of this project is to study the situations and the social and cultural context of linguistic interaction. The context is understood as being one of implicit presuppositions related to the communicative situation and to the social and cultural circumstances. It is shown that the context of the discussion is critical for reaching the communicative goal. The theories of Jürgen Habermas, who distinguishes between rational and strategic rational action, will be taken as a starting point. After a short exposé on foreign language didactics in the Netherlands in the past, with special attention paid to the ideas of Jan Amos Comenius, the focus turns to changes in didactic approaches in recent times.