An Overview of L2 Learners’ Comprehension of Conversational Implicatures

Abstract

This paper provides an overview of the development of research on second language learners’ understanding of conversational implicature both domestically and internationally, aiming to reflect the current state of research in this area. The results show that: 1) Pragmatic research on conversational implicature is becoming increasingly mature and systematic; 2) The research subjects are primarily college students, with limited studies on the pragmatic comprehension of junior high school students and primary school students; 3) From the perspective of interlanguage pragmatics, research on conversational implicature mainly explores the factors affecting L2 conversational implicature comprehension such as types of conversational implicature, second language proficiency, and language contact or exposure; 4) The number of research on conversational implicature comprehension in China is limited and the instructional effects on L2 pragmatic comprehension is scarcely explored. At last, the paper concludes with recommendations for future directions of the studies on implicature comprehension.