The development of pragmatic competence in CLIL classrooms

One of the most important conditions needed to acquire pragmatic competence -knowing the rules of a language and how to apply them to communicate-is exposure to the target language. That is why research has concentrated on observing how this competence develops in different language learning contexts such as second language (L2), foreign language (FL), bilingual, immersion, and content and language integrated learning (CLIL) programmes. This review focuses on how existing research has approached the development of pragmatic competence in CLIL classrooms. CLIL is an educational approach in which content subjects are taught through a foreign language. Its objective is to develop students' language skills without risking their knowledge of curriculum content. In CLIL classrooms, learners are exposed to natural occurring language that more than likely will lead them to acquiring pragmatic competence. A well-developed CLIL programme will integrate language learning and subject learning through the development of intercultural understanding.