Quels critères retenir pour l’évaluation de la dimension pragmatique des interactions orales en anglais langue étrangère ?

Pascale Manoïlov, Université Paris Nanterre 

Abstract: To evaluate oral interaction, teachers need to be able to rely on tangible criteria not to be limited to the sole consideration of linguistic competence (grammar, lexicon and phonology) but also to retain the pragmatic dimension of conversations. Discourse-in-interaction is by its very nature co-constructed, which immediately raises the question of the evaluation of the performance of individuals: how can we isolate a discourse produced in interaction in order to measure its value (evaluate it), or even grade it in an institutional environment? And what can, or should, be considered, knowing that France relies on the CEFR from primary to higher education? After a characterization of discourse-in-interaction in a foreign language, the numerous proposals made by the two volumes of the CEFR for evaluation are analysed. This study reveals the complexity faced by teachers who must use the Framework to assess their students in an institutional setting. Finally, new criteria are illustrated and discussed to assess the pragmatic dimension of discourse-in-interaction.