Interjections in the EFL classroom: teaching sounds and sequences Elisabeth Reber In line with a communicative curriculum for English, it is claimed that communicative competence involves knowledge about when and how to display affectivity in talk-in-interaction. Typically, interjections have been described as a lexical means for expressions of emotion. A survey of textbooks canonical of EFL at German elementary and secondary schools reveals that interjections are often used in (constructed) conversation examples. However, the translations of the interjections given do not adequately account for their meanings and use. Illustrated by a case study on two forms and uses of ‘oh’, it is argued that the approach of Interactional Linguistics can provide an empirical basis for teaching interjections in the EFL classroom. Based on the finding that the competent use of interjections depends on the correct production of the segmental and prosodic form and the timely positioning in a conversational sequence of actions, didactic guidelines for teaching interjections are proposed. Introduction For the last 30 years, so-called communicative language teaching has been called for in the EFL classroom, with consequences for curriculum design: The communicative curriculum defines language teaching as learning how to communicate as a member of a particular socio-cultural group. The social conventions governing language form and behaviour within the group are, therefore, central to the process of language learning. (Breen and Candlin 2001: 10) Consequently, affect (i.e. ‘attitudes, values, and emotions’) is regarded as playing a central part in interpersonal communication. Since communication is always social, affect is claimed to be pervasive in that our inner states impact what and how we communicate (ibid.). The present paper expands on this notion and argues that the social nature of communication also puts constraints on the way affect is displayed: affective displays are conceptualized as culturally learnt products, which are performed in social interactions. In this socio-constructionist view, displays of affect are performed in orientation to conventional rules, which constrain the actual feeling of affective states, how they are displayed, and the processing of displays by others (Hochschild 1979). A learner’s awareness of these rules and capability to manage affectivity in interaction in a competent ELT Journal Volume 65/4 October 2011; doi:10.1093/elt/ccq070 365 ª The Author 2010. Published by Oxford University Press; all rights reserved. Advance Access publication November 30, 2010 Downloaded from https://academic.oup.com/eltj/article/65/4/365/360032 by guest on 27 October 2021