Pragmatics in Medical English: Introducing ESP Learners to Negative Politeness Strategies

As clarified by Crystal, the unprecedented spread of the English language around the globe has contributed to the even-growing use of English in many international contexts that focus on politics, business, safety, technology, science, and tourism. The increasing number of international academic conferences and meetings, whose main language is English, also testifies the special status that this language has acquired all over the world in recent decades, and emphasises the importance of being able to speak and interact with it. Starting from the assumption that English is the global means of communication, teachers and educators should encourage a shifting in the perspective making learners aware of the complex environment surrounding the English language through the inclusion of pedagogical models which can foster the every-day international function that it has in cross-cultural communicative exchanges.