5/9/2026
10:30 AM - 12:00 PM PST


Location: CATESOL Zoom Room


There are currently 55 spots remaining out of 100

Pragmatic Awareness in Workplace Discourse Communities (TEW-IG)

Description: 

This interactive talk by Professor Solmaz discusses the unique demands as multilingual learners transition from ESL classrooms into professional environments. Linguistic competence alone is insufficient. Success in the workplace requires pragmatic awareness, genre knowledge, and the ability to navigate professional discourse communities. This session explores how educators can prepare learners to engage effectively in workplace communication, focusing on genre awareness (emails, reports, meetings), identity positioning in interviews, and digital professional presence (e.g., LinkedIn and online communication norms). Drawing on multiliteracies, sociolinguistics, and digital literacy research, the session also addresses the opportunities and ethical considerations of AI-assisted communication in professional contexts.

Participants will leave with practical strategies for integrating workplace pragmatics into ESL instruction without reducing instruction to narrow vocational training.

Moderator: 

Christine Palumbo, TEW-IG Co-chair

TEW-IG Co-chairs Meral Kacar, Jamie O'Connor 

Date and Time:

Saturday, May 9, 10:30 AM - 12 noon PDT

Cost: 

Members: Free
Non-members: Free

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