THIRD LANGUAGE LEARNERS: PRAGMATIC PRODUCTION AND AWARENESS. Maria Pilar Safont Jordá. Clevedon, UK: Multilingual Matters, 2005. Pp. viii + 184. $89.95 cloth, $39.95 paper.

This volume reports on a study of pragmatic instruction among third language learners in a foreign language (FL) context. Over half of the volume is devoted to laying out the theoretical background; the rest focuses on an empirical study. Chapter 1 presents an overview of the field of third language acquisition that points out differences between it and SLA research. Especially interesting is the literature review, which presents research conducted in Spain on third language acquisition. This is followed by a comprehensive look at bilingualism. Chapter 2 offers an outline of research in the field of interlanguage pragmatics, organized around three main approaches: relevance theory, politeness theory, and speech-act theory. An argument for the importance of pragmatic instruction is also developed. The chapter ends with a discussion of relevant research on the speech act of requesting (particularly the production of requests) by FL learners. Chapter 3 closes the theoretical framework with an in-depth presentation of the Valencian community and its language learning and use. This is a very interesting chapter for readers unfamiliar with the language richness of this community.