This dissertation investigates second language (L2) learners' comprehension of conversational implicatures that arise in two speech acts, requests and refusals. The review of empirical studies that investigated L2 pragmatic comprehension revealed two recurring issues: (a) the lack of a clear definition of conventionality, leaving open the…

Freire wrote that reading one's world is a necessary precursor to writing it, or conscienzation. The present dissertation, expanding on Kellner's concept of multiple literacies (1998; 2002a; 2005b; 2006a; 2008), explores what it means to read and write one's world in the context of globalization. Given the arrival of a new imaginary, with its…