A discussion of the ways that consciousness may be involved in learning the principles of second-language discourse and pragmatics draws on current theories of the role of consciousness in human learning in general, with suggestions for extension to the learning of pragmatics. First, research on the degree of consciousness in pragmatic learning and on consciousness and principles of language learning is reviewed. Three distinctions are examined: conscious perception versus subliminal influence in learning; explicit versus implicit learning; and intentional versus incidental learning. Anecdotal and empirical evidence that the research findings are relevant for the learning of first- and second-language pragmatics is assessed. Further evidence for the generalization of principles of pragmatics and discourse is also discussed. It is concluded that data from experimental psychology clearly support the following hypotheses: (1) attention to input is a necessary condition for any learning; and (2) what must be attended to is not input in general, but whatever features of the input play a role in the system to be learned. For learning of second language pragmatics, attention to linguistic forms, functional meanings, and relevant contextual features is required. (MSE)