Silence and Whispering in the L2 Pragmatics Classroom: Duoethnographic Insights from a Vietnamese Context

Authors

• Duong Minh Tuan, Faculty of Foreign Languages, Nam Can Tho University, Can Tho City, VietnamFollow
• Le Thi Diem Lan, Faculty of Foreign Languages, Nam Can Tho University, Can Tho City, VietnamFollow

Abstract

This article examined how silence and whispering shape participation in an L2 pragmatics course for English majors at a Vietnamese university. Using a duoethnographic approach, we, as lecturer–researchers and the sole participants in this study, engaged in written dialogic exchanges over a 12-week semester, drawing on salient classroom incidents and institutional texts as prompts. Our dialogues revisited scenes in which students were quiet or whispered in Vietnamese, and we interrogated our shifting interpretations of those moments in light of scholarship on silence, L2 pragmatics, and language policy. Four themes emerged. First, silence as calibrated participation showed how students strategically modulated their audibility in relation to task demands, face concerns, and identities as “good” Vietnamese students. Second, whispered Vietnamese as pragmatic rehearsal highlighted L1 whispers as key spaces for planning delicate speech acts and negotiating meaning, challenging assumptions underpinning monolingual communicative language teaching. Third, teaching pragmatics under performative participation regimes revealed tensions between valuing quiet engagement and complying with participation rubrics that privilege visible English talk. Fourth, duoethnographic listening as professional learning illustrated how dialogic self-study unsettled taken-for-granted views of participation and opened space for pedagogical adjustment. Conceptually, the study repositions silence and whispering as context-sensitive modes of participation in L2 pragmatics classes. Methodologically, it demonstrates how duoethnography can support critical self-study of classroom practice under policy pressures. Practically, it advocates rethinking participation and assessment so that a broader spectrum of classroom engagement, such as listening, planning, whispering, and written work, is recognized and legitimized.

Keywords

silence, whispering, participation, policy, English majors, L2 pragmatics, duoethnography

Author Bio(s)

Duong Minh Tuan is the vice-dean of the Faculty of Foreign Languages, Nam Can Tho University, Vietnam. He holds a Master's degree in Teaching English as a Foreign Language. His research includes language education, applied linguistics, educational psychology, and technology-enhanced learning and teaching.

Le Thi Diem Lan is a lecturer of English and currently works at the Faculty of Foreign Languages, Nam Can Tho University, Vietnam. She obtained a Master's degree in Teaching English as a Foreign Language in 2015. Her research includes English-medium instruction, educational psychology, and technology-enhanced learning and teaching.

Publication Date

10-25-2026

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 4.0 International License.

Recommended APA Citation

Tuan, D. M., & Lan, L. T. D. (2026). Silence and whispering in the L2 pragmatics classroom: Duoethnographic insights from a Vietnamese context. The Qualitative Report, 31(9), 6794-6811.

ORCID ID

0000-0003-3011-8467