PRAGMATIC COMPETENCE IN EFL LEARNING: CHALLENGES OF INTERCULTURAL COMMUNICATION AND PRAGMATIC TRANSFER

Abstract

Pragmatic competence constitutes an essential dimension of foreign language proficiency because successful communication requires learners to select linguistic forms that are appropriate to particular social, cultural, and situational contexts. In English as a Foreign Language (EFL) settings, the development of pragmatic competence may be particularly challenging because learners have limited access to authentic target-language interaction and frequently interpret communicative behaviour through the norms of their first language and culture. This article examines the major challenges associated with pragmatic competence development in EFL learning, with particular attention to intercultural communication and pragmatic transfer. The study employs a qualitative literature-based research design and a comparative thematic analysis of influential theoretical and empirical studies in interlanguage pragmatics, intercultural communication, and instructed pragmatics. The analysis identifies four interconnected areas of difficulty: the distinction between pragmalinguistic and sociopragmatic knowledge, transfer of first-language pragmatic norms, insufficient exposure to contextualized target-language input, and the difficulty of determining pragmatic appropriateness across culturally diverse settings. The reviewed literature also indicates that pragmatic development is not a linear consequence of general language proficiency or exposure alone. Explicit awareness-raising, contextualized input, interaction, reflection, and opportunities for meaningful practice can facilitate the development of learners' pragmatic repertoires. The article argues that EFL instruction should move beyond grammatical accuracy towards a more context-sensitive model of communicative competence in which learners develop the ability to recognize, interpret, compare, and appropriately employ alternative pragmatic strategies.