Effects of exposure to L2 input and language proficiency on pragmatic competence during study abroad

Developing second language pragmatic competence is crucial because it enables learners to effectively communicate and interact with native speakers of that language. It goes beyond mere grammatical and lexical knowledge, and encompasses the ability to comprehend and produce language in a way that is contextually appropriate and respectful. The quantitative study and group interviews were conducted to investigate the effects of exposure to L2 input and language proficiency on the comprehension and expression of indirect speech acts of 180 Chinese learners of English in Malaysia. The results showed that exposure to L2 input significantly contributed to learners’ pragmatic competence at all levels; interactive and instructive exposure to L2 input was more beneficial to the pragmatic improvement; pragmatic competence did not develop in parallel with language proficiency, and increased significantly only after language proficiency reached the intermediate level; pragmatic expression was more influenced by exposure to L2 input, while pragmatic comprehension was more significantly influenced by language proficiency.