Interlanguage Pragmatics of Requests in Informal Digital Contexts: Insights from Indonesian EFL Learners

Despite increasing exposure to digital and AI-based tools, how Indonesian EFL learners develop pragmatic competence in request speech acts beyond formal instruction remains underexplored, particularly in informal digital contexts. This study examines the development of pragmatic competence in request speech acts among fifth-semester English Education students who had not received formal instruction in Pragmatics. It (1) explores students’ experiences and awareness of making requests in informal digital contexts, (2) identifies request strategies that emerged from these contexts, and (3) considers the role of digital platforms and AI-based tools in supporting pragmatic learning. Using an Interlanguage Pragmatics framework, this qualitative case study involved 20 participants. Data were collected through questionnaires and interviews and analyzed with Miles, Huberman, and Saldaña’s (2020) interactive model. The findings indicate that students gradually came to understand requests as socially situated actions shaped by power, distance, and imposition. Input from platforms such as YouTube, TikTok, BBC Learning English, Duolingo, and ChatGPT increased their awareness of linguistic forms and politeness markers, especially in conventionally indirect requests. Students applied internal modifications (e.g., modal verbs, lexical downgraders) and external moves (e.g., preparator and disarmer). While AI tools like ChatGPT and Grammarly provided spaces for practice, digital exposure alone did not ensure deeper sociocultural sensitivity. These findings suggest that digital exposure alone does not ensure comprehensive pragmatic development, highlighting the need for pedagogical support that connects informal digital learning with structured instruction to foster more robust pragmatic competence in making requests.