Abstract：It’s is essential to foster their communicative competence for foreign language learners and also a ultimate aim for foreign language learning. However, owing to differences of cultural background and other factors, English learners can’t avoid pragmatic failure in intercultural communication. Therefore, it leads to fail to the smooth progress of intercultural communication.

Focus on studying pragmatic failure in intercultural communication, the essay introduce the definition and summary of pragmatic failure first; then, with a large number of instances, the essay adopted the method of comparative study and deeply analyzes the factors to cause pragmatic failure in daily intercultural communication; finally, based on the above research, the essay puts forward some effective measures to escape from pragmatic failure in intercultural communication, so that help English learners to avert pragmatic failure in intercultural communication and improve their communicative competence.

Key words: intercultural communication; pragmatic failure; cultural difference

CONTENTS

摘要

Abstract

1. Introduction  

1.1 Pragmatic failure in intercultural communication-1

1.2 Types of pragmatic failure in intercultural communication-2

2. Contrastive analysis of pragmatic failure in different situations.

2.1 Pragmalinguistic failure in intercultural verbal communication-3

   2.1.1 Apply native language habits to intercultural communication.-3

   2.1.2 Misusing of complete sentence-4

   2.1.3 Equal the Chinese meaning to the English’s-4

   2.1.4 Fail to express clearly-5

   2.1.5 Unable to make out the speaker’s real intention-5

2.2 Sociopragmatic failure in intercultural verbal communicaiton-5

   2.2.1 Forms of addressing-6

   2.2.2 Invitation-7

   2.2.3 Greetings-8

   2.2.4 Apology-8

2.3 Pragmabehavior failure in intercultural nonverbal communication-9

   2.3.1 Body language-9

   2.3.2 Facial expression-9

3 Methods of avoiding pragmatic failure in intercultural communication

3.1 Enhance pragmatic competence-11

   3.1.1 Acquire the foreign language’s way of thinking-11

   3.1.2 Emply comparative analysis to language study-12

3.2 Cultivate intercultural awareness-12

Conclusion-14

References-15

Acknowledgments-16