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Developing pragmatic competence in EFL classroom in China
1. Introduction
As the world is increasingly globalized, the exchange of commodities and ideas across the border is proceeding at an astounding rate (Pakir, 1999). Consequently, the cross-cultural communication has become more and more important. English, as an international language, is increasingly used throughout the world. In China, English even is among the core subjects at school and deserves a place in the curriculum. However, many Chinese English learners may not comprehend the utterances correctly and be able to express themselves properly in real-life communication, even though they get high scores in general proficiency test such as college entrance examination or CET 4 or 6. That is because these EFL learners lack necessary pragmatic competence. Pragmatic competence refers to “the ability to use language effectively in order to achieve a specific purpose and to understand language in context” (Thomas, 1983: 92). This problem is consistent with Bardovi-Harlig’s research finding. According to Bardovi-Harlig (1999: 686), “high levels of grammatical competence do not guarantee concomitant high levels of pragmatic competence”. Thus, it is necessary for teachers to help Chinese English learners developing their pragmatic competence in EFL classrooms.
This paper first introduces pragmatic competence. Next, it discusses the importance of and the teachability of pragmatic competence. It then analyzes the possible causes that lead to this problem. Finally, this paper explores some potential solutions for the teachers to help Chinese English learners to develop pragmatic competence in EFL classrooms.
2. Pragmatic competence
2.1 The definition of pragmatic competence
Many scholars have given their own definitions of pragmatic competence. Thomas (1983: 92) points out that the speaker’s “linguistic competence” consists of grammatical competence and pragmatic competence. “Pragmatic competence” refers to “the

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