The Role of Intercultural Interaction in EFL

Abstract

Nowadays, it is a widely known fact that teaching and learning a foreign language cannot be reduced to the direct teaching of linguistic skills like phonology, morphology, vocabulary, and syntax. The contemporary models of communicative competence show that there is much more to learning a language, and they include the vital component of cultural knowledge and awareness. In other words, to learn a language well usually requires knowing something about the culture of that language. Communication that lacks appropriate cultural content often results in humorous incidents, or worse, is the source of serious miscommunication and misunderstanding. Throughout multiple regions around the world, waves of migrants and refugees search for better and safer living conditions. As a consequence, audience are becoming increasingly multicultural and multilingual, with many teachers feeling challenged when faced with this different reality. Being English the most commonly shared language around the world, the English as a Foreign Language audience can be a right place where intercultural communication is fomented. Intercultural interaction, or engagement with members of different ethnolinguistic groups, plays an important role in shaping one's language-learning experience. In EFL contexts, where English is rarely used in daily communication, intercultural encounters with English speakers are novel but can be a powerful stimulus for motivational change and a rich source of input for developing language skills.