Contents

Acknowledgements

Abstract

摘要

Chapter One Introduction-1

1.1 Research Background-1

1.2 Research Significance-1

Chapter Two Literature Review-2

2.1 Language and Culture-2

2.2 Inter-cultural Communication-2

2.3 Pragmatic Failures-2

2.4 Present Situations-3

2.4.1 Previous Studies in Foreign Countries-3

2.4.2 Previous Studies in China-4

Chapter Three Research Methodology-5

3.1 Objectives-5

3.2 Questions-5

3.3 Instruments-6

3.4 Procedures-6

Chapter Four Analysis of the Results and Discussion-7

4.1 Results and Analysis of Questionnaire-7

4.1.1 Failure in Verbal Communication-7

4.1.2 Failure in Non-verbal Communication-11

4.2 Major Findings-13

4.2.1 Type of Failure in Cross-cultural Communication-13

4.2.2 Type of Pragmatic Failures-13

4.2.3 Causes of Pragmatic Failures-13

Chapter Five Conclusion-15

5.1 Summary-15

5.2 Limitations and Suggestions for Further Research-15

References-17

Appendix-18

Abstract

Today, more and more researchers pay attention on improving learners’ ability of language use in their foreign language teaching and researching. Furthermore, they put emphases on pragmatic competence and cross-cultural communication competence in order to make a breakthrough from them. Since pragmatics is the main factor which can reflect communication competence, the attention to pragmatic failure is the way to explore the ability of language use.

This paper conducts a research on pragmatic failures from the perspective of intercultural communication, and focuses on which kinds of pragmatic failures English majors will produce in intercultural communication. And finally, the conclusion shows that: 1) English majors are more prone to commit pragmatic failures in verbal communication; 2) English majors are easier to produce pragma-linguistic failure than socio-linguistic failure, 3) There are four reasons why English majors are easier to commit those pragmatic failures: their unawareness or incorrect understanding of pragmatic, cultural differences in language, students’ lack of consciousness of non-verbal communication and students’ negative transfer of their language. 

The paper is divided into five parts: the first part is the background and significance of the research. The second part is literature review, which individually introduces the cross-cultural communication and pragmatic failures as well as previous research in China and foreign countries. The third part introduces objects, the problems, methods and research process. The fourth part is the discovery and analysis of the third part. And the last part summarizes and puts forward some suggestions.

Keywords: cross-cultural communication  pragmatic failure  pragmatic competence