Interlanguage Pragmatics Transfer In The Production Of The Speech Act Of Apology In English By Algerian Learners

Abstract

The present study attempts to investigate pragmatic transfer in interlanguage apologies performed by two groups of Algerian EFL learners. The findings show that pragmalinguistic transfer is operative in the wording of the strategies and word by word translation from learners’ first language. The sociopragmatic type is at play in the use of apology strategies which reflects the mother culture’s assumptions in weighing the situational variables. Linguistic proficiency does not give remarkable advantage to the high-proficient learners over the low-proficient. In addition to transfer, other factors impact the interlanguage production: lack of pragmatic competence, interlanguage-specific features and language constraints.