Using Conversations as Pedagogical Tools for Teaching Cross-Cultural Competence to English Language Students: Focus on Speech Acts

This research discusses the importance of developing cross-cultural competence among students of English language. It is argued that examples taken from real life conversations enacted in different contexts can be used as pedagogical material to teach students of English how the use of speech acts varies from one cultural context to another cultural context. Understanding this difference can help encourage mutual understanding and mutual respect between interlocutors coming from different cultural contexts. In this research, data were collected from real life conversations enacted in different Asian contexts. Qualitative analysis of the collected data showed that socio-cultural norms affect the way language speakers speak and write language in a wide range of contexts. It is suggested that dialogue-based language input of speech acts taken from real life examples can help students of English understand the importance of socio-cultural context in which speech acts are embedded. Keywords: Asian, conversations, competence, cross-cultural, cultural, English, pedagogical, teach