Abstract
Pragmatic competence refers to the knowledge and ability needed to use language in situationally and socially appropriate ways. Intercultural competence refers to is the knowledge and ability needed to communicate successfully with people of other cultures. To become pragmatically competent in a second language one needs to be able to use it in accordance with pragmatic norms of the target language. To become interculturally competent one needs knowledge of other cultures and the ability to engage with other speakers in cross-cultural communication but this does not necessitate full pragmatic competence in the language(s) involved. This talk will explore the difference between these two competences. It will examine research that has investigated both competences, consider how they are acquired, and how teaching can facilitate their development. I will argue that in a context such as Thailand, where English functions mainly as a foreign language, it is neither realistic nor desirable to expect learners to acquire full pragmatic competence in English and that emphasis should be placed instead on raising their awareness of the pragmatic and cultural differences between the native language and the target language with a view to fostering the ability to behave interculturally in both languages.