A Study on Interpersonal Pragmatic Performance and Subjectivity in Request Emails Within Intercultural Contexts

This study investigated the pragmatic performance of high-proficiency second language learners under the postmodern trend of “social-cultural turn”. Based on the theory of interpersonal pragmatics, it adopted discourse analysis and introspection method to explore rapport management strategies in different domains implemented by Chinese postgraduate students studying in the UK in their request emails. These strategies were evaluated and explained in terms of appropriateness, politeness, and markedness. It revealed that some relational work performed by the learners conflicted with the target language, exhibiting varying degrees of autonomy. This cannot simply be attributed to a lack of pragmatic ability, but rather is an active positive choice made by the learners in their current context to establish or enhance new interpersonal relationships, thus creating a unique “third pragmatic space”. The study comprehensively presents the interpersonal pragmatic performance and subjectivity of the learners in intercultural contexts, providing valuable insights for research, teaching, and interaction in interpersonal and second language pragmatics as well as intercultural communication.