Semantic Pragmatic Errors in Written Discourse of Iraqi EFL Students

Abstract

The semantic pragmatic errors which the Iraqi EFL Students produced in their writings are investigated in this study. A total of 120 students of the English Language Department in College of Arts, Mustansiriyah University from the four academic years participated in the study. The data was collected via a written discourse task with formal letter writing, argumentative essay and short narrative texts. The analysis concentrated on identifying semantic and pragmatic errors, especially those impairing meaning and context. The findings showed that students from the first year made the highest number of such errors in pragmatic aspects such as speech acts, politeness strategy, context, etc. Students in higher levels make mistakes too but improved pragmatic ability. The results show that teaching learners about pragmatic and semantic clarity on purpose should be present in the curriculum to improve their communicative competency in written English. This research aids understanding of language learning difficulties in areas like Iraq which are multilingual and socioculturally complex.