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Learning a new language is a difficult job, especially when it is to be carried out in a foreign language situation: the reason being that a foreign language situation” provides language learners with little authentic communication in the foreign language. As experts, we have noticed that most language learners spend most of their time doing written exerises , memorizing words and preparing for exams rather than writing lettres, reading newspapers, and speaking in or listening to the foreign language.
Such a situation deprives most language learners of acquiring the optimal ability in communicating correctly in the foreign language: by “communicating” I mean a kind of communication which is both linguistically correct (according to the rules of grammar) and sociolinguistically appropriate (according to the social rules of the society in which the language is spoken). This , in turn , results in language learners’ ignorance of the social and cultural rules of the foreign language. Obviously, this kind of social and cultural ignorance can be a big obstacle in the way of successful communication.
This study tries 10 assess Iranian EFL learners’ success in learning the sociolinguistic aspect of English as well as its linguistic aspect.
I would like to thank Mr. Seyed MASOUD HADI SEYED HOSSEINI FARD without hic contribution his research could not have been successfully completed.