Abstract:
Developing sociolinguistic competence has been deemed a delicate and controversial task in EFL for a number of reasons. Among these is the fact that foreign language learners come to classes with this competence already formed in mother tongue and it is not easy to develop a new system of socio-cultural values and to observe new sociolinguistic norms in communication. This article taps into some of the problems that Moldavian students face when dealing with socio-cultural awareness emphasizing the necessity of approaching sociolinguistic competence in a more responsible manner, despite the underlying difficulties. High quality instruction, relevant input, authentic materials and effort are needed to improve it, so that students avoid creating anecdotal or embarrassing situations when talking to native speakers of English.
