From Linguistic Accuracy to Pragmatic Appropriateness

In recent decades, the teaching of English as a Foreign Language (EFL)has undergone a profound transformation. The emphasis has shifted from purely grammatical accuracy toward communicative competence, reflecting the recognition that language is not merely a system of rules but a medium of social interaction. Within this paradigm, pragmatics-the study of how language is used appropriately and effectively in context-has emerged as a central concern. Yet, in many educational systems, including Morocco's, pragmatics has remained an underexplored and insufficiently integrated dimension of language instruction.The Moroccan context provides a particularly compelling case for examining pragmatics in EFL education. English is neither the first nor the primary foreign language of instruction in Morocco, where Arabic, French, and increasingly Amazigh coexist as dominant languages of education and public life.