Pragmatic Competence in Saudi Kindergarteners: Politeness Strategies in Social Communication

This research examines the development of pragmatic competence in Saudi kindergarteners, focusing on their use of politeness strategies during social interactions. The research used a qualitative methodology to investigate the sociocultural and developmental aspects of politeness, integrating pragmatic awareness tasks with naturalistic observations of 16 children in a Riyadh kindergarten, with semi-structured interviews with parents and teachers. Research reveals that Saudi kindergarteners often exhibit culturally embedded politeness markers, such as "assalamu alaikum" and "jazak Allah khair", so indicating the impact of Islamic and social traditions on their language behaviors. The study highlights the critical roles of parental modeling and peer interactions in sustaining these habits. Gender variations were significant as females showed more degrees of respect and language mitigating behavior in line with cultural standards. Furthermore, older children showed cognitive and social growth by using more complex and contextually appropriate politeness strategies according to developmental trends. This paper underlines the role of cultural context in language development and closes a gap in the knowledge on the pragmatic competence of Arabic-speaking children. The findings indicate the necessity of integrating cultural knowledge in early childhood education to enhance pragmatic development and facilitate effective communication.pragmatic competence