A socio-pragmatic comparative study of

1.2. Significance of the Study 
The significance of this study can be discussed from two major perspectives: (1) on the 
one hand, it results in further explication of the linguistic theory in general and the 
pragmatic theory in particular; (2) on the other hand, it can serve a good number of 
applied purposes. 
Modern linguistics has always been trying to establish a general, exhaustive, 
comprehensive, and unified theory of (the nature of) language. In this respect, a great 
deal of research projects have been carried out to explore the nature of this 
phenomenon. Some of these studies have scanned the linguistic aspects of language. 
Yet, others have delved into the relationship between language and society. The present 
study tries to shed light on the interaction of form and pragmatics.
This study will also contribute to different domains of applied linguistics. Aspects of 
language use in general, and sociopragmatic aspects of language in specific, could be 
and should be employed in language teaching programs. Widdowson (1979:90) argues 
that language teaching should “effect the transfer from grammatical competence, a 
knowledge of sentences, to what has been called communicative competence, a 
knowledge of how sentences are used in the performance of communicative acts of 
different kinds.” He also believes that grammatical competence will remain in a 
perpetual state of potentiality unless it is realized in communication. In other words, 
there are rules of use without which the rules of grammar would be useless. Widdowson 
 

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CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION 
9
also believes that theoretical studies of discourse might indicate the nature of the rules 
of use and provide some clues to as to “how we might approach teaching them” (1979: 
90). It is, therefore, the responsibility of ESL and EFL teachers to endeavor to make 
their students aware of and sensitive to the sociolinguistic variables that play an 
important role in different kinds of situational frames. These will serve as useful 
strategies for communication which will enable the learner to communicate his thoughts 
in actual contexts long after he has left the language classroom.
Having mastered the specific function of a given utterance, a translator will find it 
exceptionally easy to find the most appropriate equivalents in the target language. A 
knowledge of contrastive invitation formulas will help translators, especially those 
involved in the translation of texts with heavy cultural and social orientations. Film 
dubbers will also benefit from studies of this kind. 
Furthermore, because many research projects have focused on the written aspects of 
language, it is vital to carry out research with the aim of explicating the nature of 
spoken language. Studies of this kind will undoubtedly enable us to find out the 
different forms and functions of spoken language. The present study has been carried 
out with the aim of examining the different functions ostensible invitations seek to 
satisfy.