PRAGMATIC COMPETENCE IN TEACHER–STUDENT POWER RELATIONS

Abstract

Pragmatic competence plays a crucial role in shaping teacher–student power relations within educational contexts. While institutional authority places teachers in a dominant position, the ways in which this power is linguistically and pragmatically enacted significantly influence classroom interaction, learner engagement, and the overall learning environment. This article examines how teachers’ pragmatic competence mediates power relations through speech acts, politeness strategies, mitigation, and discourse choices. It argues that effective pragmatic competence enables teachers to balance authority and solidarity, thereby fostering respectful, cooperative, and pedagogically productive classrooms