Is language proficiency linked to intercultural communicative competence?

Fostering intercultural communicative competence (ICC) is an essential goal of foreign language (FL) education. While the relationship between language proficiency and ICC has begun to attract scholarly attention, it remains under-investigated. The study investigated this relationship by holistically considering both FL proficiency and national language (NL) proficiency. Specifically, it examined the influence of these proficiency variables vis-à-vis selected socio-biographical factors (e.g. gender) on ICC among 223 pre-service teachers in an English as a FL (EFL) context. Hierarchical regression analyses revealed that FL proficiency (viz. English proficiency) and NL proficiency (viz. Putonghua proficiency) emerged as very important predictors; crucially, FL proficiency was more important than NL proficiency. Length of stay abroad was regarded as a potentially important factor. As a first systematic attempt to link language proficiency with ICC, our study advocates (1) a more holistic perspective towards language (including NL and FL(s)) in any EFL context and (2) further applications of the more refined version of hierarchical regression analysis across different disciplines and institutional contexts to regularly update knowledge and inform ICC practice. Our study also offers implications for the development of curricula aimed at improving ICC.