Abstract

Sociolinguistic competence is important because learners may be willing to communicate while experiencing difficulty in selecting language that is appropriate to the interlocutor, setting, relationship, and level of formality. Although situational self-esteem and willingness to communicate have received considerable attention in second and foreign language research, their potential association with sociolinguistic competence has received comparatively limited empirical attention. Examining these constructs together is important because learners’ confidence and readiness to engage in communication may influence their opportunities to participate in interaction, yet neither necessarily guarantees the ability to communicate appropriately within culturally and socially defined situations. Addressing this gap, the present study investigated the relationships among situational self-esteem, willingness to communicate, and sociolinguistic competence among 64 undergraduate students majoring in English Language at the University of Zanjan. Data were collected through questionnaires measuring the three constructs, and Pearson’s product–moment correlation coefficients were employed to examine their associations. The findings revealed no statistically significant relationship between the predictor variables and the learners’ perceived sociolinguistic competence. The study therefore challenges the assumption that increasing learners’ confidence or willingness to communicate alone will necessarily result in greater sociolinguistic competence. Language programs should move beyond interventions focused primarily on affective factors and provide systematic opportunities for learners to develop context-sensitive language use through authentic interaction, explicit sociolinguistic instruction, role-play, and culturally grounded communicative tasks. Individual differences in learners’ psychological dispositions must be recognized, and the assumption that highly confident and willing communicators are automatically socially and linguistically appropriate speakers must be avoided.