ABSTRACT
Harmonious interpersonal relations are frequently identified as an important facet of internationalisation and globalisation, yet in specifications of the components of intercultural competence they are rarely identified explicitly. Instead, they are usually incorporated implicitly. After an introduction to this broad topic, the chapter starts by reviewing conceptualisations of intercultural competence and outlining the rare exceptions that explicitly identify relational management as a core component. It then turns to work in interpersonal pragmatics on (im)politeness and the evaluation process, as this is so central to interpersonal rapport and the management of relations. Key steps in the evaluation process are briefly explained, including contextually-based normalcy assessment, the evaluation of behaviour and agent, drawing on the evaluation warrant (interpersonal sensitivities and the social/moral orders), and the judgements made of behaviour and agent. The relevance of this to the conceptualisation and development of intercultural competence is then discussed, focusing particularly on two concepts that are frequently mentioned in the intercultural field: ‘norms’ and ‘appropriateness’.
