The present study explores the influence of acculturation on learning pragmatic routines in the study-abroad context by students of diverse cultural backgrounds. It is a longitudinal investigation that involves a mixed-method approach. One hundred twenty-two International students in their first semester of study at US universities completed a series of pre-tests and post-tests that measured their sociocultural adaptation and their knowledge of pragmatic routines. Moreover, semi-structured interviews were conducted with a subset of 10 learners in order to obtain details about their individual pragmatic learning and acculturation trajectories. A quantitative analysis revealed that sociocultural adaptation development influenced gains in recognition and production of pragmatic routines, but the effect was different across cultures. The qualitative analysis showed individual trajectories that illustrated the interplay among sociocultural adaptation, background culture, and gains in knowledge of pragmatic routines.
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