In a globalized and globalizing world, intercultural communication is a necessity for various reasons, such as commerce, education, politics, and tourism, calling for ethnographic studies with special focus on the pragmatics of different speech acts. Pragmatics of speech act can be different from culture to culture: not knowing these differences can lead to misunderstandings or even disagreements. This problem exacerbates in the virtual setting, where interlocutors lack the same nonverbal indications and cues that would otherwise support the expression of meaning and intention. This study probes into the ways in which Omani interlocutors perform and interpret the speech act of criticism in asynchronous WhatsApp interactions. Adopting the six-phase thematic analysis framework of Braun and Clarke (2006), the study qualitatively analyzes 13 WhatsApp interactions with different categorial criticisms (see Pyne et al., 2024). Findings reveal that Omani ways of criticism are influenced by Omani cultural values and that the strategies adopted for criticism differ from one context to another. While some criticisms are indirect, some others use hedging and sarcasm. There are also criticisms noted for their religious nuances. The study has brought to light the Omani preference for indirectness and politeness in criticisms. The study contributes to research on intercultural pragmatics by examining criticism in informal Omani digital discourse. The study highlights the pedagogical necessity of developing pragmatic competence in the context of intercultural digital communication.

Cite as:

Veettil, R. P., Ali, E., Alnofali, Y., Alfarsi, S., Albusaidi, M., & Alsaadi, A. (2026). Omani Ways of Criticizing in WhatsApp Discourse: A Pragmatic Analysis. Arab World English Journal (AWEJ) Special Issue on CALL 17/ (12).198-212.

DOI: https://dx.doi.org/10.24093/awej/call12.12

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Keywords

Criticism, Omani digital discourse, Omani interlocutors, pragmatics, speech acts, WhatsApp communication

About the author

Roy P Veettil is an associate professor at the Faculty of Language Studies, Sohar University, Oman. He has over 25 years of teaching experience. He serves as the associate editor of the Journal of Education. He also served as the MA TESOL program coordinator at the Faculty of Language Studies, Sohar University. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0427-0924

Eassa Ali is an assistant professor of Linguistics and Translation Studies at the Faculty of Language Studies, Sohar University. His research focuses on translation studies, applied linguistics, and machine translation. He is a member of IATIS research association worldwide, and serves as the final year project coordinator. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0002-8271-1545

Yaqeen Alnofali is a graduate in English language and literature. She graduated in 2025 from the Faculty of Language Studies, Sohar University. Currently, she is undergoing her Teacher Preparation Course in the Faculty of Education and Arts, Sohar University. Ms. Yaqeen is interested in language teaching, literature, and sociolinguistics. https://orcid.org/0009-0003-4300-3295

Sara Alfarsi is a graduate in English language and literature., she graduated in 2025 from the Faculty of Language Studies, Sohar University. Currently, she is undergoing her Teacher Preparation Course in the Faculty of Education and Arts, Sohar University. Ms. Sara is interested in applied linguistics and literature. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0002-3447-2121

Maather Albusaidi is a graduate in English language and literature., she graduated in 2025 from the Faculty of Language Studies, Sohar University. Currently, she is undergoing her Teacher Preparation Course in the Faculty of Education and Arts, Sohar University. Ms. Maather is interested in teaching English to young learners and literature. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0009-8709-7645

Afra Alsaadi is a graduate in English language and literature., she graduated in 2025 from the Faculty of Language Studies, Sohar University. Currently, she is undergoing her Teacher Preparation Course in the Faculty of Education and Arts, Sohar University. Ms. Afra is interested in dialectology and cultural studies. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0004-0675-5559

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