The assumption that native speaker usage is the sole reference point in determining the content of teaching materials has long held sway in language teaching. Recently this philosophy has come to be questioned with the emergence of the notion of English as an International Language and the idea that non-native users of English are also a significant speech network (Kachru 1992), ones who need to be acknowledged in the process of curriculum planning. The present paper seeks to add to this discussion by examining how the study of cross cultural pragmatics can contribute to language teaching and curriculum development. (Contains 6 tables.)