Introduction Anyone who has visited or lived in a different country will notice that people speak and interact in different ways from what people in other cultures are commonly used to. These differences in cultural, religious and ethnic backgrounds are what are used to explain intercultural communication. What Is an Intercultural Communication? Intercultural communication is defined as a type of global communication that is used by individuals from different religious, social, ethnic and educational backgrounds. It seeks to provide an understanding of how people from various cultures communicate in the global context by providing the forms of communication used in these cultures. As a field of research, intercultural communication provides in-depth information on the various communication and interactional situations that people from different ethnic backgrounds and communities find themselves in and also how they interact with people from different cultures (Gudykunst 2003). Intercultural communication also focuses on the attributes and perceptions of people who are termed to be intercultural so as to explain the types of communication strategies and practices they engage during networking sessions. Interculturality is an essential aspect of intercultural communication because it is able to capture the complex phenomenon of cross-cultural interactions. It talks about the various cultures that exist in the world as well as the ethnic backgrounds of different people and how this affects interactions and communication. Intercultural communication combines the concepts of interculturality and discussion to gain a useful insight into the theories and frameworks that form this concept (Hess-Luttich, 2003). There are various theories which have been developed to explain the concept of intercultural communication some of which include the theories focusing on communication networks, theories focusing on effective outcomes, theories on accommodation, negotiation and management theories and theories based on acculturation and adjustment (Gudykunst 2003). The purpose of this study will be to evaluate the various theories and frameworks that are used to explain pragmatic intercultural concepts. As mentioned in the introductory part of the essay, there are various theories that have been developed to explain the pragmatic concepts that make up intercultural communication. One of these theories is the theory of effective outcomes and an example of this theory is cultural convergence. Cultural Convergence Theory The cultural convergence theory explains intercultural communication to be a type of communication system that begins to form in a relatively closed social system where interactions between members are unrestricted. Cultural convergence occurs when members within such a system begin to converge together over a particular time to form a more excellent cultural uniformity meaning communication interactions will be similar amongst all the members in the group. In the case of a restricted social system, cultural convergence within the society will diverge towards a diverse state of uniformity where they are able to adopt the various communication practices of members who exist in other communities (Wiseman, 2003). Communication Accommodation Theories The theories focusing on accommodation or adaption explain intercultural communication to be the use of linguistic strategies that are meant to decrease or increase the distances that exist in cross-cultural communication interactions. The theories that fall under this category include communication accommodation theories, intercultural adaption theories and co-cultural theories. The communication accommodation theories explain intercultural communication as the type of strategies, techniques, or approaches that are used to bridge the gap that exists between people of a different cultural setting. Intercultural adaption, on the other hand, explains intercultural communication to be how people from a diverse cultural background adapt to the communication needs of others especially in purpose-related encounters which necessitate the adaption of cultural factors (Griffin, 2000). The Сo-cultural Theory The co-cultural theory explains intercultural communication to be the interactions that exist amongst under-represented or dominant cultural groups. This theory explains co-cultures to include people of a different color or ethnic race, women, homosexuals, lower-class people and people who are disabled. This theory, therefore, seeks to address the communication needs of these groups of people by providing an explanation for how different people are able to communicate (Griffin, 2000). Identity management theories are also a form of intercultural communication theory developed to explain the cross-cultural aspect of communication where intercultural communication under this theory is seen to originate from the intercultural and intracultural types of speakers from the same and different cultures. This theory developed by William R. Cupach and Tadasu Todd Imahori focuses on the multiple identities that various individuals possess as well as the cultural and relational identities that are regarded to form part of the identity management theory. In this theory, Cupach and Imahori claim that the individual identity of a person reveals the various faucets of their cultural background. These theory looks at intercultural communication as an act of trial and error that addresses similar aspects in individual identities, a form of mixing up the identities of communicators so as to achieve a relational identity that is acceptable to all participants and a kind of distinctive cultural identity that helps to establish relations with people that possess different relational identities (Gudykunst, 2003). The Identity Negotiation Theory The identity negotiation theory refers to the various processes that people have to go through for them to reach an agreement with others in regards to the type of relationships they will have with other people. The double swing model of identity negotiation focuses on how individuals, cultures and intercultural notions change the course of communication and translational exchanges. This intercultural theory is referred to as double model because it shows that both communication parties play the role of the addresser and addressee