Topic 04: Communicative Competence. Analysis of its components.

1.Communicative Competence

  1. Analysis of its components: representative models of communicative competence
  1. A communicative approach in foreign language teaching

1.1. The notion of competence

1.2. On defining Communicative Competence

ideal speaker’s innate ability to generate and understand utterances

basis TTG: innate linguistic ability
Aspects of the Theory of Syntax (1965), Chomsky: competence/performance

  • C: ideal innate ability to generate and understand utterances
  • P: the actual individual production and comprehension of language
  • 1960’s Del Hymes
  • CC opposite to LC (Chomsky)
  • Hymes grammar + communicatively app in context

Problematized C/P

  • C: ability on how to use lang. in broad sense
  • P: specific use that reflect competence

Widdowson & Munby (1978)

Canale and Swain (1980)

Savignon (1972)

Bachman (1990)

Campbell and Wales (1970)

👍🏽appropriateness and
👎🏽 Chomsky's neglect sociocultural
Cc: ability to produce utterances which are appropriate to the context.

Cc: ability to function in a truly communicative setting of one or more interlocutors.
✅willingness to take risks, appropriateness or cooperation

Use vs. Usage
Effectiveness

grmm competence
❌ comm competence

Cc: underlying system of knowledge and skill required for communication.

sociolinguistic competence & actual communication

Canale and Swain + three components:
🔸 language comp.
🔸strategic comp.
🔸psycho-pshysiological comp.

2.2.Bachman and Palmer (1990)

2.3.CEFRL (2001)

2.1. Canale and Swain (1980)

widely accepted definition
🚩 Hymes's sociocultural bias:
📌gmm and socioling.

Cc: underlying system of knowledge and skill required for communication
⚠️ Cc & Actual comm. (limiting psych. and environmental conditions)

4️⃣components:

  • GC: literal meaning (rules of language)
  • SLC: socio.cultural & discourse rules
  • DC: cohesive & coherent texts
  • STC: breakdowns

Model of language ability

Language knowledge:

  • organisational knw:
    🔹grammatical & textual
  • pragmatic knw:
    🔹pragmatic and socio-ling conventions
  • Strategic knw: metacognitive components (goal, assessment & planning)

Hymes ➕ external factors:
personal abilities, motivational factors and general knowledge

  • General comp: declarative knowledge, skills and know-how, existential competence and ability to learn.
  • Comm. Lang. Comp:
    linguistic comps:
    ⭐️lexical, grammatical, semantic, phonological, orthographic and orthoepic
    ⭐️sociolinguistic comps: politeness conventions or dialect or accent
    ⭐️pragmatic comps: discourse and functional cmp.

To achieve Cc: student carry out communicative tasks - activities with communicative aim (public, personal, work or education)

CC influence on ESL:
Hymes & Canale and Swain ➡️ CLT: language appropriate to specific situations

🅿️PRINCIPLES:

  • students use language as communication
  • authentic and meaningful comm
  • fluency
  • comm integrates different language skills
  • creative process = trial and error.

The Natural Approach, Cooperative Language Learning, Content- Based Teaching, known as CLIL, and Task-Based Teaching