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U4 (1. COMMUNICATIVE COMPETENCE, 3. EDUCATIONAL IMPLICATIONS: THE…
U4
1. COMMUNICATIVE COMPETENCE
The Nature of Communication
The Notion of Competence
Noam Chomsky
Competence
The
abstract
/idealized native speaker’s innate/underlying
system of rules
:
One's implicit or explicit knowledge of the language system
.
The innate knowledge of language an ideal speaker-listener has in an homogeneous speech community
Linguistic knowledge is separated from sociocultural features
Linguisitic
= Grammaticality
theory of
transformational generative grammar
(1960s)
Performance
The
actual individual production & comprehension of utterances
in specific instances of language use (actual communication situations) and
the rules of language use
. It did not properly reflect the underlying knowledge (competence), because of its many imperfections at the level of
errors & hesitations
= Acceptability
Language
A
finite system of rules
which allows to produce an
infinite number/set of grammatically correct sentences
. Thus, learners do not acquire an endless list of rules, but a limited set of transformations with which language users can form an unlimited number of sentences
a turning point in the development of subsequent theories on language learning
Canale & Swain
Communicative Competence
Knowing a language is not only knowing its grammar but also knowing
how to use it, with whom, and in what situations
. Therefore: (1)
the underlying knowledge of the system
and (2)
the skills needed for communicating
(e.g. knowledge of vocabulary and skill in using the sociolinguistic conventions for a given language)
Knowledge
what one knows, consciously or not, about the
language
and about communicative
language use
Skills
how well one can
perform
this knowledge in actual communication
They use CC to refer to the relationship/interaction btw Grammatical competence (knowledge of the rules of grammar) & Sociolinguistic competence (knowledge of the rules of language use)
(1980)
Actual communication
The realization/manifestation of such knowledge & skills (which make up competence) in actual communication
under limiting psychological & environmental conditions
(memory & perceptual constraints, fatigue, nervousness, distractions, etc.). It shows the reality that
CC is only indirectly reflected in communication
Language use
Dell Hymes
On communicative competence
(1972)
Communicative Competence
The underlying
knowledge
a speaker has of
the rules of grammar
&
their use in socially appropriate circumstances
He states that "native speakers knowledge is larger than just grammatical competence" & distinguishes 4 aspects of competence
Systematic potential
Native speakers have a system for producing
potentially infinite
grammatically correct language
Appropiacy
Native speakers
know what is appropiate
in a given situation/context in which language is used, based on things like
the setting, participants, purpose, channel & topic
Occurrence
Native speakers
know how often something is said
in language & act accordingly
Feasibility
Native speakers
know whether something is possible or not
in the language, even if there is not a grammar rule to ban it
It included not only grammatical competence, but also
sociolinguistic competence
, which connects language & culture/society, necessary to use & understand linguistic forms (language use in social contexts)
Extends Chomsky's notion of competence & includes not only grammatical, but also
sociolinguistic competence
Semiotics
Verbal communication
Code: Language
Speech: Speech sounds > Phonemes
Limited
Writing: Linguistic units > Words
Unlimited
get the message by
Sound (auditory-vocal)
Speech, Musical sounds, birdsong
Touch (tactile)
Braille alphabet of the blind, Secret codes
Sight (visual)
Writing, Sign languages, Morse, Traffic lights
Non-Verbal communication
Visual & Tactile modes
A much wider domain of enquiry of which language is part: the
analysis of linguistic & non-linguistic signs in communication processes
in general. It deals with patterned human communication in all its modes and in all contexts
Origins
A need for animals & humans to communicate so as to (1) carry out basic activities of everyday life & (2) express their feelings/attitudes. However, even the most primitive cultures had a constant need
to express their feelings and ideas by other means than guttural sounds & body movements as animals did
. Our constant preoccupation was
how to turn thoughts into words.
The physiological & genetic evolution of our vocal tract
was essential in the emergence of language, which was accompanied by natural sounds & body language
of communication
Distinctive Features of Human Language
Our auditory-vocal channel
Exclusive to humans
Arbitrariness
No intrinsic/logical connection
btw word/sound forms & what they mean/refer to in real life (btw
language & reality
)
Traditional transmission
Language is
handed down from one generation to the next
by a process of teaching & learning
Productivity
Infinite number of possible new messages
to be expressed, including inventing & telling lies
Displacement
Talk about
events remote in space or time
Duality of patterning
Meaningful messages are made up of
distinct smaller meaningful units
(words/utterances) which in turn are made up of distinct smaller meaningful units (morphemes/phonemes)
Interchangeablity
of messages
Possibility to reproduce messages
to say anything in any context: anything one can hear, one can say
. This allows for the roles of speaker & listener alternating via turn-taking
3. EDUCATIONAL IMPLICATIONS: THE COMMUNICATIVE APPROACH
Communicative Approach
Important factors
in a communicative class
Materials
Task-based
A variety of games, role plays, simulations, and task-based communication activities used
to achieve sth through the use of language
for promoting communicative language use
Realia
Signs, magazines, advertisements, and newspapers, or graphic and visual sources
around which communicative activities can be built, such as
maps, pictures, symbols, graphs, and charts
Text-based
Textbooks
with none of the usual dialogues, drills, or sentence patterns and instead use visual cues, recorded cues, pictures, and sentence fragments to initiate conversation
"Authentic"
Activities
The goal of classroom activities should be
authentic
and
meaningful
communication
Social interaction
Discussion/debate
Role-play
Improvisation
Simulation
Dialogues
Functional communication
Comparing
2 pictures. Similarities & differences
Giving
instructions
on how to draw a picture or shape
Following
directions
Solving
problems
from shared clues
Discovering
missing features in a map/picture
Students' role
Communicators
actively engaged in the negotiation of meaning
Teacher's role
Facilitator
: acts as an advisor during the activities, answering the stuident's questions & monitoring their performance
Multidimensional
Co-communicator
: engages in the communicative activity along with the students
to language teaching
A shift in focus
on students’ capacity to communicate
, rather that the ability to produce grammatically correct sentences
Achieving
Communicative Competence
is the goal of language learning
Principles
Communication
Activities that involve
real communication
promote learning (
in a context & with a
communicative
purpose
)
Real
Task
Activities in which language is used for carrying out
authentic, meaningful tasks
promote learning
Meaningful
Meaningfulness
Language
that is
meaningful
to the learner supports the learning process
Language
A
theory of learning
(the conditions needed to promote L2 learning), not a language theory (the processes of language acquisition)
that promote L2 learningm
Characteristics
Learn by Doing
We
learn to do by doing
. Thus, we learn a language through using it to communicate, that is, through
interaction in the L2
Fluency > Accuracy
Fluency
(the ability to generate & communicate one’s ideas clearly and with relative ease) is more relevant than "accuracy" (the ability to produce language with few errors)
4 Skills
It involves the development & integration of the 4 language
macroskills
Trial & Error
Learning
is a process of creative construction which involves
trial & error
(errors are
natural & tolerated
)
Student-centred
They are the centre of the process (
active role
). Become negotiators & must engage in interaction, fostering student
autonomy & motivation
. Here,
students' needs & interests
are at the core
Situation-oriented
Lessons are built around everyday
real-world situations
that make learners put their learning into practice
2. ANALYSIS OF ITS COMPONENTS
Communicative competence
Use of the linguistic system
Grammatical /Linguistic competence
Control/mastery over the
purely linguistic aspects
of the language code itself (to
match sound & meaning
), verbal and non-verbal to attain a higher level of
proficiency
, where
accuracy
is important. The KNOWLEDGE & SKILLS required to UNDERSTAND & PRODUCE accurately the
literal meaning
of utterances
Knowledge of rules of:
Morphology
(word formation),
Phonology
(pronunciation),
Syntax
(sentence formation),
Lexicon
(vocabulary),
Orthography
(spelling),
Semantics
(meaning comprising the 4 skills)
Verbal & Non-verbal
Spoken & Written
Understand & Produce
(4 macro-skills)
Mastery over the purely linguistic aspects of the language code
Discourse competence
The ways in which
individual sentences connect together
to form a
unified, meaningful communicative message
. How to combine grammatical forms/structures & meanings to achieve a unified spoken/written text in different genres (modes of discourse). The unity of a text is achieved through
cohesion
in form &
coherence
in meaning
Cohesion
How individual utterances are linked structurally (
grammatically & lexically
) and facilitates interpretation of a text by means of
cohesive devices
which connect ideas
within & between sentences
How the components of the
surface text
, the actual
words we hear or see, are mutually connected
Lexico-grammatical connection within & btw sentences
Coherence
The relatioships among the different meanings
or contents of a text. When texts are not coherent, they do not make sense or make it difficult for the reader to follow & understand
How the components of the
textual world
, thus the concepts and relations which underlie the surface text, are mutually accessible and relevant
Meaning relations
Unified (cohesive & coherent), meaningful communicative messages
Functional aspects of communication
Strategic competence
The type of knowledge which we need
to sustain communication
with someone. The mastery of the verbal & nonverbal
Communication Strategies
that may be called into action to (1)
compensate for breakdowns in communication
due to
performance variables
or due to
insufficient competence
& to (2)
enhance the effectiveness
of communication. They solve not only grammatical, but also discursive & sociolinguistic problems/deficiencies in actual communication (the other components of CC)
Most useful in the early stages of L2 learning where CC can be present with just Strategic and Sociolinguistic competence
It performs
assessment
,
planning
&
execution functions
in determining the most effective means of achieving a communicative goal
Mastery of verbal & non-verbal communication strategies
Sociolinguistic competence
The
appropriate use
of language
in particular social situations to convey specific communicative functions
. The knowledge of the
sociocultural rules
of language use (which the learner has to acquire). It requires an understanding of the
social context
in which language is used: (1) the
roles
of the participants, (2) the information/
relationships
they share, and (3) the
function/purpose
of the interaction. So, when an utterance is not clear from its literal meaning it is important to know its social meaning
Appropiateness
The extent to which an utterance is proper/suitable for (1) a particular
audience
, (2) in a given sociolinguistic
context
(3) with a particular
purpose
of Meaning
Whether the particular "communicative functions" are judged to be proper to the situation
of Form
Whether
a given "meaning" is represented in a
(verbal or non-verbal)
form that is proper
to the situation
Knowledge of the Sociocultural rules of language use: appropriate use in a particular context with a specific purpose
Canale & Swain's (1980) and later Canale (1983)