Communicative Competence and Skills in Language Learning
Defining Communicative Competence
To understand the relationship between communicative competence and skills, we must first define communicative competence. It emerges when functional or social linguistics intersect with fields like pragmatics, text linguistics, and discourse analysis. This provides a theory of social processes involved in language use. Functional linguistics has developed the notion of communicative competence, which encompasses not only linguistic competence (knowledge of the linguistic code) but also knowledge of language use. This means understanding what a speaker needs to know to communicate effectively within a speech community.
According to Hymes, adding a communicative element to competence means incorporating rules of use alongside grammar, syntax, semantics, and speech. Speakers require all of these to understand and utilize linguistic forms effectively.
Canale and Swain referred to linguistic competence as grammatical competence. Chomsky proposed that the objective of formalist linguistics is linguistic competence. This implies an idealization and abstraction of actual linguistic behavior. For Chomsky, it represents the ideal speaker’s knowledge of language structure and the relationships between elements at various linguistic levels.
Essential Components of Communicative Competence
Within communicative competence, we find three essential components:
- Textual Competence: The speaker/hearer’s ability to interpret individual elements in connection with others, combining them efficiently to create a coherent spoken or written text.
- Interactional Competence: The speaker/hearer’s ability to engage in effective communication with an interlocutor.
- Sociolinguistic Competence: The speaker/hearer’s understanding of the social context in which communication occurs.
These types of communicative competence are crucial for defining and clarifying the concept of communicative skills.
Communicative Language Teaching
Communicative language teaching emphasizes practicing structures in situational activities, similar to skill-based activities. This approach stems from a theory of language as communication, with key characteristics including:
- Language is a system for expressing meaning.
- The primary function of language is to facilitate interaction and communication.
Learners play an active role in negotiation and are expected to interact in groups with the teacher, who acts as a facilitator of the communicative process. Materials used include textbooks, tables of contents, language practice exercises, games, role-plays, and simulations.
Writing Skills and Communicative Competence
Textual Competence in Writing
Teachers have long utilized models of reading to design reading tasks and provide practical classroom methodology suggestions. They must also guide students to become proficient writers by understanding the intricacies of writing and the roles of both teachers and students in developing writing activities.
Classroom writing activities should reflect the ultimate goal of enabling students to produce whole texts that are connected, contextualized, and appropriate for communication. Writers need several skills to produce effective writing:
- Grammatical accuracy
- A wide vocabulary
- Meaningful punctuation
- Accurate spelling
- Clear and convincing idea linking, development, and organization
Writing demands conscious effort, and learners monitor their writing more closely than their speech due to its more deliberate nature. Extensive reading is crucial for aspiring writers, as exposure to various text types helps develop an awareness of effective writing practices.
Students need dedicated classroom time for writing. Teachers should select or design activities that support learners in producing written work. Collaborative writing is an important aspect to consider, as it allows for brainstorming, organization, and drafting, with stronger students assisting weaker ones.
Interactional Competence in Writing
Most real-life writing is intended for a specific reader, creating an interaction between the writer and the reader. Group work also fosters interaction, as members contribute to the writing process through brainstorming, organization, and drafting.
Sociolinguistic Competence in Writing
Writers must be aware of the context in which they are writing. For instance, describing a place requires understanding the appropriate context and language. Similarly, writing a text to someone involves considering the context and situation to ensure effective communication.
By integrating these three types of communicative competence, learners can develop strong writing skills and effectively communicate their ideas in written form.