TEAHING AND ASSESING GRAMMAR

English 6
Lesson No: 2

Lesson Title: COMMUNICATIVE COMPETENCE

Let’s Hit These:

At the end of this lesson you should be able discuss how communicative competence can
be achieved.

Let’s Get Started:

Read the dialogue below.

Students are conversing inside a room.
Student A: Hey guys! I have something to tell you about our newly elected SSG president.
Student B: Sssh…the door is open.
Student C: Yah, the door is open. So what?
(Student B stands up and closes the door.)

Let’s Find Out:

1. What does Student B mean when he said that the door was open?
2. Is Student C’s response appropriate? Why do you say so?

Let’s Read:
Communicative competence has been coined by Dell Hymes (1966) in reaction to
Chomsky’s linguistic competence. To Chomsky, linguistic competence is one’s knowledge of a
language separate from his actual performance. Hymes has defined communicative competence
as something which enables a member of the community to know when to speak and when to
remain silent, which code to use, when, where and to whom, etc. (Hymes, 1967, p. 13). Since then,
the concept has developed over years and different models of communicative competence have
been offered by different scholars. Canale and Swain model of communicative competence is
illustrated below:
 Linguistic Sociolinguistic
Competence Competence

COMMUNICATIVE
COMPETENCE

Discourse Strategic
Competence Competence

1. Linguistic competence deals with words and rules. According to Canale and Swain
it is the knowledge of the language code, i.e. its grammar and vocabulary, and also
of the conventions of its written representation (script and orthography). The
grammar component includes the knowledge of the sounds and their pronunciation
(i.e. phonetics), the rules that govern sound interactions and patterns (i.e.
phonology), the formation of words by means of e.g. inflection and derivation (i.e.
morphology), the rules that govern the combination of words and phrases to
structure sentences (i.e. syntax), and the way that meaning is conveyed through
language (i.e. semantics).
2. Sociolinguistic competence is concerned with approriacy. It is defined as the
knowledge of sociocultural rules of use, i.e. knowing how to use and respond to
language appropriately. The appropriateness depends on the setting of the
communication, the topic, and the relationships among the people communicating.
Moreover, being appropriate depends on knowing what the taboos of the other
culture are, what politeness indices are used in each case, what the politically correct
term would be for something, how a specific attitude (authority, friendliness,
courtesy, irony etc.) is expressed etc.
3. Discourse competence is the knowledge of how to produce and comprehend oral
or written texts in the modes of speaking/writing and listening/reading respectively.
It’s knowing how to combine language structures into a cohesive and coherent oral
or written text of different types. Thus, discourse competence deals with organising
words, phrases and sentences in order to create conversations, speeches, poetry,
email messages, newspaper articles etc.
4. Strategic competence is the ability to recognise and repair communication
breakdowns before, during, or after they occur. For instance, the speaker may not
know a certain word, thus will plan to either paraphrase, or ask what that word is in
the target language. During the conversation, background noise or other factors may
hinder communication; thus the speaker must know how to keep the communication
channel open. If the communication was unsuccessful due to external factors (such
as interruptions), or due to the message being misunderstood, the speaker must
 know how to restore communication. These strategies may be requests for
repetition, clarification, slower speech, or the usage of gestures, taking turns in
conversation etc.

Let’s Remember:
Communicative competence which was first introduced by MAK Halliday as a reaction to
Chomsky’s linguistic competence means communicating correctly, appropriately, and effectively
so the target receiver will be able to understand the message as you intend it to be. Since then,
several models have been introduced but the most recognized model is that of Canale and Swain.
It has four components: linguistic competence, sociolinguistic competence, discourse competence,
and strategic competence. Linguistic competence deals with one’s knowledge on the correct usage
of the language and its different structures. Sociolinguistic competence considers the appropriacy
of the language use. Whom, when, where, and how you are talking are important things to consider
in this competence. Discourse competence is being coherent and cohesive in sentences
constructed. Lastly, strategic competence has something to do with one’s strategies to repair
communication breakdowns. Examples of this are clarifying, using gestures, and paraphrasing.

Let’s Do This:
Write an essay on how communicative competence can be achieved. (30 pts.)