Communicative Competence – Quick Review

Communicative Competence: Overview

  • Coined by Dell Hymes (1966) as response to Chomsky’s “linguistic competence” (1965)
  • Refers to intuitive, functional control of language use principles

Components of Communicative Competence (Canale & Swain, 1980\text{--}1983)

Linguistic / Grammatical Competence (Accuracy)

  • Knowledge of language code: grammar, phonology, vocabulary
  • Ability to form grammatically correct utterances
  • Suggestions:
    • Attain grammar proficiency
    • Use standard pronunciation
    • Enrich sentence construction & lexicon

Sociolinguistic Competence (Appropriacy)

  • Knowledge of sociocultural rules for language use in context
  • Ability to produce context-appropriate utterances
  • Suggestions:
    • Select proper language forms
    • Recognize cultural similarities & differences
    • Show respect for other cultures

Discourse Competence (Fluency)

  • Ability to create coherent & cohesive texts
  • Coherence = logical organization
    • Techniques: thematic, chronological, sequential, inductive, deductive, spatial
  • Cohesion = connectedness between sentences
    • Techniques: repetition, reference, ellipsis, parallelism, consistent point of view, transitional devices
  • Suggestion: apply coherence & cohesion techniques where needed

Strategic Competence (Efficacy)

  • Use of verbal/non-verbal strategies to handle communication problems
  • Two strategy types:
    1. Achievement Strategies
    • Circumlocution: describe concept without the exact word; also used for euphemisms
    • Approximation: use near-equivalent word (e.g., “pipe” for water pipe)
    • All-purpose words: vague substitutes (e.g., “stuff”)
    1. Stalling / Time-Gaining Strategies
    • Fillers & hesitation devices: “uh”, “well”, “actually”, “now let me think”, etc.
  • Suggestion: employ achievement or stalling strategies to prevent breakdowns

Key Takeaways

  • Effective communication requires balanced mastery of all four competencies
  • Focus: Accuracy (linguistic), Appropriacy (sociolinguistic), Fluency (discourse), Efficacy (strategic)
  • Continuous practice in grammar, cultural awareness, text organization, and compensatory strategies strengthens overall communicative competence