communicative competence
Communicative Competence
Dell Hymes
The concept was introduced by the sociolinguist Dell Hymes as a response to the perceived limitations in Chomsky’s competence/performance model of language.
It was also a reaction against Chomsky’s overemphasis on linguistic competence.
Hymes defined cc as that aspect of our competence that enables us to convey and interpret messages and to negotiate meaning interpersonally within specific contexts. or
Knowledge that enables a person to communicate functionally and interactively.
In Hymes view, linguistic competence or knowledge about language forms could not account for the social and functional rules of language.
CALP/BICS by Cummins (1979)
CALP: cognitive academic language proficiency (context-reduced communication): is what the learners often use in classroom exercises & tests that focus on form. These skills are cognitively demanding but not related to context.
BICS: basic interpersonal communicative skills (context-embedded communication): is the communicative capacity that all children acquire to be able to function in daily interpersonal exchanges. These skills are cognitively undemanding but rely on context to clarify meaning.
Canale & Swain’s model of Communicative Competence
1. Grammatical competence
2. Sociolinguistic competence
3. strategic competence
4. discourse competence
1. Grammatical competence
Knowledge that is responsible for producing a structurally comprehensible utterance (related to formal aspects of language)
Including grammar, vocabulary, pronunciation, spelling, morphology, syntax and semantics
Comparable with Chomsky’s linguistic competence
2. Sociolinguistic competence
Knowledge that enables us to use the sociocultural rules of language use and (discourse)
Using socially-determined cultural codes in meaningful ways, often termed appropriateness.
3. Strategic competence
Knowledge of how to overcome problems when faced with difficulties and compensate for
Dell Hymes
The concept was introduced by the sociolinguist Dell Hymes as a response to the perceived limitations in Chomsky’s competence/performance model of language.
It was also a reaction against Chomsky’s overemphasis on linguistic competence.
Hymes defined cc as that aspect of our competence that enables us to convey and interpret messages and to negotiate meaning interpersonally within specific contexts. or
Knowledge that enables a person to communicate functionally and interactively.
In Hymes view, linguistic competence or knowledge about language forms could not account for the social and functional rules of language.
CALP/BICS by Cummins (1979)
CALP: cognitive academic language proficiency (context-reduced communication): is what the learners often use in classroom exercises & tests that focus on form. These skills are cognitively demanding but not related to context.
BICS: basic interpersonal communicative skills (context-embedded communication): is the communicative capacity that all children acquire to be able to function in daily interpersonal exchanges. These skills are cognitively undemanding but rely on context to clarify meaning.
Canale & Swain’s model of Communicative Competence
1. Grammatical competence
2. Sociolinguistic competence
3. strategic competence
4. discourse competence
1. Grammatical competence
Knowledge that is responsible for producing a structurally comprehensible utterance (related to formal aspects of language)
Including grammar, vocabulary, pronunciation, spelling, morphology, syntax and semantics
Comparable with Chomsky’s linguistic competence
2. Sociolinguistic competence
Knowledge that enables us to use the sociocultural rules of language use and (discourse)
Using socially-determined cultural codes in meaningful ways, often termed appropriateness.
3. Strategic competence
Knowledge of how to overcome problems when faced with difficulties and compensate for