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Communicative Competence
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Dell Hymes
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The concept was introduced by the sociolinguist Dell Hymes as a response to the perceived
limitations in Chomsky’s competence/performance model of language.
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It was also a reaction against Chomsky’s overemphasis on linguistic competence.
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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
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Knowledge that enables a person to communicate functionally and interactively.
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In Hymes view, linguistic competence or knowledge about language forms could not account for
the social and functional rules of language.
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CALP/BICS by Cummins (1979)
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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.
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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.
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Canale & Swain’s model of Communicative Competence
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1. Grammatical competence
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2. Sociolinguistic competence
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3. strategic competence
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4. discourse competence
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1. Grammatical competence
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Knowledge that is responsible for producing a structurally comprehensible utterance (related to
formal aspects of language)
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Including grammar, vocabulary, pronunciation, spelling, morphology, syntax and semantics
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Comparable with Chomsky’s linguistic competence
2. Sociolinguistic competence
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Knowledge that enables us to use the sociocultural rules of language use and (discourse)
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Using socially-determined cultural codes in meaningful ways, often termed appropriateness.
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3. Strategic competence
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Knowledge of how to overcome problems when faced with difficulties and compensate for
breakdowns in communication &
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Knowledge of how to enhance the effectiveness of communication
4. Discourse Competence
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Knowledge of shaping language and communicating purposefully in different genres (text types)
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Knowledge of cohesion (structural linking) and coherence (meaningful relationships in language)
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Backman’s Model of Communicative Competence
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It comprises 5 basic components:
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Knowledge structures
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Language competence
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Strategic competence
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Psychophysiological mechanisms
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Context of situation
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Language competence
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1. organizational competence: formal aspects of language
1.1. grammatical competence (vocabulary, morphology, syntax, phonology, graphology)
1.2. textual competence (cohesion, rhetorical organization)
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2. pragmatic competence (negotiating meaning interpersonally
and functionally)
2.1. illocutionary competence (ideational, manipulative,
heuristic, & imaginative functions; coherence;
speech acts)
2.2. sociolinguistic competence ( sensitivity to dialect or
variety, sensitivity to register, sensitivity to
naturalness, cultural references, figures of speech)
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Language Functions
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Functions: the purposes accomplished trough the use of language , or what purposes we
achieve through the use of language
Examples: Stating, requesting, responding, greeting, parting
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Functions contrast forms:
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Forms: outward manifestation of language
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Functions: the realization
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Speech acts
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An utterance as a functional unit in communication
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In speech act theory, utterances have three kinds of meaning:
1.
Propositional meaning: propositional meaning or dictionary meaning
2.
Illocutionary meaning: (illocutionary force) using a sentence to perform a function (intended
meaning)
3. Perlocutionary meaning: (perlocutionary force) the effect of utterance on the hearer or listener
I am thirsty.
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7 functions of Halliday:
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1. instrumental function: manipulating the environment, causing certain events to happen
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2. regulatory function: the control of events (not so much related to power)
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3. representational function: (the use of knowledge to convey knowledge, facts)
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4. interactional function: (social maintenance)
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5. personal function: (express feelings, personality)
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6. heuristic function: (searching for truth, acquiring knowledge)
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7. imaginative function: (create imaginary systems or ideas)
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Notional-functional syllabus
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Wilkins (1976): proposed a syllabus organized around notions and functions
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Notions: abstract concepts such as existence, space, time, quantity, quality and also contexts or
situations like travel, health, education, shopping, and free time.
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Functions: what we can do by the use of language
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Identifying, reporting, denying, declining an invitation, asking permission, apologizing,
apologizing,
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Discourse Analysis
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Discourse Analysis: the analysis of the relationship between forms and functions of the
language or
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How sentences in spoken and written form larger meaningful units or texts
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Cohesion: formal relations
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Coherence: meaning relations
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Pragmatics: the study of the use of language in communication or how language is used in
conveying and interpreting meaning