1、1.Communicative competence typically refers to how well someone is able to communicate with others, though this can be elaborated upon and further refined in a number of ways. 2. Communicative competence is important for anyone who wishes to be able to communicate clearly, especially public speakers
2、 and people learning a second language.Politicians and other public speakers often seek high levels of communicative competence to be able to effectively convey meaning and express ideas to others. People who are learning a second language also tend to focus on this type of competence to ensure they
3、 understand subtext and various aspects of communication within that language that may be subtle and complex. The idea behind communicative competence is that the ways in which people communicate can be analyzed and considered with regard to effectiveness. Someone is often considered competent, at l
4、east on a surface level, if he or she can talk to someone else in a way that is appropriate and which conveys meaning in an accurate way. This actual process, however, is often seen as being composed of three basic steps that occur in communication. Planning is a vital part of communicative competen
5、ce as it demonstrates that someone is able to think about communication ahead of time and prepare for it.2.During communication, the way in which a person communicates is often considered in two elements regarding his or her communicative competence. The message that is delivered is the actual conte
6、nt that a person speaks, writes, or otherwise expresses in some way. Within this message, however, is the meaning that a person manages to convey. Someone may feel that his or her message expresses one idea, but the actual meaning might not necessarily match the intention of the message.Communicativ
7、e competence is important for just about anyone who wishes to communicate with other people in any type of relationship. Arguments and disagreements can often be avoided if people are able to effectively express meaning in a message. 3. Comment1: Communicative competence starts developing at a young
8、 age. So childhood and education is important. But its also true that some people naturally have more skill and competence in this area. I think it has to do with the various areas of the brain and which areas an individual uses more heavily.For example, my brother is a very smart person but his com
9、munication skills are very poor. I dont think he will every be competent in this area. He has always been this way. Comment2: Those who want to know what excellent communicative competence means can observe lawyers. Lawyers, naturally, have to be great communicators. They have to present their ideas
10、 and information in the right ways in order to make an impact on the listener.I knew many law students in school and they were some of the best communicators I have come across. The amazing part was that they used language so well that they could convince me of one thing and then argue against it an
11、d convince me of the opposite argument in a matter of minutes. Now thats communicative competence. 4Language teaching in the United States is based on the idea that the goal of language acquisition is communicative competence: the ability to use the language correctly and appropriately to accomplish
12、 communication goals. The desired outcome of the language learning process is the ability to communicate competently, not the ability to use the language exactly as a native speaker does。Communicative competence is made up of four competence areas: linguistic, sociolinguistic, discourse, and strateg
13、ic.Linguistic competence is knowing how to use the grammar, syntax, and vocabulary of a language. Linguistic competence asks: What words do I use? How do I put them into phrases and sentences?Sociolinguistic competence is knowing how to use and respond to language appropriately, given the setting, t
14、he topic, and the relationships among the people communicating. Sociolinguistic competence asks: Which words and phrases fit this setting and this topic? How can I express a specific attitude (courtesy, authority, friendliness, respect) when I need to? How do I know what attitude another person is e
15、xpressing?Discourse competence is knowing how to interpret the larger context and how to construct longer stretches of language so that the parts make up a coherent whole. Discourse competence asks: How are words, phrases and sentences put together to create conversations, speeches, email messages,
16、newspaper articles?Strategic competence is knowing how to recognize and repair communication breakdowns, how to work around gaps in ones knowledge of the language, and how to learn more about the language and in the context. Strategic competence asks: How do I know when Ive misunderstood or when som
17、eone has misunderstood me? What do I say then? How can I express my ideas if I dont know the name of something or the right verb form to use?In the early stages of language learning, instructors and students may want to keep in mind the goal of communicative efficiency: That learners should be able
18、to make themselves understood, using their current proficiency to the fullest. They should try to avoid confusion in the message (due to faulty pronunciation, grammar, or vocabulary); to avoid offending communication partners (due to socially inappropriate style); and to use strategies for recognizi
19、ng and managing communication breakdowns.The concept of communicative competence (a term coined by linguist Dell Hymes in 1972) grew out of resistance to the concept of linguistic competence introduced by Noam Chomsky (1965). Most scholars now consider linguistic competence to be a part of communica
20、tive competence.Canale and Swains Model of Communicative CompetenceIn “Theoretical Bases of Communicative Approaches to Second Language Teaching and Testing“ (Applied Linguistics, 1980), Michael Canale and Merrill Swain identified these four components of communicative competence:(i) Grammatical com
21、petence includes knowledge of phonology, orthography, vocabulary, word formation and sentence formation.(ii) Sociolinguistic competence includes knowledge of sociocultural rules of use. It is concerned with the learners ability to handle for example settings, topics and communicative functions in di
22、fferent sociolinguistic contexts. In addition, it deals with the use of appropriate grammatical forms for different communicative functions in different sociolinguistic contexts.(iii) Discourse competence is related to the learners mastery of understanding and producing texts in the modes of listeni
23、ng, speaking, reading and writing. It deals with cohesion and coherence in different types of texts.(iv) Strategic competence refers to compensatory strategies in case of grammatical or sociolinguistic or discourse difficulties, such as the use of reference sources, grammatical and lexical paraphras
24、e, requests for repetition, clarification, slower speech, or problems in addressing strangers when unsure of their social status or in finding the right cohesion devices. It is also concerned with such performance factors as coping with the nuisance of background noise or using gap fillers.(Reinhold Peterwagner, What Is the Matter With Communicative Competence?: An Analysis to Encourage Teachers of English to Assess the Very Basis of Their Teaching. Lit Verlag, 2005)
