SECOND LANGUAGE ACQUISITION’S PAPER

COMMUNICATIVE COMPETENCE

Created by:
Kiromil Baroroh 1713042008
Adelia Puspita 1713042034
Siti Hikmatun Nazilah 1713042048
Cintia Chandra Mahesa 1753042002
Anggie Riansyah 1753042006

ENGLISH EDUCATION STUDY PROGRAM

FACULTY OF TEACHER TRAINING AND EDUCATION
LAMPUNG UNIVERSITY
2020

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 PREFACE

First of all, thank to Allah SWT because of Allah SWT‘s helping, the writer could
finish Second Language Acquisition‘s paper right in the calculated time. In
arranging this paper, the writer got a lot of challenges and obstructions but with
help of many individuals, those are could be passed.

We realized there are still many mistakes in process of writing this paper. Because
of that, we want to say thank to all individuals who have been helped in the
making of this paper. Hopefully Allah replies all helps and bless‘ you all. We
realized that this paper still imperfect both in the arrangement or the content. We
hope the criticism from the readers can help us in making the next paper. Last,
hopefully this paper can help the readers to gain more knowledge about
―Communicative Competence‖.

Bandar Lampung, March 31st 2020

Writer

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 TABLE OF CONTENTS

COVER

PREFACE .............................................................................................. ii

TABLE OF CONTENTS...................................................................... iii

CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background ............................................................................................... 1
1.2 Problem Formulation............................................................................... 1
1.3 Benefits ...................................................................................................... 1

CHAPTER II DISCUSSION
2.1 Definition of Communicative Competence .......................................... 2
2.2 Sub-Categories of Communicative Competence .............................. 3
2.2.1 Linguistic and Discourse .......................................................... 3
2.2.2 Strategic and Sociolinguistic .................................................... 5
2.3 Language Function of Communicative Competence ........................ 7
2.3.1 Definition and Function ........................................................... 7

CHAPTER III CLOSING

3.1 Conclusion................................................................................................. 9

BIBLIOGRAPHY ........................................................................................ 10

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 CHAPTER I
INTRODUCTION

1.1 Background
Communicating effectively in a language requires the speaker‘s good
understanding of linguistic, sociolinguistic and socio-cultural aspects of that
language. This understanding will enable him to use the right language in the
right context for the right purpose and then he can be referred to as
communicatively competent. However, the realization of this level of
knowledge and understanding is always a challenge for foreign language
learners. They often struggle through their journey towards the achievement
of this goal and are often met with many obstacles. Therefore, many
arguments have been raised against designing language courses and
programmes for foreign language contexts to achieve this goal (Saleh, S. E.,
2013). In this paper, we briefly explained what communicative competence
is, the subcategories and language functions of communicative competence.

1.2 Problems Formulation

To focus the attention to the topic discussion, here are the questions related to
the topic:
1. What does communicative competence mean?
2. What does Linguistic and Discourse in communicative competence mean?
3. What does Language Function in communicative competence mean?
4. What is the function of Language?

1.3 Benefits
Here are the purposes of this paper:
1. To know the definition of communicative competence.
2. To know the definition of Linguistic and Discourse in communicative
competence.
3. To know the definition of Language Function in communicative
competence.
4. To know the function of Language.

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 CHAPTER 2
DISCUSSION

2.1 Definition of Communicative Competence

Communicating effectively in a language requires the speaker‘s good
understanding of linguistic, sociolinguistic and socio-cultural aspects of that
language. This understanding will enable him to use the right language in
the right context for the right purpose and then he can be referred to as
communicatively competent. However, the realization of this level of
knowledge and understanding is always a challenge for foreign language
learners. They often struggle through their journey towards the achievement
of this goal and are often met with many obstacles. Therefore, many
arguments have been raised against designing language courses and
programmes for foreign language contexts to achieve this goal (Saleh, S. E.,
2013).

According to Hymes (1972) ‗communicative competence‘ refers to the level

of language learning that enables language users to convey their messages to
others and to understand others‘. Hymes‘ ideas about the ‗communicative
competence‘ were later developed by Canale and Swainin 1980 who
introduced a theoretical model of ‗communicative competence‘. Their
concept of ‗communicative competence‘ refers to ―the relationship and
interaction between grammatical competence, or knowledge of the rules of
grammar, and sociolinguistic competence, or knowledge of rules of
language use‖ (Canale & Swain, 1980: 6).

The complexity of the notion ‗communicative competence‘ increased by the

development of the terms ‗Communicative Language Ability‘ by Bachman
in 1990. This term refers to both ―knowledge, or competence, and the
capacity for implementing or executing that competence in appropriate
contextualized communicative language use‖ (Bachman, 1990: 84).
Bachman suggested a framework for ‗Communicative Language Ability‘
consists of three components including ‗language competence‘, ‗strategic
competence‘ and ‗psychological mechanisms‘ (Bachman, 1990: 107).

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2.2 Sub-Categories of Communicative Competence
2.2.1 Linguistic and Discourse
The linguistic competence deals with grammar. It includes
vocabulary, spelling, punctuation, and pronunciation. Students have to
know rules that govern sentence structure, word formation, tenses,
sound interactions, word and phrase meanings, and collocations. In
other words, syntax, morphology, semantics, phonology, and
phonetics are all subjects of interest to the linguistic competence area.
Students have to be moving towards mastery of each one of them to
construct grammatically correct sentences.

The sociolinguistic competence is concerned with culture and social

rules that govern appropriate language use. For instance, this includes
knowing in what setting that we need to be more formal, how we
express politeness, how we address people correctly, how we treat
certain topics, any taboos, and what terms are politically correct.
Addressing such area tells us how to use language and how to respond
in a conversation appropriately rather than just grammatically correct.
Mastering this competence reveals a more advanced level of language
fluency.

The discourse competence is our knowledge of what patterns of

organization and cohesive devices we can use to connect sentences.
We organize words, phrases, and sentences and produce and
comprehend conversations, articles, messages, and literature. We can
speak, write, read, and listen to information of various types. We
know how to build sentences, how to use them, and how to connect
them in a communication setting. Strategic competence suggests that
we can also overcome language gaps and modify messages with
regard to audience and purpose; it shows we are fluent and effective.
We know how to repair and sustain communication in case of
communication breakdowns and how to keep the communication
channel open. We can paraphrase, use gestures, or explain unfamiliar
words; we can ask for clarification, repetition, and slower speech.
(Ratica Rangelova, n.,d.)
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Communicative competence is a term coined by Dell Hymes in 1966
in reaction to Noam Chomsky‘s (1965) notion of ―linguistic
competence‖. Communicative competence is the intuitive functional
knowledge and control of the principles of language usage. In other
words, a language user needs to use the language not only correctly
(based on linguistic competence), but also appropriately (based on
communicative competence). Of course, this approach does not
diminish the importance of learning the grammatical rules of a
language. In fact, it is one of the four components of communicative
competence: linguistic, sociolinguistic, discourse, and strategic
competence.

If a language learner is asked what they think the goal of a language

course is, they would probably answer that it is to teach the grammar
and vocabulary of that language. However, if they are asked what
their goal is as language learners, they would most probably answer
that it is to be able to communicate in that language. I am not saying
that in actuality the goal of a language course is to teach solely
grammar and vocabulary — well at least it shouldn‘t be just that
anymore. (I‘ve been in a course with such an outdated approach, and
the results were, of course, poor). Fortunately, the focus of second
language teaching has moved from purely teaching grammar and
vocabulary, to providing the skills for effective communication. In
linguistics terminology, a language course should not only have
―linguistic competence‖ as its goal, but ―communicative competence‖
in general.

But what do these terms mean? Communicative competence is a term

coined by Dell Hymes in 1966 in reaction to Noam Chomsky‘s (1965)
notion of ―linguistic competence‖. Communicative competence is the
intuitive functional knowledge and control of the principles of
language usage. As Hymes observes: ―…a normal child acquires
knowledge of sentences not only as grammatical, but also as
appropriate. He or she acquires competence as to when to speak, when
not, and as to what to talk about with whom, when, where, in what
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 manner. In short, a child becomes able to accomplish a repertoire of
speech acts, to take part in speech events, and to evaluate their
accomplishment by others.‖ (Hymes 1972, 277)

In other words, a language user needs to use the language not only
correctly (based on linguistic competence), but also appropriately
(based on communicative competence). Of course, this approach does
not diminish the importance of learning the grammatical rules of a
language. In fact, these are two of the four components of
communicative competence: linguistic, and discourse.
 Linguistic competence 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).
 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 is
knowing how to combine language structures into a cohesive
and coherent oral or written text of different types. Thus,
discourse competence deals with organizing words, phrases
and sentences in order to create conversations, speeches,
poetry, email messages, newspaper articles etc.

2.2.2 Strategic and Sociolinguistic

Strategic competence, an aspect of communicative competence, refers
to the ability to overcome difficulties when communication
breakdowns occur (Celce-Murcia, Dörnyei & Thurrell, 1995). Rather
than viewing communication breakdowns as a deficit, teachers of SLA
should take them as an opportunity for learners to develop their
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strategic competence. Celce-Murcia, Dörnyei and Thurrell (1995)
suggest a number of strategies to respond to communication
breakdowns. Perhaps the most straightforward strategy is to avoid
discussing unfamiliar topics, but this is not always possible. Strategies
for identifying whether a breakdown has occurred include paying
attention to body language and frequently checking listener
comprehension.

It is important for learners to be aware that communication

breakdowns are not uncommon among competent users of English. A
sound understanding of communication can prevent learners from
feeling discouraged when they encounter communication breakdowns.
Thin strategic competence is composed of mastery of verbal and non-
verbal communication strategies that may be called into action for two
main reasons:
 To compensate for breakdowns in communication
 To enhance the effectiveness of communication
Basically, it is the type of knowledge that a speaker needs to sustain a
communication with someone. This may be achieved by paraphrase,
circumlocution, repetition, hesitation, avoidance, guessing as well as
shifts in register and style. Therefore, strategic competence is useful in
various circumstances as for instance, the early stages of second
language acquisition, where communicative competence can be
present with just strategic and socio-linguistic competence.

This component includes both sociocultural rules of use and rules of

discourse. Regarding sociocultural rules of use, this competence is
linked to the notion of the extent to which utterances are produced and
understood appropriately in different sociolinguistic contexts
depending on contextual factors such as status of participants,
purposes of the interaction and norms or conventions of interaction.
The sociolinguistic competence is concerned with culture and social
rules that govern appropriate language use. For instance, this includes
knowing in what setting do we need to be more formal, how we
express politeness, how we address people correctly, how we treat
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 certain topics, any taboos, and what terms are politically correct.
Addressing such area tells us how to use language and how to respond
in a conversation appropriately rather than just grammatically correct.
Mastering this competence reveals a more advanced level of language
fluency.

In terms of rules of discourse, Canale and Swain (1980) defined it as

the mastery of how to combine grammatical forms and meanings.
When the speaker deals with appropriateness of form, we refer to the
extent to which a given meaning is represented in both verbal and
non-verbal form that is proper in a given context. Thus, it refers to
communicative functions, attitudes, prepositions and ideas. In relation
to meaning appropriateness, this competence is concerned with the
extent to which particular communicative functions and ideas are
judged to be proper in a given situation, as, for instance, complaining
and inviting.

2.3 Language Function of Communicative Competence

According to edTPA (2015), language function is the content and language
focus of the learning task represented by the active verbs within the learning
outcomes. Further they added that language functions include identifying,
describing, interpreting, analyzing, arguing a position or point of view;
predicting; evaluating and comparing. A language function refers to what
students do with language as they engage with content and interact with
others. Functions represent the active use of language for a specific purpose.
Students use language functions in order to express ideas, communicate
with others, and show understanding of content in an academic setting.

Halliday conducts studies into the social (nurture) side of the nature vs
nurture debate in language and so refutes theories such as Chomsky‘s LAD
system. In 1975 he identified seven functions that language has for children
in their early years. For Halliday, children are motivated to develop
language because it serves certain purposes or functions for them. This is a
sociological theory rather than a psycholinguistic theory.

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a) Instrumental: Language used to fulfil a need on the part of the
speaker. Directly concerned with obtaining food, drink and
comfort. (e.g. ―Want juice‖)
b) Representational: Language used to exchange information.
Concerned with relaying or requesting information.
c) Regulatory: Language used to influence the behavior of others.
Concerned with persuading / commanding / requesting other
people to do things you want. (e.g. ―Go away‖)
d) Imaginative: Language used to explore the imagination. May also
accompany play as children create imaginary worlds, or may arise
from storytelling.
e) Heuristic: Language used to learn and explore the environment.
Child uses language to learn; this may be questions and answers,
or the kind of running commentary that frequently accompanies
children‘s play. - (e.g. ―What's that?‖)
f) Interactional: Language used to develop social relationships and
ease the process of interaction. Concerned with the phatic
dimension of talk. (e.g. ―Love you, Mummy‖)
g) Personal: Language used to express the personal preferences and
identity of the speaker. Sometimes referred to as the ‗Here I am!‘
function – announcing oneself to the world. (e.g. ―Me good girl‖)

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 CHAPTER 3
CLOSING
3.1 Conclusion
Communicating effectively in a language requires the speaker‘s good
understanding of linguistic, sociolinguistic and socio-cultural aspects of
that language. This understanding will enable him to use the right language
in the right context for the right purpose and then he can be referred to as
communicatively competent. There are 2 sub-categories of communicative
competence, they are linguistic which deals with grammar, includes
vocabulary, spelling, punctuation, and pronunciation. Discourse is the
knowledge of how to produce and comprehend oral or written texts in the
modes of speaking/writing and listening/reading respectively. Strategic
competence is an aspect of communicative competence, refers to the
ability to overcome difficulties when communication breakdowns occur.
Further, language function is the content and language focus of the
learning task represented by the active verbs within the learning outcomes.

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 BIBLIOGRAPHY

Andradas, Badia, Garcia, Herrera (2010) Communicative Competence. Retrieved

March 30th, 2020 from https://id.scribd.com/doc/46540085/4-
Communicative-Competence

edTPA. (2015). Assessment handbook glossary. Retrieved from

https://secure.aacte.org/apps/rl/resource.php?ref=edtpa&cid=37

Ralica Rangelova (n.d.) Communicative Competence: Definition and Models.

Retrieved March 30th, 2020 from
https://study.com/academy/lesson/communicative-competence-
definition-model.html

Saleh, S. E. (2013). Understanding communicative competence. University

Bulletin, 3(15), 101-110.

Spyros Armostis (May 7th, 2013) Communicative Competence. Retrieved March

30th, 2020 from https://linguisticator.com/blog/19530/communicative-
competence

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