Report on Communicative CompetenceJocelyn B. Camero----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Communicative Competence (coined by Dell Hymes)

-is that aspect of our competence that enables us to convey and interprete messages and to negotiate meanings interpersonally within specific contexts. - SAVIGNON noted that communicative competence is relative, not absolute, and depends on the cooperative of all the participants involved.

-it is a dynamic interpersonal construct that can be examined only by means of the overt performance of two or more individuals in the process of communication.

RESEARCHES ON COMMUNICATIVE COMPETENCE 1. HYMES -1967; PAULSTON 1974LINGUISTIC AND COMMUNICATIVE COMPETENCE (1970s) -knowledge between language form and the knowledge that enables a a person to communicate functionally and interactively.

2. JAMES CUMMINS- proposed a distinction between Cognitive/Academic Language proficiency (CALPS) and BASIC

INTERPERSONAL COMMUNICATIVE SKILLS (BICS) CALPS- is that dimension of proficiency in which the learner manipulates or reflects upon the surface features of language outside of the immediate interpersonal context.

-it is what learners often use in classroom exercises and tests that focus on form.-it is context reduced communication (Cummins)

BICS- is the communicative capacity that all children acquire in order to be able to function in daily exchanges. -is a context embedded communication (Cummins)

FOUR DIFFERENT COMPONENTS OF COMMUNICATIVE COMPETENCE (Michael Canale and Merrill Swain)A.GRAMMATICAL COMPETENCE is the aspect of communicative competence that encompasses knowledge of lexical items and of rules of morphology, syntax, sentence-grammar, semantics and phonology. B.DISCOURSE COMPETENCE-is the ability we have to connect sentences in stretches of discourse and to form a meaningful whole out of a series of utterances.C. SOCIOLINGUISTIC COMPETENCE – knowledge of the sociocultural rules of language and of discourse. This type of competence “requires an understanding of the social context in which language is used: the roles of the participants, the information they share, and the function of the interaction.D.STRATEGIC COMPETENCE- a construct that is exceedingly complex.Canale and Swain described it as “the verbal and nonverbal communication strategies that may be called to action to compensate for the breakdown in communication due to performance variables or due to insufficient competence.Savignon describes it as the strategies that one uses for imperfect knowledge of rules or limiting factors in their application such as fatigue, distraction and inattention.

It is the competence underlying our ability to make repairs, to cope with imperfect knowledge, and to sustain communication through “paraphrase, circumlocution, repetition, hesitation, avoidance, and guessing as well shifts in register and style”.

STRATEGIC COMPETENCEIt is the way we manipulate language in order to meet communicative goals.

LYLE BACHMAN COMPONENTS OF LANGUAGE COMPETENCE

I. Organizational Competence A. Grammatical Competence-vocabulary-morphology

-syntax-phonology/graphology

B. Textual Competence-cohesion-rhetorical organizationII. Pragmatic Competence A. Illocutionary Competence- Ideational functions-Manipulative functions

- Heuristic Functions- Imaginative Functions

B. Sociolinguistic Competence-Sensitivity to dialect or language variety-sensitivity to register

-sensitivity to naturalness-cultural references and figures of speech

COMPONENTS OF COMMUNICATIVE LANGUAGE ABILITY IN COMMUNICATIVE LANGUAGE USE

ORGANIZATIONAL COMPETENCE-all those rules and systems that dictate what we can do with the forms of language, whether they be sentence-

level rules (grammar) or rules that govern how we “string” sentences together(discourse)

PRAGMATIC COMPETENCE (Canale and Swain’s Sociolinguistic Competence)-has 2 separate pragmatic categories1. Functional aspects of language (illocutionary competence) - pertains to sending and receiving intended

meanings.2. Sociolinguistic Competence- deals with such considerations as politeness, formality, metaphor, register and

culturally related aspects of language.

A.LANGUAGE FUNCTIONS -illocutionary competence- are the purposes that we accomplish with language.

Example: stating, requesting responding, greeting, parting, etc.

B. FORMS OF LANGUAGE-are used to accomplish language functionsExample: morphemes words, grammar rules, and other organizational competencies

Forms are the outward manifestation of language, functions are the realization of those forms.

Strategic Competence

Psychophysiological mechanisms

Context of situation

Knowledge StructuresKnowledge of the word

Language CompetenceKnowledge of the language

COMMUNICATION-is functional, purposive and designed to bring about some effect on the environment of hearers and speakers

ACCORDING TO JOHN AUSTIN (1962)-communication is a series of communicative acts or speech acts which are used systematically to accomplish particular purposes.-he stressed the importance of the consequences ( perlocutionary force) of linguistic communication or the effect that utterances achieve. 2 implications for both the production and comprehension of an utterance1. Both mode of performance serve to bring the communicative act to its ultimate purpose2. Language learners need to understand the purpose of communication, developing an awareness of what the purposeof communication act is and how to achieve that purpose in linguistic forms.

FUNCTIONAL APPROACH TO LANGUAGEJ.R.FIRTH is a British linguist who viewed language as interactive and interpersonal, “a way of behaving and making others behave”.MICHAEL HALLIDAY provided one of the expositions of language functions (purposive nature of communication)SEVEN DIFFERENT FUNCTIONS OF LANGUAGGE1. INSTRUMENTAL FUNCTIONS serves to manipulate the environment, to cause certain events to happen.2 .REGULATORY FUNCTION of language is the control of events3. REPRESENTATIONAL FUNCTION is the use of language to make statements convey facts and knowledge, explain or report- that is to” represent reality as one sees it”.4. INTERACTIONAL FUNCTION serves to ensure social maintenance.“PHATIC COMMUNION” (Malinowski) refers to the communicative contact between and among human beings that simply allows them to establish social contact and to keep channels of communication open.5. PERSONAL FUNCTION allows a speaker to express feelings, emotions, personality, “gut-level” reactions. A person’s individuality is usually characterized by his or her use of the personal function of communication. In the personal nature of language, cognition, affect and culture all interact.6. HEURISTIC FUNCTION involves language used to acquire knowledge to learn about the environment. Heuristic functions are often conveyed in the form of questions that will lead to answers.7. IMAGINATIVE FUNCTION serves to create imaginary systems or ideas. Through the imaginative dimensions of language we are free to go beyond the real world to soar to the heights of the beauty of language itself, and through that language to create impossible dreams if we so desire.

FUNCTIONAL SYLLABUSES-Their developments were the most apparent practical application of functional descriptions of language. They are also known notional functional syllabuses.- attended to functions as organizing elements of a foreign language curriculumSyllabus- curriculumNotions- referred to both the abstract concepts such as existence, space, time, quantity, and quality and to what we call “contexts” or “situations”, such as travel, health, education, shopping and free time.Functional-corresponded to language functions.

Curricula were organized around such functions as identifying, reporting, denying, declining an invitation, asking permission, apologizing, etc.Controversies on their effectiveness1. Textbooks that claim to have a functional base may be “sorely inadequate and, maybe misleading in their representation of language ass interaction.2. Context is the real key to giving meaning to both form and function and therefore just because a function is “covered” does not mean that learners have internalized it for authentic, unrehearsed use in the real world.3. Communication is qualitative and infinite; a syllabus is quantitative and finite.DISCOURSE ANALYSIS -It is the analysis of the relationship between forms and functions of language. -Language is more than just a sentence – level phenomenon. - the production and comprehension of language are a factor of our ability to perceive and process stretches of discourse, to formulate representations of meaning not just from a single sentence but from references from previous sentences and following sentences .

INTERSENTENTIAL RELATIONS IN DISCOURSE –a single sentence sometimes contains certain presuppositions or entailments that are not overtly manifested in surrounding sentence-level surface structure, but that are clear from the total context. In written language, it is when the writer builds a network of ideas or feelings and the reader interprets them.In the classroom approaches that emphasized only the aspects of learner language overlooked important discourse functions.In second language learning the basic assumption has been … that one first learns how to manipulate language structures, that one gradually builds up a repertoire of structures and then, somehow, learns how to put up the structures to use in discourse. But, there is a possibility that just the reverse happens. One learns how to do a conversation, one learns to interact verbally, and out of this interaction syntactic structures are developed.In the discourse of the written word and the process of acquiring reading and writing skills, traditional techniques in teaching reading skills have gone from the traditional passage, comprehension questions and vocabulary exercises to text attack skills which include sophisticated techniques for recognizing and interpreting cohesive devices, discourse markers, rhetorical organization, and other textual discourse features.(Nuttall 1996) Cohesion and coherence are common terms that need to be considered in teaching reading. Likewise the analysis of the writing skills has progressed to recognition of the pragmatic and the organizational competence that is necessary to write effectively in the second language.

CONVERSATION ANALYSIS-is one of the most salient features and significant modes of discourse. Conversations- are excellent examples of the interactive and interpersonal nature of communication- are cooperative ventures (Hatch & Long 1980)WHAT ARE THE RULES THAT GOVERN OUR CONVERSATION?1. Attention getting-have the attention of your audience2. Topic nomination-involves verbal and nonverbal cues and are highly contextually constrained3. Topic development- maintenance of a conversation

- uses conventions of turn-taking to accomplish various functions of languageTurn-taking-is another culturally oriented set of rules that require finely tuned perceptions in order to communicate effectively.

Clarification- manifests itself in various forms of heuristic functions -often involves seeking or giving repair of linguistic forms that contain errors.

REPAIR- involves a continuum of possibilities ranging from indirect signals to outright correction. -strategic competence (Canale and Swain)

Topic shifting and avoidance- affected through verbal and nonverbal signs Interruptions-form of attention getting; its rules vary widely across cultures and languages. 4. Topic termination is an art; each language has verbal and nonverbal signals for terminationH.P. Grice (1967) - Conversational “maxims” that enable the speaker to nominate and maintain a topic of conversation1. QUANTITY: Say only as much as necessary for understanding the communication.2. QUALITY: Say only what is true.3. RELEVANCE: Say only what is relevant.4. MANNER: Be clear.

PRAGMATICSPragmatic constraints on language comprehension and production may be loosely thought of as the effect of context on strings of linguistic events.Learning the organizational rules of a second language are almost simple when compared to the complexity of catching on to a seemingly never-ending list of pragmatic constraints for a second language learner.Pragmatic conventions from a learner’s first language can transfer both positively and negativelyApologizing, complimenting, thanking,, face-saving conversational cooperation strategies (Turner 1995 ) often prove to be difficult for second language learners to acquire

LANGUAGE AND GENDERDifferences in the way males and females speak

1. Among American English speakers

a. girls have been found to produce more standard language than boys, a pattern that continues on through adulthood.b. women appear to use language that express uncertainty than men suggesting less confidence on what they say-tag questions, rising intonation on declaratives, hedgesc. men have reported to interrupt than women, and to use stronger expletives, while the latter use more polite formsd. males place more value in conversational interaction, on status and report talk, competing for the floor, while females value connection and rapport fulfilling their role as” more cooperative and facilitative conversationalists, concerned for their partner’s positive face needs

2. Carib Indians in Lesser Antilles a .males and females must use entirely different markings for abstract nouns b. males and females use different syntactic and phonological variants. 3. Japanese a. women’s and men’s language is differentiated by formal ( syntactic) variants, intonation patterns , and non

verbal expression. 4. English

a. ”sexist language”- language that either calls unnecessary attention to gender or is demeaning to one gender example: the generic he

STYLES AND REGISTER

STYLES - complicate the study of language.-formal or informal speaking governed by circumstances

FACTORS1. subject matter2. audience3.occasion4. shared experience5. purpose of communicationLEVELS OF FORMALITY BY MARTIN JOOS (1967)1. Oratorical style is used in public speaking before a larger audience; wording is advance, intonation is somewhat exaggerated and numerous rhetorical devices are appropriate2. Deliberative style is also used in addressing audiences which are too large to permit effective interchange between speakers and hearers, although the forms are not polished as those in oratorical style3. Consultative style is typically a dialogue, though formal enough that words are chosen with some care4. Casual conversations are between friends and colleagues or sometimes members of a family, in this context words need not be guarded and social barriers are moderately low.5. Intimate style is one characterized by complete absence of social inhibitions

Written style is usually more deliberative, with carefully chosen words and relatively few performance variables Verbal aspects of styles are difficult enough to learn

-syntax-lexical items vary

REGISTERS- are sets of language associated with discrete occupational or socioeconomic groups.-sometimes enable people to identify with a particular group and maintain solidarityFERGUSSON (1994)-“people participating in recurrent communication situations tend to develop similar vocabularies, similar features of intonation, characteristic bits of syntax and phonology that they use in these situations.

The acquisition of both styles and registers combines a linguistic and culture learning process for the second language learner. Cross-cultural variation (understanding cognitively and affectively what levels of formality are appropriate or inappropriate) is a primary barrier.

NONVERBAL CONNUNICATION

- is the silent language (Edward Hull 1959)- interactive language functions in which social contact is of key importance - it is not what you say that counts but how you say it- what you convey with body language, gestures, eye contact, physical distance and other nonverbal messages.- the expression of culture is so bound up in nonverbal communication that the barriers to culture learning are more nonverbal than verbal.

KINESICS-body language-there are tremendous cross-culturally and cross- linguistically in the specific interpretations of gestures.

EYE CONTACT-eyes can signal interest, boredom, empathy, hostility, attraction, understanding, misunderstanding and other messages. Gestures (eye movement) are in some instances keys to communication.

a. Is eye contact appropriate between two participants in a conversation?b. When is it permissible not to maintain eye contact?c. What does eye contact or the absence thereof signal?

PROXEMICS-is also a meaningful communicative category where cultures vary widely in acceptable distances for conversation.Edward Hall (1966)-calculated acceptable distances for public, social consultative, personal, and intimate discourse Example: Americans- stranger violates a certain personal space “ bubble” if he/she stands closer than twenty to twenty-four inches away unless space is restricted such as in a subway or elevator but this space is too great for Latin a Americans.

ARTIFACTS-the nonverbal aspects of clothing and ornamentation are also important aspects of communication.

Clothes often signal a person’s sense of self-esteem, socio-economic class, and general character. Jewelry also conveys certain messages.Artifacts , along with nonverbal signals, can be a significant factor in lifting barriers, identifying certain personality characteristics, and setting a general mood.

KINESTHETICS-is another culturally loaded aspect of nonverbal communication.- how we touch others and where we touch them is sometimes the most misunderstood aspect of nonverbal communication-touching in some cultures signals a very personal or intimate register , while in other cultures extensive touching is commonplace.

OLFACTORY DIMENSIONS-our noses also receive sensory nonverbal messages.-different cultures have established dimensions of olfactory communication Example: 20th century- perfumes, lotions, creams, and powders as acceptable and even necessary

In the Classroom: Communicative Language TeachingCharacteristics:1. Classroom goals are focused on all of the components communicative competence and not restricted on grammatical or linguistic competence2. Language techniques are designed to engage learners in the pragmatic, authentic, functional use of language for meaningful purposes. Organizational language forms are not the central focus but rather the aspects of language that enable the learner to accomplish those purposes.3. Fluency and accuracy are seen as complimentary principles underlying communicative techniques. Sometimes fluency has to take on more importance than accuracy in order to keep the learners meaningfully engaged in language use.4. In the communicative classroom, students ultimately have to use the language, productively and receptively in unrehearsed contexts.