Teaching Goals and Methods
Goal: Communicative Competence
Language 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 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 strategic.
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, the 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 expressing?
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,
newspaper articles?
Strategic competence is knowing how to recognize and repair
communication breakdowns, how to work around gaps in one’s knowledge
of the language, and how to learn more about the language and in the
context. Strategic competence asks: How do I know when I’ve
misunderstood or when someone has misunderstood me? What do I say
then? How can I express my ideas if I don’t 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
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 recognizing and managing
communication breakdowns.
