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Communicative Competence and Communication Task / Language Analysis
Md. Mostafa Rashel:
Communicative Competence and Communication Task / Language Analysis
After selecting appropriate and achievable performance goals for the ESP course (see Graves,
“Formulating Goals and Objectivesâ€), the next step for the ESP program provider is to break
these large communication tasks down into their constituent parts in order to identify “learnable
and teachable units†(Graves 76) to include in learning (or “enablingâ€) objectives. There are two
particularly useful theoretical frameworks to assist in this process. The first is that of
communicative competence, the idea the goal of language acquisition is the ability to use
language correctly and appropriately to accomplish a communication goal (Hymes 1971; Canale
and Swain 1980; Savignon 1983, 1991). The second framework is that of the Communication
Task / Language Analysis (CT/LA), which uses the construct of communicative competence to
break down a communication task, identified through an ESP needs assessment, into its separate
areas of competency or skills. With this information, the ESP program provider can write
measurable enabling objectives for each performance goal.
Communicative Competence
The framework of communicative competence proposed by Canale and Swain (1980) provides a
useful guide for a subsequent Communication Task/Language Analysis. The ESP practitioner
must consider what competencies (linguistic, sociolinguistic, discourse, and strategic) are
involved to achieve communicative competence in each communication task.
The concept of communicative competence is composed of four inter-related competencies:
Linguistic competence refers to the mastery of the language code. This involves a knowledge of
word and sentence formation (grammatical or syntactic structures), vocabulary, pronunciation,
intonation and spelling needed to perform a specific communication task.
For example, certain grammatical structures are representative of a business negotiation.
Effective negotiators need to be skilled during the early stages of a negotiation at asking open
questions, “Why/why not?â€, in order to get as much information as possible about the other
side’s interests or problems. Later, during the proposing stage of the negotiation, they need to be
adept at using hypothetical conditional “if†clauses to be able to explore and brainstorm options
without the fear of commitment.
Sociolinguistic competence involves mastering the sociocultural or pragmatic rules of language
that determine what is appropriate and acceptable, that is, how do you say what to whom in a
specific situation. This includes register. For example, an employee at the check-in desk of a
hotel might say, “How long will you be staying with us?†instead of “When are you leaving?â€;
and, “Would you please sign here?†or “And if you could just sign here,†instead of the more
blunt “Sign here.â€
Discourse competence refers to the mastery of rules that allow speakers to combine ideas in
sentences and paragraphs so that they make sense. What are the steps in taking a guest’s order for room service over the telephone? What goes at the beginning, the middle, or the end of a
sales letter or technical report within a specific organization or professional context? What is the
sequence of steps in a business negotiation or in scientific research article abstract?
Strategic competence relates to the rules that allow speakers to make up for language that they do
not have. This knowledge helps to compensate for breakdowns in communication and to
enhance communication, making it more effective. Included in strategic competence are
gestures, circumlocutions, code switching, and other language learning strategies.
The above text has been adapted by Westerfield from: Friedenberg, J., A. Lomperis, W. Martin, M.
van Naerssen, and K. Westerfield. Standards for Workplace Language Training: Guidelines for
Workplace Language Trainers. Unpublished manuscript.
Md. Mostafa Rashel:
Communicative Competence: A Framework for Analyzing
Performance Goals in ESP
Linguistic Competence: mastery of the language code
knowledge of: word and sentence formation
word and sentence meanings
vocabulary
pronunciation
spelling
Sociolinguistic Competence: mastery of socio-cultural rules of language use that
determine what is appropriate and acceptable in a given situation
What?
Who?
When?
Where?
How?
Discourse Competence: mastery of rules that allow us to combine ideas in sentences and
paragraphs coherently (what comes first, next, next, and so on, i.e. the concept of
“moves†in genre analysis {Swales, 1990})
Strategic Competence: mastery of rules that allow us to:
make up for language that we don't have
compensate for a breakdown in communication
enhance effective communication
Adapted from: Canale, M., and Swain, M. 1980. Theoretical bases of communicative approaches to
second language teaching and testing. Applied Linguistics, 1 (1), pp. 1-47.
The above text has been adapted by Westerfield from: Friedenberg, J., A. Lomperis, W. Martin, M.
van Naerssen, and K. Westerfield. Standards for Workplace Language Training: Guidelines for
Workplace Language Trainers. Unpublished manuscript.
Md. Mostafa Rashel:
Communication Task / Language Analysis (CT/LA)
Given an understanding of the concept of communicative competence, the ESP practitioner can
then conduct a Communication Task / Language Analysis (CT/LA) of a target performance goal
to identify key skills to include in the learning objectives for the ESP course.
To obtain language samples to analyze in the Communication Task/Language Analysis, the ESP
practitioner can use authentic language samples from real-life work or classroom situations often
recorded or collected during the instructional needs assessment, or s/he can turn to simulated
materials, such as management or industry-specific training videos. Learners can also serve as
informants about the communication task, but their information may be inaccurate, due to
limited knowledge (particularly in the case of pre-experience learners) or awareness. Focus
groups that include potential program participants, expert co-workers or former students, and
supervisors or teaching faculty can be an effective alternative.
By completing a Communication Task/Language Analysis for a performance goal, the ESP
practitioner will arrive at a list of: 1) key discourse functions, 2) sociolinguistically appropriate
grammatical structures, 3) vocabulary, and 4) nonverbal language for each communication task.
This framework of specific skills will guide the refinement of course learning objectives and the
selection and organization of topics in the curriculum design process.
The above text has been adapted by Westerfield from: Friedenberg, J., A. Lomperis, W. Martin, M.
van Naerssen, and K. Westerfield. Standards for Workplace Language Training: Guidelines for
Workplace Language Trainers. Unpublished manuscript.
Md. Mostafa Rashel:
Case: A CT/LA for “Handling Complaintsâ€1
The hospitality industry in a Southeast Asian country was anticipating an influx of international
tourists coming to attend the upcoming Pan Pacific Games. Wanting to capitalize on this
business opportunity, a hotel requested an English training program for its front desk staff. The
needs assessment indicated that one primary communication task for front desk personnel was
“handling complaintsâ€. There were two main sources of complaints in the hotel. The first area
concerned property facilities, including problems with guest rooms or with noise. The second
area was related to service, such as having to wait for service, experiencing problems with billing
or receiving a lack of response to inquiries. Hotel management wanted to improve the response
by the front desk staff to complaints because they believed that complaints were actually
opportunities for the hotel to increase guest satisfaction and build repeat business.
To assist in conducting a CT/LA for this critical job task, the workplace language specialist
turned to a video-based program used internationally by the hospitality industry to train front
desk personnel in handling complaints. By analyzing the authentic language in the realistic
situations presented on the DVD, which also reflected the types of complaints experienced by the
hotel, the language trainer could gain an initial understanding of the key functions, grammatical
structures, vocabulary, stress and intonation patterns, and nonverbal communication necessary to
achieve communicative competence in that task.
The provider compared the resulting framework (see chart below) to observations and
information gained from hotel management and employees and adjusted accordingly for the local
context. Much of the vocabulary to be included in the instructional design turned out to be
predictable from the nature of complaints within a hotel, though specific relevant vocabulary
depended on the features of the local hotel property.
The above text has been adapted by Westerfield from: Friedenberg, J., A. Lomperis, W. Martin, M.
van Naerssen, and K. Westerfield. Standards for Workplace Language Training: Guidelines for
Workplace Language Trainers. Unpublished manuscript.
Md. Mostafa Rashel:
Communication Task/Language Analysis: Handling Complaints
please see the attached file
The above text has been adapted by Westerfield from: Friedenberg, J., A. Lomperis, W. Martin, M.
van Naerssen, and K. Westerfield. Standards for Workplace Language Training: Guidelines for
Workplace Language Trainers. Unpublished manuscript.
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