What Is The Matter With Communicative Competence

This book integrates recent findings of linguistic research into ELT. Its aim is - to introduce (future) teachers to the complex concept of communicative competence - to critically analyse learners' teaching/learning deficiencies in the light of the requirements they are expected to meet at the school-leaving exams or at university-entry - to offer suggestions about how to remedy these shortcomings and also to provide teaching and testing materials.

Nearly half a century has passed since Hymes proposed the concept of communicative competence to describe the knowledge and skills required for the appropriate use of language in a social context. During these decades, a number of scholars have applied and refined this concept. In language education, communicative competence has been identified as a major objective of learning. This book will inform readers about communicative competence as a highly complex construct encompassing an array of sub-competencies such as linguistic skills and proficiencies, knowledge of socio-cultural and socio-pragmatic codes, and the ability to engage in textual and conversational discourse. Findings from research in related disciplines have pointed to the significance of factors that can contribute to the attainment of communicative competence. Various teaching practices and relevant Information and Communication Technology (ICT) tools will be also introduced and discussed to achieve communicative competence as a complex ability. It is a timely contribution to current research on key areas in the teaching, learning and acquisition of second/foreign languages.

In our everyday life, communicative processes are relevant in almost all situations. It is important to know whether you should say something which is adequate in the situation or whether it is better to say nothing at all. Communicative competence is fundamental for a successful life in our society as it is of great importance for all areas of life. Therefore, it is not surprising that communicative competence is the subject of many theoretical and empirical approaches and, in consequence, research on this topic is diverse. We focus our contributions on linguistic aspects of communication. In the centre of interest are linguistic oriented performances of different forms of communicative competence, language acquisition, and language disorders. The topics of this book concern the description of methods for studying language in the brain, the interaction between language and cognition, discourse acquisition of children, literacy acquisition and its precursors, the use and acquisition of the sign language, models and training of writing and reading, nonverbal communicative competence, media competence, communication training, developmental dyslexia, the treatment of stuttering, and the description of language disorders.

This book is an anthology of articles on teaching English to speakers of other languages. The emphasis is on practical concerns of classroom procedures and on the cross-cultural aspects of teaching English around the world. Several of the articles focus on communicative language teaching.

The introduction of communicative competence as the goal of second and for eign language teaching has led to recognition of the role of context in language learning and use. As communicative competence is defined by the social and cultural contexts in which it is used, no single communicative competence can serve as the goal and model for all learners. This recognition has had an impact on program design and materials development. One significant change is that the choice of a teaching method is no longer the primary concern. Instead, the first step for the program designer is becoming familiar with the social and cultural features of the context of the language being taught. This includes a consideration of the uses speakers make of the language, their reasons for using it, and their attitudes toward it. Contexts of Competence: Social and Cultural Considerations in Commu nicative Language Teaching explores the relationship between context and com petence from a theoretical and practical perspective. Its audience is applied linguists in general and language teaching practitioners in particular. The overall aim of its five chapters is to provide a framework for consideration of various contexts of language learning and use and to guide the implementation and development of models of communicative language teaching that are responsive to the context-specific needs of learners.

Almost everything that matters to humans is derived from and through communication. Just because people communicate every day, however, does not mean that they are communicating competently. In fact, evidence indicates that there is a substantial need for better interpersonal skills among a significant proportion of the populace. Furthermore, "dark side" experiences in everyday life abound, and features of modern society pose new challenges that make the concept of communication competence increasingly complex. The Handbook of Communication Competence brings together scholars from across the globe to examine these various facets of communication competence, including its history, its essential components, and its applications in interpersonal, group, institutional, and societal contexts. The book provides a state-of-the-art review for scholars and graduate students, as well as practitioners in counseling, developmental, health care, educational, intercultural, and human resource management contexts, illustrating that communication competence is vital to health, relationships, and all collective human endeavors.