From communicative competence to communicative language pedagogy

Abstract

Communicative competence includes not only the mastery of grammar and lexicon, but also the rules of speaking. This chapter argues that the individual who wishes to learn a new language must, in addition to acquiring a new vocabulary and a new set of phonological and syntactic rules, learn what Hymes calls the rules of speaking: the patterns of sociolinguistic behaviour of the target language. The inclusion of sociolinguistic interests within language teaching and the recognition of the necessity to make communicative competence the goal of the second language curriculum is a major step both for the theory and the practice of language teaching. The chapter argues that the understanding and knowledge of appropriate speech behaviour is crucial if learners are to communicate effectively with native speakers of the language they are learning. One of the earliest studies of sociolinguistic behaviour in American English focused on terms of address.

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