Communicative competence for English language learners

Ever since the concept of “communicative competence” entered scientific use, hopes for effective mastery of a foreign language have been associated with this methodological construct. The popularity of the term was promoted by active research of communication models, which were based on communicative competence. It was expected that if communicative competence is formed and the solution to this problem is confirmed by pedagogical measurements, students will be able to successfully communicate in a foreign language. In fact, it turned out that school graduates who demonstrate a satisfactory level of results in language tests often suffer communication failures in real communication in a foreign language.

The reason for the failure is that the test and measurement materials used cover only some of the components.

Communicative competence, while other components of the construct of readiness for foreign language communication remain out of sight of students and teachers. In addition to language skills and speech skills, communicative success also depends on other properties of the intellect and personality in general, which determine the readiness to communicate and overcome communication barriers.

Communication barriers in speech communication.

The nature of communication barriers shows that the reason for failure in communication is not only insufficient language skills, but also the unwillingness of communication participants to overcome communication barriers at the expense of their intellectual and personal qualities.

Researchers from the very beginning emphasized not crystallized in knowledge, but the fluid procedural essence of communicative competence, its intellectual, activity and interpersonal nature.

Let us resort to a metaphorical comparison. Imagine the readiness to communicate in the form of an "iceberg", in which linguistic knowledge and speech skills, as well as indicators of successful test assignments are only the visible surface part, and there is also a vast underwater part hidden from direct observation.

The superficial and hidden parts of the "iceberg" combine the linguistic, intellectual and personal aspects of students' readiness to communicate. The most visible are successful linguistic actions performed by the individual, which can be called observable indicators that the performer has the necessary linguistic base.

From the very beginning of the development of the concept of "communicative competence", there was a contradiction between the supporters of a narrow and broad understanding of the knowledge and skills necessary for communicating in a foreign language. If N. Chomsky, who proposed in the 1960s. of the last century, the concept of "linguistic competence", considered necessary and sufficient for communication mental ("knowledge") model of language competence in the form of universal rules, then already at that period D. Hymes and S. Savignon defended the idea of not linguistic, but communicative competence. Soon, the concept of "communicative ability" -ability / capacity also appeared, as written by L. Bachman, S, Savignon, H. Widdowson.

An important practical step in the study of communicative competence was the study of the speech functions necessary for students in order to communicate and request information, coordinate actions, influence others, wonder, apologize. In connection with the research of speech functions, problems of the authenticity of speech forms and methods of speech activity have come to the attention of linguists.

The understanding of the essence of communicative competence was significantly supplemented by sociolinguistic, discursive and strategic components. Let us clarify that initially the cultural component of students' communicative competence was limited to knowledge about the diversity of the English language in different cultures.

Studies of communicative competence were significantly supplemented by linguistic data on how the speech interaction of participants in communication is carried out.

A logical step in the study of communicative competence was the analysis of the organization of the utterance, including its logical construction. The need to study communicative pragmatics, i.e. the relationship between the planned and achieved communicative result.

As the English language became a global means of intercultural communication, the need to purposefully teach not only the linguistic, but also the cultural code of communication and behavior of representatives of different social groups was increasingly recognized. An urgent direction of research of the sociocultural component has emerged, which has supplemented the general structure of students' communicative competence.

The result of the gradual formation of the concept of communicative competence is a construct that includes the following components (subcompetencies): linguistic, sociolinguistic, socio-cultural, strategic, discursive and social.

Linguistic competence ensures correct speech constructions in terms of grammar, vocabulary and phonetics. Sociolinguistic competence determines the choice of an adequate register of expression, taking into account the social situation. Sociocultural competence is manifested in the ability to observe the rules of participation in the life of another culture and effectively build intercultural dialogue. Strategic competence makes it possible to compensate for the lack of language resources and prevent cases of misunderstanding. Discursive competence is needed to build coherent texts. Finally, social competence helps to connect, initiate, maintain and develop interpersonal communication.

To the list of components of communicative competence, it is also necessary to add pragmatic competence as the ability to obtain the required result of speech activity in the form of a transformed situation, the desired response, the end of the conflict, more complete understanding, etc. If the formation of the pragmatic component of communicative competence is underestimated, the proposals made are not supported, attempts to persuade generate resistance, innocent phrases cause offense, criticism is perceived as personal hostility, humor remains incomprehensible, remarks expressing sincere feelings sound formal and cold.

A shorter list of components of communicative competence includes only four components: linguistic, speech, socio-cultural and compensatory.

"Экономика и социум" №9(76) 2020