INTRO TO 
TEACHING ENGLISH AS A FOREIGN 
LANGUAGE (TEFL) 
COMMUNICATIVE 
COMPETENCE 
GROUP IV 
UBAIDILLAH, BETTA YUANA, NURHAYATI, 
NANIK DWI ASTUTI 
2014
THE SCOPE OF DISCUSSION 
“COMMUNICATIVE COMPETENCE” 
A. DEFINING COMMUNICATIVE 
COMPETENCE 
 Dell Hymes (1967, 1972) 
 Chomsky’s (1965) 
 Savignon (1983) 
 Paulston (1974) 
 James Cummins (1979, 1980) 
 Cummins Later (1981)
THE SCOPE OF DISCUSSION 
“COMMUNICATIVE COMPETENCE” 
B. LANGUAGE FUNCTIONS 
Function of the language 
The instrumental 
The regulatory 
The representational 
The interactional 
The personal 
The heuristic 
The imaginative (Michael Halliday : 1973). 
Form of the language
THE SCOPE OF DISCUSSION 
“COMMUNICATIVE COMPETENCE” 
C. FUNCTIONAL SYLLABUSES 
D. DISCOURSE ANALYSIS 
 Conversation Analysis 
E. PRAGMATICS 
 Language and Gender
THE SCOPE OF DISCUSSION 
“COMMUNICATIVE COMPETENCE” 
F. STYLES AND 
REGISTERS 
 Oratorical style 
 Deliberative 
style 
 Consultative 
style 
G. NONVERBAL 
COMMUNICATION 
 Kinesics 
 Eye Contact 
 Proxemis 
 Artifacts 
 Kinesthetics 
 Olfactory Dimensions
DEFINING 
COMMUNICATIVE 
COMPETENCE
DEFINING COMMUNICATIVE 
COMPETENCE 
 Dell Hymes (1967, 1972) 
Communicative Competence is the aspect of our 
competence that enables us to convey and interpret 
messages and to negotiate meanings interpersonally 
within specific contexts. 
 Chomsky’s (1965) 
Communicative Competence is the account sufficiently 
for the social and functional rules of language.
DEFINING COMMUNICATIVE 
COMPETENCE 
 Savignon (1983) 
Communicative Competence is relative, not absolute, and 
depends on the cooperation of all the participants involved. 
 Paulston (1974) 
Communicative Competence distinguished between 
linguistic and communicative competence. 
- Linguistic competence is knowledge about language forms 
and, 
- Communicative competence is knowledge that enables a 
person to communicate functionally and interactively.
DEFINING COMMUNICATIVE 
COMPETENCE 
 James Cummins (1979, 1980) 
 Cognitive/Academic Language Proficiency (CALP) 
CALP is the dimension of proficiency in which the learner 
manipulates or reflects upon the surface features of language 
outside of the immediate interpersonal context. 
E.g. the learners use it in the classroom exercises and tests that 
focus on form. 
 Basic Interpersonal Communicative Skills (BICS) 
Is the communicative capacity that all children acquire in order 
to be able to function in daily interpersonal exchanges.
DEFINING COMMUNICATIVE 
COMPETENCE 
 Cummins Later (1981) 
 Context-reduced is the dimension of considering 
the context in which language is used. E.g. A good 
share of classroom, or school-oriented language. 
 Context-embedded is face-to-face communication 
with people. By referring to the context of our use 
of language, then, distinction becomes more 
feasible to operationalize.
DEFINING COMMUNICATIVE 
COMPETENCE 
 Michael Canale & Merril Swain (1980) 
Four different components, or subcategories, make 
up the construct of communicative competence, 
there are: 
 Grammatical Competence 
 Discourse Competence 
 Sociolinguistic Competence 
 Strategic Competence
Michael Canale & Merril Swain (1980) 
 Grammatical Competence 
GC is the aspect of communicative competence 
taht encompasses ‘knowledge of lexical items and 
of rules of morphology, syntax, sentence-grammar 
semantics, and phonology’. 
 Discourse Competence 
DC is the ability we have to connect sentences in 
stretches of discourse and to form a meaningful 
whole out of a series of utterances.
Michael Canale & Merril Swain (1980) 
 Sociolinguistic Competence 
is the knowledge of the sociocultural rules of 
language and discourse. It is the requirement to 
understand of the social context in which language 
is used: the roles of the participants, the 
information they share, and the function of the 
interaction. 
 Strategic Competence 
is the competence underlying our ability to make 
repairs, to cope with imperfect knowledge, and to 
sustain communicative through “paraphrase, 
circumlocution, repetition, hesitation, avoidance, 
and guessing, as well as shifts in register and 
style”.
LANGUAGE 
FUNCTION 
& 
FUNCTIONAL 
SYLLABUS
LANGUAGE FUNCTION 
Functions : the purpose that we 
accomplish with language 
 e.g., stating, requesting, 
responding, greeting, parting, etc. 
Form of language: morphemes, 
words, grammar rules, discourse rules 
and other organizational competencies.
Examples: 
 “How much does that cost?” 
A form functioning as a question 
 “He bought a car” 
A form functions as a statement.
Second language learner need to 
understand the purpose of 
communication, developing 
an awareness of what the purpose of a 
communicative act is and how to achieve 
that purpose through linguistic form.
7 Functions of Language by 
Michael Halliday (1975) 
1. The Instrumental Functions 
Serve to manipulate the environment to 
cause certain even to happens. 
example: 
“On your mark, get set, go!” 
“Don’t touch that stove!”
2. The regulatory function 
The control of events. 
The different between instrumental and 
regulatory function: 
“ I pronounce you guilty and sentence you to 
three years in prison” serves an instrumental 
function. 
“ Upon good behavior, you will be eligible for 
parole in ten months”. Serve more of 
regulatory function.
3. The Representational Function 
 The use of language to make statements, 
convey facts and knowledge, explain, or 
report– that is to “represent” reality as one 
sees it. 
Examples: 
 “ the sun is hot” 
 The president gave a speech last night” 
 It was rain last night”
4. The Interactional Function 
 The communicative contact between and 
among human beings that simply allows them 
to establish social contact and to keep channels 
of communication open (Malinowski) 
 Successful interactional communication 
requires: 
Knowledge of slang, jargon, jokes, folklore, 
cultural mores, politeness and formality 
expectation, etc.
5. The Personal Function 
Allows a speaker to express feelings, 
emotions, personality, “gut-level” 
reactions.
6. The Heuristic Function 
Involves language used to acquire 
knowledge, to learn about the 
environment. 
It is conveyed in the form of 
questions that will lead to answers.
7. The Imaginative Function 
 Serves to create imaginary systems or ideas. 
Examples: 
telling fairy 
joking, 
writing a novel 
poetry, 
tongue twisters 
puns
FUNCTIONAL SYLLABUS 
 The most apparent practical classroom application of 
functional descriptions of language was found in the 
development of functional syllabus, more popularly 
notional—functional syllabus. 
 Notional—functional syllabus attended to functions 
as organizing elements of a foreign language 
curriculum 
 Grammar, which was the primary element in the 
historically preceding structural syllabus, was 
relegated to a secondary focus.
A functional-notional syllabus is based on 
learning to recognize and express the 
communicative functions of language and the 
concepts and ideas it expresses. 
In other words, this kind of syllabus is based 
more on the purposes for which language is 
used and on the meanings the speaker 
wanted to express than on the forms used to 
express them 
http://www- 
01.sil.org/lingualinks/languagelearning/mangngyrlngglrnngprgrm/HowToDesignAFunction 
alNotional.htm
An example of a list of sequence communicative 
function covered in the first several lessons of an 
advanced-beginner’s textbook, New Vistas 1 
1. Introducing self and other people 
2. Exchanging personal information 
3. Asking how to spell someone’s name 
4. Giving commands 
5. Apologizing and thanking 
6. Identifying and describing people 
7. Asking for information
A typical unit in this textbook includes 
an eclectic blend of conversation practice 
with a classmate, 
 interactive group work, 
 role-plays, 
 grammar and pronunciation focus 
exercises, 
 information-gap techniques, 
 internet activities, and 
 extra-class interactive practice.
The benefits of a functional-notional 
syllabus : 
 The learners learn how to use language to 
express authentic communicative purposes. 
 Learners may be motivated by the 
opportunity to use language to express their 
own purposes, ideas and emotions. 
http://www- 
01.sil.org/lingualinks/languagelearning/mangngyrlngglrnngprgrm/HowToDesi 
gnAFunctionalNotional.htm
Communicative competence
Communicative competence
Communicative competence

Communicative competence

  • 1.
    INTRO TO TEACHINGENGLISH AS A FOREIGN LANGUAGE (TEFL) COMMUNICATIVE COMPETENCE GROUP IV UBAIDILLAH, BETTA YUANA, NURHAYATI, NANIK DWI ASTUTI 2014
  • 2.
    THE SCOPE OFDISCUSSION “COMMUNICATIVE COMPETENCE” A. DEFINING COMMUNICATIVE COMPETENCE  Dell Hymes (1967, 1972)  Chomsky’s (1965)  Savignon (1983)  Paulston (1974)  James Cummins (1979, 1980)  Cummins Later (1981)
  • 3.
    THE SCOPE OFDISCUSSION “COMMUNICATIVE COMPETENCE” B. LANGUAGE FUNCTIONS Function of the language The instrumental The regulatory The representational The interactional The personal The heuristic The imaginative (Michael Halliday : 1973). Form of the language
  • 4.
    THE SCOPE OFDISCUSSION “COMMUNICATIVE COMPETENCE” C. FUNCTIONAL SYLLABUSES D. DISCOURSE ANALYSIS  Conversation Analysis E. PRAGMATICS  Language and Gender
  • 5.
    THE SCOPE OFDISCUSSION “COMMUNICATIVE COMPETENCE” F. STYLES AND REGISTERS  Oratorical style  Deliberative style  Consultative style G. NONVERBAL COMMUNICATION  Kinesics  Eye Contact  Proxemis  Artifacts  Kinesthetics  Olfactory Dimensions
  • 6.
  • 7.
    DEFINING COMMUNICATIVE COMPETENCE  Dell Hymes (1967, 1972) Communicative Competence is the aspect of our competence that enables us to convey and interpret messages and to negotiate meanings interpersonally within specific contexts.  Chomsky’s (1965) Communicative Competence is the account sufficiently for the social and functional rules of language.
  • 8.
    DEFINING COMMUNICATIVE COMPETENCE  Savignon (1983) Communicative Competence is relative, not absolute, and depends on the cooperation of all the participants involved.  Paulston (1974) Communicative Competence distinguished between linguistic and communicative competence. - Linguistic competence is knowledge about language forms and, - Communicative competence is knowledge that enables a person to communicate functionally and interactively.
  • 9.
    DEFINING COMMUNICATIVE COMPETENCE  James Cummins (1979, 1980)  Cognitive/Academic Language Proficiency (CALP) CALP is the dimension of proficiency in which the learner manipulates or reflects upon the surface features of language outside of the immediate interpersonal context. E.g. the learners use it in the classroom exercises and tests that focus on form.  Basic Interpersonal Communicative Skills (BICS) Is the communicative capacity that all children acquire in order to be able to function in daily interpersonal exchanges.
  • 10.
    DEFINING COMMUNICATIVE COMPETENCE  Cummins Later (1981)  Context-reduced is the dimension of considering the context in which language is used. E.g. A good share of classroom, or school-oriented language.  Context-embedded is face-to-face communication with people. By referring to the context of our use of language, then, distinction becomes more feasible to operationalize.
  • 11.
    DEFINING COMMUNICATIVE COMPETENCE  Michael Canale & Merril Swain (1980) Four different components, or subcategories, make up the construct of communicative competence, there are:  Grammatical Competence  Discourse Competence  Sociolinguistic Competence  Strategic Competence
  • 12.
    Michael Canale &Merril Swain (1980)  Grammatical Competence GC is the aspect of communicative competence taht encompasses ‘knowledge of lexical items and of rules of morphology, syntax, sentence-grammar semantics, and phonology’.  Discourse Competence DC is the ability we have to connect sentences in stretches of discourse and to form a meaningful whole out of a series of utterances.
  • 13.
    Michael Canale &Merril Swain (1980)  Sociolinguistic Competence is the knowledge of the sociocultural rules of language and discourse. It is the requirement to understand of the social context in which language is used: the roles of the participants, the information they share, and the function of the interaction.  Strategic Competence is the competence underlying our ability to make repairs, to cope with imperfect knowledge, and to sustain communicative through “paraphrase, circumlocution, repetition, hesitation, avoidance, and guessing, as well as shifts in register and style”.
  • 14.
    LANGUAGE FUNCTION & FUNCTIONAL SYLLABUS
  • 15.
    LANGUAGE FUNCTION Functions: the purpose that we accomplish with language  e.g., stating, requesting, responding, greeting, parting, etc. Form of language: morphemes, words, grammar rules, discourse rules and other organizational competencies.
  • 16.
    Examples:  “Howmuch does that cost?” A form functioning as a question  “He bought a car” A form functions as a statement.
  • 17.
    Second language learnerneed to understand the purpose of communication, developing an awareness of what the purpose of a communicative act is and how to achieve that purpose through linguistic form.
  • 18.
    7 Functions ofLanguage by Michael Halliday (1975) 1. The Instrumental Functions Serve to manipulate the environment to cause certain even to happens. example: “On your mark, get set, go!” “Don’t touch that stove!”
  • 19.
    2. The regulatoryfunction The control of events. The different between instrumental and regulatory function: “ I pronounce you guilty and sentence you to three years in prison” serves an instrumental function. “ Upon good behavior, you will be eligible for parole in ten months”. Serve more of regulatory function.
  • 20.
    3. The RepresentationalFunction  The use of language to make statements, convey facts and knowledge, explain, or report– that is to “represent” reality as one sees it. Examples:  “ the sun is hot”  The president gave a speech last night”  It was rain last night”
  • 21.
    4. The InteractionalFunction  The communicative contact between and among human beings that simply allows them to establish social contact and to keep channels of communication open (Malinowski)  Successful interactional communication requires: Knowledge of slang, jargon, jokes, folklore, cultural mores, politeness and formality expectation, etc.
  • 22.
    5. The PersonalFunction Allows a speaker to express feelings, emotions, personality, “gut-level” reactions.
  • 23.
    6. The HeuristicFunction Involves language used to acquire knowledge, to learn about the environment. It is conveyed in the form of questions that will lead to answers.
  • 24.
    7. The ImaginativeFunction  Serves to create imaginary systems or ideas. Examples: telling fairy joking, writing a novel poetry, tongue twisters puns
  • 25.
    FUNCTIONAL SYLLABUS The most apparent practical classroom application of functional descriptions of language was found in the development of functional syllabus, more popularly notional—functional syllabus.  Notional—functional syllabus attended to functions as organizing elements of a foreign language curriculum  Grammar, which was the primary element in the historically preceding structural syllabus, was relegated to a secondary focus.
  • 26.
    A functional-notional syllabusis based on learning to recognize and express the communicative functions of language and the concepts and ideas it expresses. In other words, this kind of syllabus is based more on the purposes for which language is used and on the meanings the speaker wanted to express than on the forms used to express them http://www- 01.sil.org/lingualinks/languagelearning/mangngyrlngglrnngprgrm/HowToDesignAFunction alNotional.htm
  • 27.
    An example ofa list of sequence communicative function covered in the first several lessons of an advanced-beginner’s textbook, New Vistas 1 1. Introducing self and other people 2. Exchanging personal information 3. Asking how to spell someone’s name 4. Giving commands 5. Apologizing and thanking 6. Identifying and describing people 7. Asking for information
  • 28.
    A typical unitin this textbook includes an eclectic blend of conversation practice with a classmate,  interactive group work,  role-plays,  grammar and pronunciation focus exercises,  information-gap techniques,  internet activities, and  extra-class interactive practice.
  • 29.
    The benefits ofa functional-notional syllabus :  The learners learn how to use language to express authentic communicative purposes.  Learners may be motivated by the opportunity to use language to express their own purposes, ideas and emotions. http://www- 01.sil.org/lingualinks/languagelearning/mangngyrlngglrnngprgrm/HowToDesi gnAFunctionalNotional.htm