Communicative 
Competence 
By Sunniva Sjøveian Pettersen
What is communicative competence? 
• The term «communicative competence» is comprised of two words, the 
combination of which means «competence to communicate».
Origins 
• Originally came from Chomsky’s distinction between competence and 
performance. 
• Hymes: Chomsky’s view was too narrow 
• Should not separate competence and performance
So what does the term Communicative 
competence include? 
• Grammatical competence 
• Discourse competence 
• Sociolinguistic competence 
• Strategic competence 
• (Sociocultural competence) 
• (Social competence)
Grammatical competence 
• Recognize and produce the distinctive grammatical structures of a 
language and to use them effectively in communication. 
-> pronunciation, vocabulary, syntax etc.
Discourse competence 
• Connecting sentences into a longer conversation/ text and create a 
meaningful whole. 
-> knowledge of rules for longer texts/ conversations
Sociolinguistic competence 
• Analyze the situation and use the appropriate speech or writing 
style. 
-> Talking to your boss versus your friends.
Strategic competence 
• Manipulating the language in order to meet the communicative goal. 
-> explaining a word you do not remember
Sociocultural competence 
• Is the ability to have analytical understanding of your own and other cultures and to 
behave appropriate in cross-culture communication.
Social competence 
• Is possessing the social, emotional, and intellectual skills and 
behaviors needed to succeed as a member of society.
Summary 
• Communicative competence = the goal for all teachers/ students 
• Need all the elements to have communicative competence.
Sources 
• http://www.healthofchildren.com/S/Social-Competence.html 
• http://www.kafu-academic-journal.info/journal/3/71/ 
• http://www.slideshare.net/Jheyswat/communicative-competence-9350174 
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Communicative_competence 
• http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:hNdVYJpJN0wJ:hrc 
ak.srce.hr/file/42651+&cd=2&hl=no&ct=clnk&gl=no

Communicative competence

  • 1.
    Communicative Competence BySunniva Sjøveian Pettersen
  • 2.
    What is communicativecompetence? • The term «communicative competence» is comprised of two words, the combination of which means «competence to communicate».
  • 3.
    Origins • Originallycame from Chomsky’s distinction between competence and performance. • Hymes: Chomsky’s view was too narrow • Should not separate competence and performance
  • 4.
    So what doesthe term Communicative competence include? • Grammatical competence • Discourse competence • Sociolinguistic competence • Strategic competence • (Sociocultural competence) • (Social competence)
  • 5.
    Grammatical competence •Recognize and produce the distinctive grammatical structures of a language and to use them effectively in communication. -> pronunciation, vocabulary, syntax etc.
  • 6.
    Discourse competence •Connecting sentences into a longer conversation/ text and create a meaningful whole. -> knowledge of rules for longer texts/ conversations
  • 7.
    Sociolinguistic competence •Analyze the situation and use the appropriate speech or writing style. -> Talking to your boss versus your friends.
  • 8.
    Strategic competence •Manipulating the language in order to meet the communicative goal. -> explaining a word you do not remember
  • 9.
    Sociocultural competence •Is the ability to have analytical understanding of your own and other cultures and to behave appropriate in cross-culture communication.
  • 10.
    Social competence •Is possessing the social, emotional, and intellectual skills and behaviors needed to succeed as a member of society.
  • 11.
    Summary • Communicativecompetence = the goal for all teachers/ students • Need all the elements to have communicative competence.
  • 12.
    Sources • http://www.healthofchildren.com/S/Social-Competence.html • http://www.kafu-academic-journal.info/journal/3/71/ • http://www.slideshare.net/Jheyswat/communicative-competence-9350174 • http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Communicative_competence • http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:hNdVYJpJN0wJ:hrc ak.srce.hr/file/42651+&cd=2&hl=no&ct=clnk&gl=no