Communicative competence involves more than just grammar and vocabulary knowledge. It has four components: linguistic competence, sociolinguistic competence, discourse competence, and strategic competence. Linguistic competence involves word and sentence formation skills. Sociolinguistic competence involves appropriate language use for settings, topics, and expressing attitudes. Discourse competence involves combining language into conversations and texts. Strategic competence involves understanding misunderstandings and expressing ideas without perfect knowledge. Models of communicative competence include linguistic, sociolinguistic, and strategic dimensions.

1. COMMUNICATIVE COMPETENCE
Paola Andrea Lizarralde Duque

2. Communicative competence is concerned not only with
how grammar/lexis is managed but also with the socio-
cultural rules of appropriate language use.•
Sociolinguistic
rules
Grammatical
rules

4. Communicative competence was further defined in
terms of four components:
1. Linguistic competence
2. Sociolinguistic competence
3. Discourse competence
4. Strategic competence

5. 1. Linguistic competence
Linguistic competence asks:
• What words do I use?
• How do I put them into phrases
and sentences?

6. 2. Sociolinguistic competence
Sociolinguistic competence asks:
• Which words and phrases fit this setting
and this topic?
• How can I express a specific attitude
(courtesy, authority, friendliness,
respect) when I need to?
• How do I know what attitude another
person is expressing?

7. 3. Discourse competence
Discourse competence asks:
• How are words, phrases and sentences put together to
create conversations, speeches, email messages,
newspaper articles?

8. 4. Strategic competence
Strategic competence asks:
• How do I know when I’ve misunderstood or when
someone has misunderstood me? What do I say then?
• How can I express my ideas if I don’t know the name of
something or the right verb form to use?

9. MODELS OF COMMUNICATIVE
COMPETENCE
Three models of communicative competece
1. Canel &
Swain
2. Bachman &
Palmer
• 3. The common
European
Framwork
• Grammatical
• Sociolingustic
• Strategic
competence
• Language competence
• Sociolinguistic Competence
• Pragmatic competence
• Grammatical
competence
• Textual
competence

10. Conclusion
• Communicative competences have reached an
agreement that a competent language user
should possess not only knowledge about
language but also the ability and skill to
activate that knowledge in a communicative
event.