Communicative Competence as Language Use

Bibliographic Data

ID22872182
AuthorsA Davies (0000-0002-7143-547X), Alun M Davies (0000-0001-7784-9000, University of Edinburgh, corresponding author)
Year1989
Volume10
Issue2
Pages157-170
Publication date1989-06-01
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueApplied Linguistics (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0142-6001 • E-ISSN: 1477-450X
PublisherOxford University Press (OUP) (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1093/applin/10.2.157
OpenAlexW2015788026
LanguageEN
Citations received8

At the heart of the communicative competence model put forward by Hymes (1971) is, it is argued, a systematic ambiguity in that it appears to mean both the decontextualized, displaced language ability associated with the views of Bernstein (elaborated code), Donaldson (decentration), Wells (hypotheses), and Cummins (CALP), and the interpersonal, socializing, context-dependent language ability associated with the views of (again) Bernstein (restricted code), (again) Cummins (BICS), Frake (asking rituals), etc. What has become clear is that such dichotomies are untenable and that either they hide a divisive political construct (for example, that communicative competence means an élite code) or they argue for the addition of one or more domains, for example, writing, or simply for the role of language in education. Communicative competence was presented as an explanatory framework for failure. It did not explain, it may have described. The paper argues for a view of communicative competence as language use, a lesser but more readily achievable ambition, achievable both in theory and in pedagogy.

Applied linguistics · Communicative competence · Competence (human resources) · Linguistics · Sociology · EFL/ESL Teaching and Learning · Language, Discourse, Communication Strategies · Philosophy · Psychology · Second Language Learning and Teaching · Social Psychology

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