COMMUNICATIVE

COMPETENCE
COMMUNICATIVE COMPETENCE
■ means knowing what to say, how to say it, and when to say it. It also means
understanding what others are saying in the language they are speaking in.
involves many different skills that enable a person to relate well to other people.

can be achieved in three aspects --- STRUCTURAL

LEXICAL
SOCIO-CULTURAL
LEXICAL ASPECT

involves properly understanding and using words, phrases, and idioms. In

particular, several words can have similar meanings. Yet, each word has its own nuance,
a subtle difference it has from other words with similar meaning. A speaker should know
which word among them should be used in a particular situation. For example although
tall and high have similar meanings, they cannot be used interchangeable in different
sentences.
EXAMPLE:
She saw a tall building. Correct
she saw a high girl. Incorrect
This shows that some words can go together with
some particular words but not with others. The proper
combination of words with other particular words is
called COLLOCATION.
 STRUCTURAL ASPECT
involves knowing the form of utterance to be used such as pronunciation and
grammar.
speakers should pronounce words in such a way that they are not misunderstood
by listeners.
part of the structural aspect of communicative competence involves hearing words
correctly, that is, a hearer must also distinguish between similarly sounding words.
EXAMPLE:
BEAT – BIT
NEAT – KNIT
FEEL - FILL
A. UNDERSTANDING THE CONNOTATION
OF WORDS
 The feelings, ideas, and images produced in the mind of a hearer depend on the
culture and even in the experiences of that person. This is called connotation.
 Connotation can vary between cultures, groups of people, generations, and even
between individuals.
 As a part of communicative competence, a speaker must use the word with
appropriate connotation. The connotation of a word is not usually found in the
dictionary. A speaker must be familiar with its use through constant exposure to the
language.
 Take for example the following words.
girl woman lady
B. USING PROPER IDIOMS

 Communicative competence also requires the use of the appropriate idiom for a
given situation. Although the words evening and night have very similar meaning,
the use of good night when meeting a person is inappropriate as a form of greeting
at night. For this purpose the idiom good evening is used. Conversely, the use of
good evening is inappropriate for bidding good-bye to someone. For this purpose, the
idiom good night is appropriate to use. Knowing which idiom to use is best acquired
by being exposed to situations where such idioms are used.
C. UNDERSTANDING NON – LITERAL
USE OF WORDS OR EXPRESSION
 A communicatively competent person must know when a word or expression is used
metaphorically, that is, using them in a non literal way.
SOCIO – CULTURAL ASPECT

 The most important aspect of being competent at communication is the social

aspect --- relating well with people through words and even actions.
 Gautama Buddha once cautioned people to be careful with their words by saying,
“Whatever words we