The relevance of communicative competence theories to foreign language teaching

The purpose of this thesis is to explore the rise of communicative competence theories and their impact on the practice of foreign language pedagogy. In this thesis we also investigate the relation of language learning to culture learning, and argue that if communicative competence is to be taken into account, then the target culture should be introduced to the foreign language classroom. This thesis falls into three parts theoretical considerations, pedagogical applications and critique of communicative teaching. In Part One we first (Chapter One) review linguistic theory and language teaching m the pre-communicative era starting from traditional grammar to the emergence of communicative competence theories Second, in Chapter Two, we examine the communicative competence theory in its original form as developed by Hymes, and the motivations behind the introduction of this theory. We also consider subsequent elaborations and interpretations of this theory by linguists and applied linguists, and discuss some significant terms related to communicative competence. In Part Two we first (Chapter Three) discuss the influence of communicative competence theories on language teaching methodology. We examine a variety of communicative tasks and techniques explaining their significance for communicative competence development. We also consider the influence of communicative competence theories on the evolution and implementation of different syllabus types. Second, in Chapter four, we talk about the dramatic changes in the roles of teachers and learners which came about as a result of the acceptance of communicative competence as the ultimate goal of language instruction, and focus on those aspects which we believe should be prioritized in a classroom which aims to teach communicative competence. In Part Three, we first (Chapter Five) examine the relationship between language and culture, and argue that successful communication between native and non-native speakers requires non-native speakers to be aware of cultural presuppositions which underlie language use. We thus argue that associating language learning with culture learning is an important consideration in communicative competence development. Second, in the final chapter, we explain how cultural competence can be taught in the classroom and suggest a few procedures, techniques and materials for promoting cultural competence. Moreover, in this chapter we discuss grammatical competence as an important component of communicative competence which has been de-emphasized by over-emphasis on language functions in communicative teaching, and suggest some criteria for the design and implementation of communicative grammar tasks