Proficiency And Communicative Competence In L2: Implications For Teachers And Learners By

The concept of proficiency as far as language is concerned has remained a relative term in linguistic parlance. In absolute sense of it, proficiency represents an “unknowable abstraction that reflects the universal competence of native speakers”; a perception that has great consequences for the second language learners. This led to the emphasis placed on communicative competence and learner variability from the early 1970s. Learners vary in their linguistic competence. They are also prone to both interlingua and intralingua errors, with many having difficulty in expressing their communicative intentions. This paper is therefore one attempt aimed at providing insight into the learners ’ structural and grammatical problems as well as communication strategies they employ in awareness of the gaps in their linguistic repertoire