Theoretical Foundations Of The Concept Of Communicative Competence And Its Importance In Teaching English
Keywords:
Communicative competence, sociolinguistics, pragmaticsAbstract
The concept of communicative competence has become the dominant theoretical framework for describing what it means to “know” a language and for guiding the design of English language teaching. Moving beyond structural descriptions of grammar, communicative competence synthesizes linguistic, sociolinguistic, discourse, strategic, and pragmatic dimensions of performance as originally proposed by Hymes and elaborated by Canale, Swain, Bachman, and Celce-Murcia. This article clarifies the theoretical underpinnings of communicative competence and explains its pedagogical significance for curriculum design, classroom interaction, assessment, and teacher professional judgement. Using a narrative conceptual review, it compares major models and traces how the Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR) operationalizes competence into actionable descriptors. The article concludes with implications for English teaching in diverse contexts, arguing that communicative competence provides a coherent foundation for integrating linguistic form, social context, and strategic action in classroom practice.
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