COMPETENCE AND

PERFORMANCE
NORMAN ADVÍNCULA RAMOS

5 DE NOVIEMBRE DE 2020
LINGÜISTICA
CECAR
 Corporación Universitaria del Caribe “CECAR”
Bachelor in Education in Teaching English as a Foreign
Language Program
English Linguistics
First Assignment

Objective: To have a clear understanding

of the terms Competence & Performance
based on different authors and the relation
to L2

Resource: “Competence and performance

in learning and teaching: theories and
practices” by David Newby

“Competence and performance in learning and teaching: theories and practices”

examines the different ways in which both competence and performance have
been defined by linguists and how these different interpretations have influenced
foreign language learning and teaching. Read the article carefully and develop
the answers in this workshop.

1. Chomsky’s states the “distinction between competence (the speaker-

hearer's knowledge of his language) and performance (the actual use of
language in concrete situations)” He further states that “Observed use of
language cannot constitute the actual subject matter of linguistics. (1Pt.)

a. Based on Chomsky definition about competence and performance,

describe how this competence could be clear evident in an L2
classroom. (You can give examples.)
This competence is evidenced, when the student demonstrates
ownership and mastery of the concepts, communicating clearly. A clear
example is children under 7 years of age, who have a greater facility to
learn another language, almost as if it were their mother tongue.

b. Give reasons why performance cannot constitute matter of linguistics

but competence can? Cite at least an author.
The competition can do it, because it studies the different ways in which
they influence the learning of a language, however, the performance
does not, among many reasons, because it generates a certain degree
of anxiety in the learner. Chomsky

Author: Norman Advíncula Ramos

 1. “We have to account for the fact that a normal child acquires knowledge
of sentences, not only as grammatical, but also as appropriate. He or
she acquires competence as to when to speak, when not, and as to what
to talk about with whom, when, where, in what manner (Hymes).” What
does this sentence mean? And how the idea does not necessarily show
Chomsky’s idea about competence and performance?(1Pt.)
Children learn a language by listening to it, not grammatical concepts,
but they associate the phoneme with what a word can mean. In that
sense, Chomsky says that performance cannot constitute matter of
linguistics

2. Halliday states “Can mean is a ‘realization of can do” this corresponds

to the second criticism of Chomsky’s view of competence and
performance and also concern the functional dimension of a language.
Describe the second criticism and the functional dimension.(1Pt)
It refers to the language has a functional learning, the result of a process
of interaction with the environment, therefore, to expand their language
the child must be in harmony with the environment

3. Is language a unit of linguistic analysis? Explain and cite author(s). (1Pt)

Yes, it is a unit of linguistic analysis, because it is necessary to define
what will be the criteria to identify the appropriation of language,
especially it is accepted that in oral languages there are different textual
genres (Barros 2000) "As in the case of many academic texts, it is
feasible to propose different ideal units for the analysis of each type of
text. The question is complicated if we consider that the visual-gestural
modality, although it is also like the audio-vocal modality, presents its
own peculiarities

4. What does Chomsky say opposite to the affirmations on the left?

(1Pt)

Langacker, Heine , Tomasello and Chomsky

Jackendoff
 language is not an autonomous • All the languages that humans
cognitive faculty use have common characteristics in
 grammar is conceptualization their own structure
 knowledge of language • Children have the innate ability
emerges from language use to understand the grammar of
language, a skill they develop through
their experiences and learning

Author: Norman Advíncula Ramos

 • The process of knowledge of
language only occurs if the child
deduces the implicit norms of
language, such as the notions of
syntactic structure or grammar

5. What are the schematic constructs? (1Pt)

Selection Simplification Communication Synthesis Universality
Applications

6. In 1980 Canale and Swain provided a description of competence

based on four categories. What are those categories? Explain. (1Pt)
Grammatical competence, Sociolinguistic competence, Discursive
competition, Strategic competence

7. After reading all the competences described in the CEFR what do

you think CEFR perception about competence and performance?
Is it more related to social or individual? Is it more linguistic? Or
not? (1Pt)
I think it is more related to the social, there is no way to learn a language
alone. They complement each other, although there are points where
they differ, both are needed to have a successful learning process.

8. Write your own conclusions about competence and performance

and how these two terms affect the SLA? (2Pts.)
Compettence is based on social learning, learning must be
communicative to have an impact on the learner

The performance, since it is linked in learning, due to this generates

stress in the process giving unfavorable results. The best thing to learn
a language is that it is a quiet environment without pressure, which does
not generate performance. Obviously both are important, but the
performance is given implicitly.

Author: Norman Advíncula Ramos