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3. How can non-native speakers of a language develop their communicative competence to

effectively interact in various contexts?

Communicative competence has been the topic of much interest since the 1970s.
Specifically, much attention has been given to how non-native speakers can develop their
communicative competence to effectively communicate in various contexts. By adopting the
revised communicative competence framework by Celce-Murcia (2007), this article will shed
light on the ways in which communicative competence can be developed.
The framework comprises six main components: discourse competence, socio-cultural
competence, linguistic competence, formulaic competence, interactional competence, and
strategic competence. At the heart of this framework is discourse competence, which
essentially is learners’ communicative competence. Discourse competence includes linguistic
competence, the rules of language, and socio-cultural competence, the rules for using
language in the appropriate context. In addition to these is the heavily ignored formulaic
competence, prefabricated phrases on which native speakers heavily rely, and interactional
competence, the knowledge of speech acts and turn-taking in conversation. These
components constantly interact with each other and with the core component, discourse
competence. Each of these components are in turn influenced by strategic competence, which
is the inventory of strategies available to learners.
As illustrated from the model, the components need to be developed in a balanced
way. Firstly, non-native speakers need to develop their sociocultural competence as cultural
misunderstandings can lead to a serious consequence in communication. Therefore, speakers
should be aware of variables such as social distance, status, age and cultural backgrounds of
the target language groups and adopt politeness strategies. Non-native speakers are required
to accumulate experience through learning and living with the target culture, perceive
cultures in a dynamic view, which means individual differences constitute cultural traits of a
group and they can change in a global context.
The components refer to a person’s language proficiency including linguistic and
formulaic competence. Regarding linguistic competence, it is clearly seen that if a person
does not have sufficient knowledge on lexical, grammatical, phonological and syntactic items
in a target language, they are hardly able to convey the intended messages clearly to the
listeners. Furthermore, it cannot fail to acknowledge the formulaic competence that refers to a
number of fixed and prefabricate chunks of language that native speakers use heavily in daily
interactions, including routine phrases, collocations, idioms, and lexical frames. This factor
ensures the messages to be delivered properly in a specific context.
Interactional competence is of great importance as the norms are different among
cultures. Non-native speakers should learn ways to perform different speech acts. They
should also be aware of the turn-taking mechanism by acknowledging the norms of the target
community. Non-verbal or paralinguistic competence can be enhanced by observations and
experiences of using non-verbal cues in different cultures.
Developing the aforementioned components requires using various learning and
communication strategies, or strategic competence. Some learning strategies involve self-
evaluation, attention to errors, and recalling words based on clues. Some communication
strategies entail gaining time, self-monitoring, asking for clarifications, and practicing with
native speakers.
Overall, it is crucial for non-native speakers to focus on all the components discussed
to effectively develop their communicative competence.

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