Communicative Language Teachin

(A functional approach since 1970s):

it is an approach, not a method; a unif
ied but broadly based theoretical posi
tion about the nature of language and
of language learning and teaching.
 Background
• This approach is found in the changes in the Britis
h language teaching tradition dating from the late 1
960s. A lot of British linguists contributed to the fo
rmation of the Communicative Approach which ai
ms to make communicative competence (Hymes, 1
972) the goal of language teaching and develop pr
ocedures for the teaching of the four language skill
s that acknowledge the interdependence of languag
e and communication. Communicative compete
nce is what a speaker needs to know in order to be
communicatively competent in a speech communit
y.
 Background
• Richards and Rodgers (1986) described CL
T as an approach rather than a method, sinc
e it represents a philosophy of teaching that
is based on communicative lg use. Advocat
ed by many applied linguists, CLT in their v
iews emphasizes notional-functional concep
ts and communicative competence, rather th
an grammatical structures, as central to teac
hing.
 Background
The major characteristics are:
• Meaning is primary; contextualization is basic.
• Attempts to communicate in TL are encouraged in
the beginning of instruction.
• Material sequencing is determined by the content,
meaning, and function.
• L1 is acceptable when feasible.
• Activities and strategies for learning are varied.
• Communicative competence is the goal of instructi
on.
 Background
• In Hyme’s view, a person who acquires co
mmunicative competence acquires both kno
wledge and ability for language use
• whether something is formally possible;
• whether something is feasible in virtue of th
e means of implementation available;
• whether something is appropriate in relation
to a context in which it is used and evaluate
d;
• whether something is in fact done, actually
performed and what its doing entails
 Canale and Swain (1998) identify four
dimensions of communicative compete
nce:

• Grammatical competence- similar to linguis

tic competence by Chomsky by what is for
mally possible
• Sociolinguistic competence- understanding
of the social context in which communicati
on takes place, including role relationships,
the shared information of the participants, a
nd the purpose for their interaction
• Discourse competence- the interpretation of
individual message elements in terms of co
hesion and coherence
• Strategic competence- the coping strategies
to initiate, terminate, maintain, repair, and r
edirect communication
 Three principles
• communication, task, meaningfulness princi
ples
• the communication principle: Activities that inv
olve communication promote lg learning.
• the task principle: Activities that involve the co
mpletion of real-world tasks promote learning.
• the meaningfulness principle: Learners must be
engaged in meaningful and authentic language
use for learning to take place.
 Influences
• The primary function of language is for interaction an
d communication.
• Language is a system for the expression of meaning.
• The activities that truly communicative have features
of information gap, choice, and feedback; they must b
e guided by the teacher for unrehearsed situations.
• Authentic materials should be used.
• True communication is purposeful.
• Activities are better carried out in small groups in whi
ch interaction among students are maximized.
 Criticism
• Being prejudiced in favor of native-speaker teache
rs by demanding a relatively
• uncontrolled range of language use and expecting
the teacher to be able to respond to any and every l
anguage problem which may come up.
• A basis of group and pair work and less teacher int
ervention against education traditions
• Lack of the explicit teaching of grammar -> a cons
equent loss among students in accuracy in the purs
uit of fluency
 Practice in the Classroom
• Grammatical structures had better be subsumed un
der various functional categories.
• Authentic materials are preferred.
• There should be less attention to grammatical rule
s but fluency should never be encouraged at the ex
pense of clear, unambiguous, direct communicatio
n.
• Technology and increased teachers’ lg proficiency
now make achieving the goals of CLT possible.
 Non-communicative activities

• No communicative desire
• No communicative purpose
• Form not content
• One language item only
• Teacher intervention
• Materials control
 Communicative activities
• A desire to communicate
• A communicative purpose
• Content not form
• Variety of language
• No teacher intervention
• No materials control