Communicative Competence and the Japanese Learner

要旨

While language teaching in Japanese high schools and colleges is currently embracing communicative approaches, elsewhere views about communica­ tive competence and its application to language pedagogy are undergoing a re­ evaluation. This paper seeks to re-examine the concept of communicative competence, distinguishing between of language and of its use and the ability to control this knowledge in actual communication. The paper also reviews research which has examined the acquisition of one aspect of communicative competence-sociolinguistic competence---by Japanese learn­ ers.ofEnglish, concluding that many learners experience problems with this aspect The paper ends with a discussion of the goals of language teaching in Japanese high schools, arguing that a minimal goal involving (as opposed to control) of both grammatical and sociolinguistic competence is the only practical one. Such a goal may be best achieved through conscious­ ness-raising activities rather than practice exercises. [l1i']

主題