Difference between Communicative and Linguistic Competence

The main difference between the Communicative competence and the Linguistic one is that the linguistic competence belongs to the whole Communicative Competence or Language Knowledge that the students or native speakers have.


So, Linguistic is a component from Communicative competence in other words.


"Communicative competence is made up of four competence areas: linguistic, sociolinguistic, discourse, and strategic.

• Linguistic competence is knowing how to use the grammar, syntax, and vocabulary of a language. Linguistic competence asks: What words do I use? How do I put them into phrases and sentences?

• Sociolinguistic competence is knowing how to use and respond to language appropriately, given the setting, the topic, and the relationships among the people communicating. Sociolinguistic competence asks: Which words and phrases fits this setting and this topic? How can I express a specific attitude (courtesy, authority, friendliness, respect) when I need to? How do I know what attitude another person is expressing?
• Discourse competence is knowing how to interpret the larger context and how to construct longer stretches of language so that the parts make up a coherent whole. Discourse competence asks: How words, phrases and sentences are put together to create conversations, speeches, email messages, newspaper articles?

• Strategic competence is knowing how to recognize and repair communication breakdowns, how to work around gaps in one’s knowledge of the language, and how to learn more about the language and in an specific context. Strategic competence asks: How do I know when I’ve misunderstood or when someone has misunderstood me? What do I say then? How can I express my ideas if I don’t know the name of something or the right verb form to use?"

http://www.nclrc.org/essentials/goalsmethods/goal.htm


Conclusions


As a teachers we have to acknowledge what involves the communicative competence and then look for ways to develop not only the four features of the communicative competence but  the four skills of the language in the students too.


We have to create our own method and try to figure out the techniques that are best to succeed in the classroom. We have to encourage the students to find the opportunities to practice what they have learned in classes out of the classroom, because that is the only truly way to acquire the language.


As a teachers we have to try to be transformative intellectuals by our techniques, by our method and by our need to be the best teacher in the world.