Communicative competence

‘Communicative competence’ refers to the ability to use language appropriately in different circumstances. There are two ways of developing communicative competence in a language. The first is acquisition which is similar to the way people develop ability in their mother tongue. It is a natural, subconscious process in which users are not usually aware of acquiring a language. They are aware only of the fact that they are using the language to communicate. In non-technical terms, acquisition is ‘picking up’ a language spontaneously. It may also be called implicit learning.

On the other hand, the second way of developing communicative competence in a language is learning that language. It refers to conscious knowledge of a language, knowing the rules of language use, being aware of using them and being able to talk about them. In non-technical terms, learning is to know consciously about a language. It may be described as explicit learning.

Language specialists believe that acquiring a language is more successful and longer lasting than learning. Therefore, teachers these days encourage learners of a second language to practice and experience the language in different situations where they are involved in communicating with others. And that is exactly what the tasks in book are designed to do.