The concept of language competence is especially common when learning a foreign language. In a general sense, this concept means the ability to speak a foreign language productively and correctly, knowledge of the basic rules of grammar and the ability to correctly understand the gestures and facial expressions of the interlocutor. However, the application of this concept is not limited only to the field of study of a foreign language. The requirement of language and speech competence is also presented to the education of the child. The ability to interact with peers and the ability to properly conduct dialogue are among the requirements of the Federal State Educational Standard.
Basic concepts
Language education has several components. First of all, it is the mastery of scientific knowledge of the language, that is, the rules and exceptions to them, on the basis of which the language functions. This refers to the level of linguistic competence. Further, for successful mastery of the language, it is required to comprehend its expressive means and learn to use the various functional language registers, which represents the skills of speech competence.
But knowledge of the formal structures that make up a language does not mean mastering it. The phrase of the domestic linguist Lev Vladimirovich Shcherba is widely known: "Gloky cuzdra shteko budlanula bokra". Obviously, not a single word used in it makes sense, while the phrase has a definite meaning. A person who has begun to study the Russian language may consider that he simply has not yet learned these words, and the phrase Shcherba means something.
Therefore, an important element of language education is the mastery of the skills of communicative competence, that is, all types and methods of speech activity, as well as their application in various fields of life. Communicative linguistic competence is not only the ability to perceive other people's speech. The ability of a person to respond adequately to existing goals is also a very important requirement for mastering the language.
Language Proficiency and Science
At the origins of the theory of linguistic linguistic competence as a separate field of knowledge is the American linguist Noam Chomsky. According to his views, language proficiency at all its levels is an ideal grammatical science, since it involves deep immersion in the very system of functioning of the language. The rules of morphology, spelling, and syntax alone are worthless. Their function is manifested only if there are rules for their use.
The linguistic competence itself belongs to the field of not only linguistics, but also psychology: in the process of use, linguistic means are modified under the influence of the speech experience of everyday communication. This is what makes the language always be in development. With a gradual mastery of the language, according to Chomsky, a person acquires a special sense of the language, its understanding. The very communication of people suggests that there are competent interlocutors who not only build phrases according to existing patterns, but also, understanding the mechanics of the functioning of the language, create new ones, distinguishing correct combinations of words from incorrect ones. In other words, linguistic competence is the ability to distinguish between normative segments of a language from erroneous ones.
Language environment
A man from birth is involved in interaction with the outside world. It begins at the level of facial expressions and gestures, but as it grows older it becomes more complicated. The ability of a person to communicate with others is significantly affected by the speech subculture or, in other words, the language environment in which he is brought up. By this concept is meant not only the consistent assimilation of the language and its internal structure, but also with the forms of the linguistic existence of man at all stages of his life. Errors learned by the child as norms in early childhood (for example, dialectisms, incorrect accentuation, etc.) are very difficult to eradicate. The development of language competencies is carried out not only in the process of socialization, that is, communication with parents and peers, but also in the process of education.
In principle, without knowledge of any language no education is possible. You can put forward the opposite postulate: without gaining knowledge from various fields of science, it is impossible to fully master the language. The abundance of various texts with which schoolchildren and students have to work forms their ability to subsequently themselves create texts related to various fields of knowledge. Without this, speech skills freeze at the most primitive level, and most of the expressive means offered by the language remain unclaimed.
The formation of communicative language competence in teaching the native language
The main thing in the process of familiarization with speech activity in childhood is the mastery of coherent and logically structured speech skills. Therefore, teachers recommend creating situations that the child should respond to. Children are taught to make simple messages on a given topic, encouraged to pose questions and given the opportunity to answer the same questions. An important factor is interpersonal communication, so children are immediately accustomed to a culture of dialogue and discussion.
Children remember very quickly, so you need to build your speech with them correctly, offer the necessary speech patterns and create a language environment that helps to master the basic rules of speech. The communicative orientation in mastering the language is realized in creating communication skills not only verbally, but also in writing. In the formation of students' language competence, it is very important to immediately create the idea that one of the main sources of knowledge is a book. In addition to receiving new information about the world around him, the child remembers the grammatical constructions used in this process.
Stimulation of the child’s speech activity occurs when performing various tasks in a pair or group. Such an environment creates favorable conditions for the establishment of interpersonal relationships, allows the child to take into account the interests of others, respond to their statements and thereby join the speech culture. We must not forget about the creative activity of children. Writing essays and their subsequent reading allows not only to memorize the correct speech constructions, but also to find the logical center of the utterance, to separate the main from the secondary.
Features of learning a foreign language
Although in recent years, lessons in English or any other language are common not only in elementary school, but even in kindergartens, it is assumed that the student has sufficient knowledge of his own language, has an idea of the structure and basic grammatical concepts. A person studying a foreign language is deprived of one of the most important components for mastering them perfectly - the language environment, therefore, for mastering English and other languages at the proper level, the use of additional tools is necessary.
The purpose of the first stage of the development of students' language competence is to achieve communicative goals in writing a written text. This is only possible if the following conditions are met:
- obtaining the necessary knowledge about the language as a structure;
- mastery of various styles of written communication (formal business, journalistic and so on);
- creating an idea of the goals that should be achieved by the author upon receipt of the text by the addressee;
- the presence of reflection, which is understood here as an understanding of the process of creating the text, during which it is necessary to overcome the difficulties encountered in the absence of linguistic means;
- possession of the standards of conduct adopted at the addressee's place of residence.
This is achieved through various exercises that become more complicated as the language is mastered. At the initial stages, the essence of such exercises can consist in rewriting a given text in accordance with the norms of graphics and spelling, filling in the gaps of the text with words and expressions that are meaningful, compiling simple texts (letters, congratulations, stories about the latest events), training to transmit information about yourself ( name, surname, place of residence) to the interlocutor-foreigner.
European standards
The very concept of linguistic and verbal competence implies the presence of some tools for its assessment. The most commonly used language proficiency diagnostic tool is the European Foreign Language Scale. Its basis is the principle of consistent branching of knowledge of the language. Information on the levels and requirements for them of the European scale is presented in the table.
| Proficiency Levels | Numbering | Common Name | Level requirements |
| Elementary possession | A1 | Survival rate | Understanding and free use of basic phrases and expressions in speech. Ability to introduce oneself and communicate information about oneself. Participation in elementary dialogs, provided that the interlocutor is ready to speak slowly and clearly |
| A2 | Subthreshold level | Understanding of certain phrases and stable expressions related to the main areas of life (finding a job, making purchases). Ability to tell something about yourself, relatives or friends |
| Self-ownership | IN 1 | Threshold level | Understanding the content of various messages on topics that often arise in everyday life. Ability to communicate with residents of the host country, if necessary. Ability to express one’s own thoughts, describe impressions |
| IN 2 | Threshold advanced level | Understanding the content of complex texts on an abstract subject. Possessing a sufficiently high pace of speech and the ability to spontaneously communicate with native speakers. Ability to make messages on a necessary topic, state your opinion and defend it |
| Fluency | C1 | Professional Proficiency | Understanding complex texts, including specialized topics. Ability to communicate on scientific and professional topics. The ability to compose complex texts of a specific subject using most expressive and linguistic means |
| C2 | Possession in perfection | The ability to understand any text. Possessing a well-developed conversational skill, understanding the smallest shades of the meaning of a particular word or phraseological unit. The ability to compose a text with a complex structure involving several oral and written sources |
Some notes
The presented description of the levels of language competence on the European scale does not fully reflect reality. Studies show that sometimes even people who speak the language from time to time do not reach high standards. The level of C2 for many remains only an ideal to which it is necessary to strive. In most countries, B2 is sufficient for employment, and if work does not require high qualifications and does not involve constant contact with native speakers, B1.
European standards may be applicable to determine the level of communicative speech competence in the mother tongue. It is assumed that at the end of preschool education, the child must successfully achieve the level of elementary language proficiency. In elementary school, the development of language competencies occurs from level B1 to level B2.
Competency levels for V.I. Teslenko and S.V. Latyntsev
The European scale is not the only way to diagnose language acquisition. Domestic researchers Teslenko and Latyntsev proposed their system of levels for assessing the ability to use language tools. They propose to distinguish four levels of formation of language competence:
- Base. At this stage, the student learns the basic information about the language at the level of grammar and spelling.
- Optimum adaptive. A situation is established where the student does not yet have all the means of verbal or written self-expression, but has sufficient potential for their subsequent assimilation and is able to demonstrate the knowledge gained.
- Creative search. A person is able to effectively participate in problematic discussions, has the ability to adapt to the existing information environment.
- Reflective-evaluative. At this level, the student is able to independently determine the problems of interest to him and find communicative opportunities for their resolution.
Classification of levels of knowledge of the language according to V.P. Bespalko
The above scale in its main provisions coincides with another domestic system for assessing the level of language proficiency. Its basis is the classification of various activities in the native or foreign language environment. The first level is recognition, corresponding to the basic level. The student successfully independently performs various tasks, samples of which he received earlier. At the algorithmic level, he is able to solve typical problems, and his strategies for resolving them differ in completeness and communicative effectiveness. The third stage is heuristic. Its essence lies in the student’s ability to perform various mental operations in both their native and foreign languages. The fourth-level language competencies involve the realization of creative potential, that is, the resolution of the problem posed using various linguistic and expressive means based on existing life experience and imagination.
Diagnostics as a way to teach a language
All the above classifications of levels of language proficiency, in addition to purely utilitarian use, can also be a way of further education. The definition of language competence in itself does not have practical meaning for the student, except for pride and providing him with an incentive to deepen his knowledge. However, if you diagnose each component of a communicative skill, the situation changes.
In particular, this allows you to timely identify difficulties encountered by the student in interaction with native speakers, and take measures to address them. If it is advisable to study the language in groups, then error correction should be individual. Any, even the most accurate and carefully worked out system for assessing the level of language proficiency presupposes the existence of an abstract ideal, while everyday or professional communication does not require ideals, but specific communication methods and techniques. Elimination of communication difficulties, assessment of changes in the level of language proficiency (not only positive, but also negative) and an individual approach to the student are the basic requirements of the humanistic orientation of modern education.