Journal Entry #10

[bethany marcelle]

Communicative competence is more than understanding how to say words and having a large vocabulary and correct grammar. It is understanding how one's words communicate an idea to one's intended audience. For example, in Spanish "adios" can be literally translated to "to God" as in commending someone to God, but to a Spanish speaker there is no sense of religion or God connected to these words though perhaps historically there was. Where as when one says "inshallah" in Arabic which is literally translated "if god wills it" but is used as "hopefully" or "maybe" or "I'm planning on this" the connotation of god willing and working in daily life is felt. This is the difference between communicative competence and just understanding words. It's understanding what words mean to their hearers. Another example is "namaste" which in Nepal is a very serious greeting  denoting that you see the "inner light" in someone whereas in India it is merely "hello". Thus communicative competence is important in something as small as greeting someone. =)