Response to reading “Communicative Competence:"
I really enjoyed reading "Communicative Competence" because of the current tasks I am working on in my study of the Hindi language. The very first point, in which the author wrote: "Recent trends have put less emphasis on structural and cognitive characteristics of communication and more on the myriad social, cultural, and pragmatic implications of what it means to communicate in a second language," made me think of the last few weeks in my study of Hindi. Initially, at the beginning of the semester, I focused a great deal of my time and attention on learning the introductory grammar and "structural" characteristics of Hindi. Since I know Punjabi, I (erroneously) assumed that beyond the structure and some vocabulary differences (differences in sound), the two languages, would, for the most part, be quite similar. I was wrong. Yes, the two languages are similar, but the interpersonal meanings and interpersonal context of Hindi is quite different from Punjabi. For instance, in the article, when the author discussed the different types of competence (Grammatical, Discourse, Sociolinguistic, and Strategic), I found it very interesting to think of one of my weak points in Hindi -- sociolinguistic competence. It is difficult for me to be sensitive to dialect and to be "natural" in speaking Hindi. When I was working on my artifact and recording a conversation with my Language Partner last night (in which I asked her questions about her identity), I kept feeling as though my questions/conversation were so abrupt because I didn't know how to end one question, ask an unrelated question, have her know that I am listening, and finally end the conversation. In the text, this is referred to as topic nomination, turn-taking, and topic shifting. Since my goals for this semester were primarily functional in nature, I never really thought about spending time in studying topic nomination, turn-taking, topic shifting, etc. For instance, with regard to gender, I don't really know what body language or nonverbal signs a female or male should have while asking a question to someone or introducing him/herself to others.
Thus, by looking back at my artifact with my LP and at the text, I am realizing that sociolinguistic competence and the non-structural aspects of language are just as important in communicating with locals as grammar and vocabulary are.
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