It was interesting to read about new terminology such as communicative competence in the given article by H.D. Brown. Communicative competence relates to competence that enables us to convey and interpret messages and to negotiate meanings interpersonally within specific contexts. This can only be seen by observing two or more individuals communicate. This definition led to many sub-divisions and definitions and I also learned about cognitive/academic language proficiency (CALP) as well as basic interpersonal communicative skills (BICS). It was amazing to learn of all of these terms which I never knew existed. I am a visual learner so having a chart that encapsulated all of these different types of competencies under the large umbrella of language competence was great on pg. 271. I appreciated learning the difference between the forms/functions of language and discourse as well. It may seem like a small detail but it struck me that discourse really is language beyond the sentence. It can entail so much more in relation to kinesics (body language) and cultural context. Essentially, saying yes in a given culture could really mean saying no, funnily enough.
In relation to cultural competence, I learned about this term in my Medical Anthropology class from last semester. It relates to one having an understanding and openness to other cultures. In my class, we learned how it is essential for health practitioners to have cultural competence as they need to be understanding of the customs and practices of other cultures. One patient may not understand what a doctor says and say OK when the doctor asks if he/she understood how much medicine he/she needs to take. Some cultures do not pay as much attention to instructions and simply may not be used to a hospital environment. Therefore there needs to be a certain level of patience and guidance in this matter.
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