The concept of language competence is especially common when learning a foreign language. In a general sense, this concept means the ability to productively and correctly speak a foreign language, 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 learning a foreign language. The requirement for the presence 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 a dialogue are among the requirements of the Federal State Educational Standard.
Basic concepts
Language education has several components. First of all, this is the mastery of scientific knowledge about 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 necessary to get an idea of its expressive means and learn how to use variousfunctional registers of the language, which are the skills of speech competence.
But knowing the formal structures that make up a language does not mean mastering it. The phrase of the Russian linguist Lev Vladimirovich Shcherba is widely known: "The gloka kuzdra shteko boked the bokra." It is obvious that not a single word used in it makes sense, while the phrase has a completely definite meaning. A person who has begun to study the Russian language may consider that he simply has not yet learned these words, and Shcherba's phrase means something.
Therefore, an important element of language education is mastering the skills of communicative competence, that is, all types and methods of speech activity, as well as their application in various spheres of life. Communicative language competence is not only the ability to perceive someone else's speech. The ability of a person to adequately respond to existing goals is also a very important requirement for mastering the language.
Language 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 language functioning. By themselves, the rules of morphology, spelling, and syntax are useless. Their function is manifested only if there are rules for their use.
Language competence itself belongs not only to linguistics, but also to psychology: in the process of use, language means are modified under the influence of the speech experience of everyday communication. This is what makes the language always in development. With the 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, language competence is the ability to distinguish normative segments of a language from erroneous ones.
Language Environment
A person from birth is involved in interaction with the outside world. It starts at the level of facial expressions and gestures, but as you grow older it becomes more complicated. The ability of a person to communicate with others is significantly influenced by the speech subculture or, in other words, the language environment in which he is brought up. This concept means not only the consistent assimilation of the language and its internal structure, but also with the forms of the linguistic existence of a person at all stages of his life. Mistakes learned by a child as norms in early childhood (for example, dialectisms, incorrect placement of stresses, 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.
BIn principle, no education is possible without knowledge of any language. It is possible to put forward the opposite postulate: without obtaining 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 create texts themselves 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.
Formation of communicative language competence in teaching native language
The main thing in the process of familiarization with speech activity in childhood is mastering the skills of coherent and logically built speech. Therefore, teachers recommend creating situations to which the child must respond. Children are taught to make simple reports on a given topic, encouraged to ask 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 memorize very quickly, so you need to build your speech with them correctly, offer the necessary speech samples and create a language environment conducive to mastering the basic rules of speech. The communicative orientation in mastering the language is realized in the creation of communication skills not only in oral, but also in writing. In the formation of the language competence of students, it is very important to immediately createthe idea that one of the main sources of knowledge is a book. In addition to receiving new information about the world around, 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 establishing 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 memorizing the correct speech constructions, but also finding the logical center of the statement, separating the main from the secondary.
Features of learning a foreign language
Although recently English or any other language lessons are a common occurrence not only in elementary school, but even in kindergartens, it is assumed that the student has sufficient command of his own language, has an understanding of the structure and basic grammatical concepts. A person studying a foreign language is deprived of one of the most important components for mastering it - the language environment, therefore, in order to master English and other languages at the proper level, it is necessary to use additional tools.
The goal of the first stage of developing the language competence of students is to achieve communicative goals in the preparation of a written text. This is only possible when doingfollowing conditions:
- obtaining the necessary knowledge about the language as a structure;
- mastery of various styles of written communication (official business, journalistic and so on);
- creating an idea of the goals that should be achieved by the author when the text is received by the addressee;
- the presence of reflection, which here means understanding the very process of creating a text, during which it is necessary to overcome the difficulties that arise in the face of a lack of language means;
- possession of the norms of conduct adopted in the addressee's place of residence.
This is achieved through a variety of exercises that get more difficult as you master the language. At the initial stages, the essence of such exercises may consist in rewriting a given text in compliance with the norms of graphics and spelling, filling in the gaps in the text with words and expressions that are appropriate in meaning, compiling simple texts (letters, congratulations, stories about recent events), training in transferring information about oneself (name, surname, place of residence) to a foreign interlocutor.
European standards
The very concept of language and speech competence presupposes the existence of certain tools for its assessment. The most commonly used diagnostic tool for language proficiency is the European Framework of Reference for Languages. Its basis is the principle of sequential branching of knowledge about the language. Information about the levels and requirements for them of the European scale is presented in the table.
| Proficiency levels | Numbering | Everydayname | Level requirements |
| Elementary possession | A1 | Survival Level | Understanding and free use of basic phrases and expressions in speech. Ability to introduce yourself and provide information about yourself. Participation in elementary dialogues, provided that the interlocutor is ready to speak slowly and clearly |
| A2 | Pre-threshold level | Understanding certain phrases and set expressions related to the main areas of life (getting a job, shopping). The ability to tell something about yourself, relatives or friends | |
| Self Ownership | B1 | 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. The ability to express one's own thoughts, describe impressions |
| B2 | Threshold Advanced | Understanding the content of complex texts on abstract topics. Possession of a sufficiently high rate of speech and the ability to communicate spontaneously with native speakers. The ability to make messages on the necessary topic, express your opinion and defend it | |
| Freedom | С1 | Professional proficiency | Understanding complex texts, including specialized topics. Ability to communicate on scientific and professional topics. Ability to compose complex texts on a specific topic using most expressive and linguistic means |
| С2 | Perfect Mastery | The ability to understand any text. Possession of a well-developed conversational skill, understanding the smallest nuances of the meaning of a particular word or phraseological unit. Ability to compose a text with a complex structure using several oral and written sources |
Some remarks
The presented description of the levels of language competence on the European scale still does not fully reflect reality. Studies show that even people who have been fluent in the language from birth sometimes fall short of high standards. Level C2 for many remains only an ideal to strive for. In most countries, a B2 level is sufficient for employment, and if the job does not require high qualifications and does not involve constant contact with native speakers - B1.
European standards can also be applied to determine the level of communicative speech competence in the native language. It is assumed that at the end of pre-school education, the child should successfully reach the level of elementary language proficiency. In elementary school, the development of language competencies takes place from level B1 to level B2.
Competence levels according to 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 own system of levels for assessing the ability to use language means. They propose four levelsformation of language competence:
- Basic. At this stage, the student memorizes the basic information about the language at the level of grammar and spelling.
- Optimal adaptive. A situation is established when the student does not yet have all the means of speech or written self-expression, but has sufficient potential for their subsequent assimilation and is able to demonstrate the acquired knowledge.
- Creative-search. A person is capable of effective participation in problematic discussions, has the ability to adapt to the existing information environment.
- Reflexive-evaluative. At this level, the student is able to independently identify the problems of interest to him and find communication opportunities to resolve them.
Classification of levels of knowledge about 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 the recognition corresponding to the base 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 solving them are distinguished by their completeness and communicative effectiveness. The third stage is heuristic. Its essence lies in the ability of the student to perform various mental operations both in their native and in a foreign language. Language competencies of the fourth level involve the implementationcreativity, that is, solving the problem posed using various linguistic and expressive means based on existing life experience and imagination.
Diagnostics as a way of teaching language
All the above classifications of language acquisition levels, in addition to purely utilitarian use, can also be a way of further learning. The definition of language competence in itself has no practical meaning for the student, except for pride and providing him with an incentive to deepen his knowledge. However, if we diagnose each component of a communication skill, the situation changes.
In particular, this allows you to timely identify the difficulties that a student has in interacting with native speakers, and take measures to eliminate them. If it is advisable to study a language in groups, then error correction should be individual. Any, even the most accurate and carefully designed system for assessing the level of language proficiency assumes the presence of an abstract ideal, while everyday or professional communication requires not ideals, but specific methods and techniques of communication. Elimination of difficulties in communication, 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.
