Language Competence and Language Performance

An essay on linguistics

Language Competence and Language Performance

Name：xxx Class： xxx Number ：xxx

[Abstract] Language is a tool of communication. The fundamental purpose to

master a language is to communicate. This article lists Chomsky’s and Hymes’ definition of language competence and performance, an analysis of their distinction, relationship and enlightenments to foreign language learning, expecting to provide some help to the learners.

[Key words] language competence, language performance, learning.

In the process of language learning, people often talk about competence and performance which are two skills of language learning. They rely on each other as well as promote each other. Understanding their meanings and differences correctly takes a positive influence to our foreign language learning.

Ⅰ.The Differences between Competence and Performance

In order to understand the two concepts of language competence and language performance, it’s worth mentioning the two linguistics’ points of view.

1.1 Chomsky’s standpoint

Chomsky is a U.S. linguist famous for his important ideas about language, including the idea that everyone is born with knowledge about grammar.

According to Chomsky, language competence and language performance are completely different. Competence is an ability to recognize and understand sentences, including summarizing the language materials and deducing them to the language rules and regular sentences. He thought, language refers to the ability of the speakers’ and listeners’ internal knowledge. Competence is the speakers’ underlying linguistic knowledge and the abstract master to language system. Performance is just the actual behavior of competence. Although performance is derived from competence, it’s not equal to competence. Performance is unique and diverse, and always dependent on the environment. Competence is an abstract concept that is full of details but unable to confirm. They are totally two fundamentally different phenomenons. To attach

importance to language is to attach to the most basic things, namely language competence.

1.2 Hymes’ standpoint.

Hymes is an American anthropologist and linguist famous for his idea about communicative competence.

In accordance with Hymes, language competence refers to not only make sentences obey the grammatical rules, but also use the language appropriately. He put forward communicative competence that is antagonistic to Chomsky's language competence. Hymes thought, Chomsky’s thought only involves language rules but ignores the social rules which is the important characteristic of communicative functions as a social phenomenon. In his view, competence is the ability to communicate in a particular environment with using language smoothly. That is to say, one’s communicative competence includes not only language knowledge, but also the ability to use language appropriately in social environment. Training the four basic language skills—listening, speaking, reading, writing—should reflect the interdependence of language and communication.

Ⅱ.The Relationship between Competence and Performance

Language competence and language performance are interdependent and complementary to each other.

On the one hand, language competence is the premise of language performance. Competence is to performance what composer’s skills is to composing or improvising music. Without solid language skills can not gain a good ability of language use.

On the other hand, to improve the ability of language performance can enhance and consolidate the lever of language competence. Performance is reflected in the competence, since language ability is not equal to have the ability to use the language. Performance can neither be replaced by nor improve in pace with competence, but to gain by training and practicing.

Ⅲ. Enlightenments to Foreign Language Learning

The ultimate purpose of foreign language learning is not only to learn grammatical knowledge, but also to cultivate students' ability of using language. If we only emphasize the use of language ability, while neglect the basic knowledge of language learning, it is not possible to complete the task of foreign language learning. In another word, ignoring either competence or performance is not able to reach the purpose of foreign language learning. The ideal learning effect is that language competence and language performance should keep in the same pace.

Ⅳ.Conclusion

I think that for the students of foreign language, competence needs to be nurtured in the process of enhancing performance, but competence calls for more efforts at the beginning stage while success in performance may motivate the acquisition of competence.

References

1. 胡壮麟 语言学教程第四版 北京：北京大学出版社2011 2. 胡壮麟、姜望琪 语言学高级教程 北京：北京大学出版社2002 3. 王宗炎 语言与语言的应用 上海：上海外语教育出版社1998