WORKSHOP ON PREVIEWING

ELIANA ISABEL SARMIENTO ZABALETA

TEACHER

RUBÉN MAURICIO MUÑOZ MORALES

LINGÜISTICA

PROGRAMA DE LIC. EN INGLÉS

CORPORACIÓN UNIVERSITARIA DEL CARIBE (CECAR)
2021

Author: Martha Lucía Bonilla

Revised and adapted by: Rubén Mauricio Muñoz
 Corporación Universitaria del Caribe “CECAR”
Bachelor in Education in Teaching English as a Foreign
Language Program
English Linguistics
First Assignment

Objective: To have a clear

understanding of the terms
Competence & Performance based on
different authors and the relation to L2

Resource: “Competence and

performance in learning and teaching:
theories and practices” by David
Newby

“Competence and performance in learning and teaching: theories and

practices” examines the different ways in which both competence and
performance have been defined by linguists and how these different
interpretations have influenced foreign language learning and teaching.
Read the article carefully and develop the answers in this workshop.

1. Chomsky’s states the “distinction between competence (the

speaker-hearer's knowledge of his language) and performance (the
actual use of language in concrete situations)” He further states
that “Observed use of language cannot constitute the actual
subject matter of linguistics. (1Pt.)

a. Based on Chomsky definition about competence and

performance, describe how this competence could be clear
evident in an L2 classroom. (You can give examples.)

According to Chomsky, competence, which is the speaker-hearer's

knowledge of language, and performance, which is the actual use of
language in concrete situations, must be distinguished, and linguistics
must focus on competence if it wants to be a serious discipline.

This linguistic theory is concerned mainly with an ideal speaker-listener,

in a homogeneous speech-community, who knows the language
perfectly and doesn’t have any type of limitation, distraction or "external
factors" that impacts the linguistic process.

Author: Martha Lucía Bonilla

Revised and adapted by: Rubén Mauricio Muñoz
 In this sense, if we want to development of competence in an L2
classroom, from Chomsky's perspective, the teacher must focus on
contents and grammar.

Activities such as sentence construction, identification of parts of

sentence, correct use of grammar, among others, are part of the
competence. However, these activities shouldn’t be contextualized to the
reality of the student, as Chomsky said, linguistics shouldn’t focus on
these factors if it wants to be serious. The methodological strategies
must be aimed at developing the contents, regardless of their
applicability.

b. Give reasons why performance cannot constitute matter of

linguistics but competence can? Cite at least an author

The goal of linguistic is to describe a speaker’s “mental reality underlying

actual behavior”, but according to Chomsky, “observed use of language
cannot constitute the actual subject matter of linguistics, if this is to be a
serious discipline”, that means linguistic shouldn’t be affected by such
grammatically irrelevant conditions as memory limitations, distractions,
shifts of attention and interest, and errors (random or characteristic) in
applying his knowledge of the language in actual performance

1. “We have to account for the fact that a normal child acquires
knowledge of sentences, not only as grammatical, but also as
appropriate. He or she acquires competence as to when to speak,
when not, and as to what to talk about with whom, when, where,
in what manner (Hymes).” What does this sentence mean? And
how the idea does not necessarily show Chomsky’s idea about
competence and performance? (1Pt.)

In this sentence, Hymes says that children learn not only by studying the
grammar of language, but through the use of language in different
contexts. The author doesn’t agree with “community must have a
homogeneous speech” and, therefore, performance is important for
learning a language.
While for Chomsky mental reality underlies real behavior, for Hymes
communicative competence represents the social reality underlying real
behavior.

Author: Martha Lucía Bonilla

Revised and adapted by: Rubén Mauricio Muñoz
 2. Halliday states “Can mean is a ‘realization of can do” this
corresponds to the second criticism of Chomsky’s view of
competence and performance and also concern the functional
dimension of a language. Describe the second criticism and the
functional dimension. (1Pt)

For linguists and philosophers as Halliday, the basis of language is of a

functional nature. That is, the use of language depends on the social-
cultural context, the external physical limitations or the student's
limitations. In language teaching there is an illocutionary act where the
teaching objectives are based on the speech functions.

3. Is language a unit of linguistic analysis? Explain and cite

author(s). (1Pt)

Yes, Halliday contradicted Chomsky when he said that language does

not consist of sentences; it consists of text or discourse, the exchange
of meanings in interpersonal contexts of one kind or another. For
Chomsky the sentence was the unit of linguistic analysis but he had no
taking into account language systems operate not only at utterance
level but at discourse level too and that while speaking or writing
transmit, adapt and clarify a message, to make language use more
efficient, for example.

4. What does Chomsky say opposite to the affirmations on the left?

(1Pt)

Langacker, Heine , Tomasello and Chomsky

Jackendoff
 language is not an  to draw a dividing line between
autonomous cognitive faculty linguistic reality and general
cognitive, non-linguistic aspects of
mental reality

 grammar is conceptualization  grammar is universal

 knowledge of language  linguistic reality reflects a specific

emerges from language use language module in a speaker’s
brain.

Author: Martha Lucía Bonilla

Revised and adapted by: Rubén Mauricio Muñoz
 5. What are the schematic constructs? (1Pt)

The schematic constructs, form a constructivist view, are schematics

knowledge or mental representation of knowledge, that interact with
systemic knowledge of a language to facilitate the processing,
interpretation and comprehension of language. They have a personal
element referred to how people human beings interpret one and the
same event or one and the same utterance in differing ways and they
can need little theoretical explanation or abstract perceptional
categories.

6. In 1980 Canale and Swain provided a description of competence

based on four categories. What are those categories? Explain.
(1Pt)

Those are:
1. Grammatical competence: knowledge of lexical items and of rules
of morphology, syntax, sentence grammar semantics and
phonology; it means, grammar is a conceptualization like Croft
and Cruse said.

2. Sociolinguistic competence: the ability to communicate

appropriately in a variety of contexts; this includes both verbal and
non-verbal communication; for example: it isn’t the same,
expressing yourself in a meeting with your boss than on the
street with your friends.

3. Discourse competence: the ability to use language which goes

beyond the level of the sentence; this includes aspects such as
cohesion and coherence; it is important so what we say makes
sense.

4. Strategic competence: appropriate use of communication strategies

to overcome or repair breakdowns in communication, due perhaps
to lack of linguistic competence. For example, using synonyms of
words, sign language, writing, etc. when we don't know how to
express ourselves.

Author: Martha Lucía Bonilla

Revised and adapted by: Rubén Mauricio Muñoz
 7. After reading all the competences described in the CEFR what do
you think CEFR perception about competence and performance?
Is it more related to social or individual? Is it more linguistic? Or
not? (1Pt)

I think CEFR is in a good way about competence and performance, I’m

not agree with Chomsky when he say linguistic should be separated of
people’s reality. Humans live in society, and we also learn the
language through the use in different contexts. And, yes, CEFR is also
linguistic, because, language learning be seen as skill development
rather than merely the accumulation
of knowledge

8. Write your own conclusions about competence and performance

and how these two terms affect the SLA? (2Pts.)

The study of competence and performance in language learning and

teaching has generated controversy given the different points of view
of the authors. Although linguistic analysis is important for learning
language, grammar isn’t enough to cover all aspects of the language.
In this sense, is necessary to frame the use of language from different
contexts, student needs, limitations and factors that affect the learning
process. Finally, not only teach contents but to give meaning to them
and applicability.

Author: Martha Lucía Bonilla

Revised and adapted by: Rubén Mauricio Muñoz
 REFERENCE

NEWBY, David. Competence and performance in learning and teaching:

theories and practices. Selected papers on theoretical and applied linguistics,
[S.l.], v. 19, p. p. 15-32, apr. 2011. ISSN 2529-1114. Available at:
<http://ejournals.lib.auth.gr/thal/article/view/5476>. Date accessed: 05 mar.
2021. doi:https://doi.org/10.26262/istal.v19i0.5476.

Author: Martha Lucía Bonilla

Revised and adapted by: Rubén Mauricio Muñoz