Sydorenko I.

National Technical University of Ukraine

“Kyiv Politechnic Institute”, Ukraine

Formation of communicative competence while learning foreign language for specific purposes

Nowadays foreign languages are seen not only as a tool to understand a person belonging to another culture, but as one of the most significant indicator of moral and ethical development of the individual and society as a whole. Consequently, integration into the global educational space leads to a new vision of the main goals of foreign languages study in higher education, particularly while learning English for specific purposes.

Study of foreign language for specific purposes is undergoing radical changes that are associated with updating and restructuring of curriculum, educational content, teaching materials, with the creation of new educational standards and demands, providing not only the theoretical knowledge but also forming appropriate skills to use the acquired knowledge in practice. It becomes possible under condition of formation of special communicative competence which should promote the skillful use of language depending on the specific situation, providing the ability to produce own point of view, to develop creative and critical thinking.

The main purpose of foreign modern language learning by non-linguistic students can be achieved only if the aim of educational process will be communicatively active person, capable of providing adequate intercultural communication. It must be implemented through the willingness to facilitate intercultural relations and ability to represent the country at intercultural dialogue. So, the knowledge gained while studying the language of another country has to give understanding of common and different between various worldviews, help to find the own identify and get rid of prejudices, promote tolerance, help to act consciously and responsibly in own society as well as in terms of international cooperation.

Thus, the modern concept of language education makes an important emphasis on the need not to limit the study of foreign language by verbal code, and to form in the minds of students “world picture” inherent to the speaker as the representative of a particular culture and society. Such understanding of communicative competence involves the widest possible use of the authentic information directly related to the country which language we study. This, in turn, should provide a stable cognitive interest to the subject and effective formation of socio-cultural competence that requires knowledge of the national and cultural features of the country, the norms of speech and behavior of its speakers and the ability to build successful communicative process according to these features and standards.

Socio-cultural competence can be seen as a kind of a coherent system of interrelated components, namely geographic competence (knowledge of the socio-political system, national character, achievements in education, culture, and customs and traditions), linguistic competence (ability to perceive speech according to its national and cultural characteristics, these can include communication skills taking into account the cultural and social aspects of communication and speech skills such as listening, speaking, reading and writing; it requires knowledge of linguistic units, including semantics, and the ability to use them correctly in accordance with the specific situations) and sociolinguistic competence (knowledge of the national verbal and nonverbal behavior etiquette and skills to use them in real life situations, the ability to organize speech and communication process according to the communicative situation, social norms of behavior and social status of participants of communication).

For the above mentioned reasons, all components of socio-cultural competence are interrelated through the concept of cultural and social contexts and mastering them should also be complex. Without socio-cultural competence, foreign language communication is ineffective or does not happen. What is more, the highest level of it will be the one that will enable the non-linguistic student to understand his role in the context of a culture, interpreting his values and priorities of life through the prism of values inherent to other nations.

It is difficult not to agree that learning foreign speech culture happens not only by means of interpersonal communication, but also by means of enriching the inner world of a person by acquiring knowledge about the culture of the country. Communicative competence becomes the integral part of educational process and foreign languages teaching providing successful cognitive activity and creative thinking of students.

References:

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