2. The Communicative Approach emerged in the
early 1970s as a result of the work of the
Council of Europe experts. However, it can be
traced to the work of Chomsky in the 1960s,
when he advanced the two notions of
'competence' and 'performance' as a reaction
against the prevalent audio-lingual method
and its views.

3. These two concepts were developed later on
by Hymes, into a 'communicative competence'
which refers to the psychological, cultural and
social rules which discipline the use of speech.
Hymes, as a sociolinguist, was concerned with
the social and cultural knowledge which
speakers need in order to understand and use
linguistic forms. His view, therefore,
encompassed not only knowledge but also
ability to put that knowledge into use in
communication.

4. • Does communicative language teaching,
mean teaching conversation, an absence of
grammar in a course, or an emphasis on open-
ended discussion activities as the main
features of a course?
• What do you understand by Communicative
Language Teaching?

5. Communicative language teaching can be
understood as a set of principles
about the goals of language teaching, how
learners learn a language, the
kinds of classroom activities that best
facilitate learning, and the roles of
teachers
and learners in the classroom.

6. • The theory of language teaching underlying
the Communicative Approach is holistic rather
than behavioristic. It starts from a theory of
language as communication which implies
knowledge of the grammatical system as well
as performance. In other words, such
competence includes both the usage and use
of the language. (Widdowson, 1984).

7. Unlike the audiolingual method, the
Communicative Approach gives priority to the
semantic content of language learning. That
is, learners learn the grammatical form
through meaning not the other way around.
Thus, "learning activities are selected
according to how well they engage the learner
in meaningful and authentic language use
(rather than merely mechanical practice of
language patterns)" (Richards & Rogers, 1986:
72).

8. Since the primary aim of the approach is to
prepare learners for meaningful
communication, errors are tolerated. The
range of exercise types and activities
compatible with a communicative approach is
unlimited.

9. The type of classroom proposed in CLT implied new roles for
teachers and learners. Learners now had to participate in
classroom activities that were based on a cooperative rather
than individualistic approach to learning. Students had to
become comfortable with listening to their peers in group
work or pair work tasks, rather than relying on the teacher for
a model. Teachers now had to assume the role of facilitator
and monitor, rather than being a model for correct speech
and writing and one with the primary responsibility of making
students produce plenty of error-free sentences, the teacher
had to develop a different view of learners’ errors and of
her/his own role in facilitating language learning.

11. • 1) The communicative approach focuses on the use of
language in everyday situations, or the functional aspects
of language, and less on the formal structures. However,
critics believe that there needs to be some sort of "bridge"
between the two in order for effective language learning.
• 2) The approach relies extensively on the functional-
notational syllabus which places heavy demands on the
learners.
• 3) The various categories of language functions are
overlapping and not systematically graded like the
structures of the language.
• 4) A major premise underlying this approach is its emphasis
on learners' needs and interests. This implies that every
teacher should modify the syllabus to correspond with the
needs of the learners.

12. • Richards, J. C. & Rogers, T. S. (1986). Approaches and
methods in language teaching: A description and
analysis. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press.
• Rogers, T. (2001) Language teaching methodology,
online resource
(http://www.cal.org/resources/digest/rodgers.html),
Sep. 2001.
• Widdowson, H .G .(1984) Explorations in Applied
Linguistics 2, Oxford OU.P .
• Richards, Jack C., and Theodore Rodgers (2001).
Approaches and Methods in Language Teaching.
Second Edition. New York: Cambridge University
Press.