15 language learning and that can be used to support a wide variety of classroom
procedures Richards Rodgers, p. 172. As an approach to language teaching, the principles of Communicative
Language Teaching can be observed through two theories, namely theory of language and theory of learning Richards Rodgers, 2003. Those theories are
best described as follows.
a. Theory of Language
The key concept of Communicative Language Teaching CLT is language’s primer function as a tool of communication. Savignon ed., 2002
states that the central theoretical concept in CLT is “communicative competence”, which is a term introduced into discussions of language use and second or foreign
language learning in the early 1970s. The term “communicative competence” is a result of Hyme’ response to Chomsky’s theory of competence which highlighted
the importance of “ideal speaker-listener” with perfect linguistic knowledge,
which is supposed to be unaffected by cognitive and situational factors during actual linguistic performance Rickheit, Strohner Vorwerg, 2008, p. 17.
On the other hand, Hymes sees the importance of circumstances around a speaker that effectively affect his communication. Hymes call for the important to
seek for more general theory incorporating communication and culture, which is to find what a speaker needs to know in order to be communicatively competent
in a speech community as cited from Savignon, 1997, p. 159. These statement unveil clearly that theoretically language as a tool for communication can never
be separated from the context of its users. To have his language communicative
16 enough, which is effectively negotiating meaning to his interlocutors, a speaker
needs not only linguistic competence, which is not less important though, but above all is communicative competence, a dynamic concept depends on the
negotiating of meaning between two or more people share to some degree the same symbolic system Savignon, 1997, p. 14.
Under the light of language theory, CLT at last can be said to be an approach of language teaching which has a rich theoretical base characterized by
communicative view of language as listed in the following points Richards Rodgers, 2003, p. 161:
Language is a system for the expression of meaning.
The primary function of language is to allow interaction and
communication.
The structure of language reflects its functional and communicative uses.
The primary units of language are not merely its grammatical and
structural features, but categories of functional and communicative meaning as exemplified in discourse.
b. Theory of Learning
