19 4
Traits Traits refer to physical characteristics and consistent responses to
situations or information. Good eyesight is a necessary trait for surgeon, as is self- control is an ability to remain calm under stress.
5 Motives
Motives are emotions, desires, physiological needs or similar impulses that prompt action. For example surgeons with high interpersonal orientation take
personal responsibility for working well with other members of the operating team.
From the five terms discussed above, it can be stated that competence is a person’s actualized potentials of knowledge, skills, self-concept and values, traits,
and motive in order to achieve success in what he does amid various-changing situations. Furthermore, in terms of language teaching and learning, the word
“success” can be defined as how those potentials are expanded, developed, and actualized so that a person eventually becomes a good communicator. As the
discussion of competence touches the term of “good communicator”, in turn, there is a need to describe what communication is.
b. Communication
According to Savignon 1997, communication can be defined as a continuous process of expression, interpretation, and negotiation of meaning. As a
process of negotiation of meaning, as it is stated in the definition, communication has to be carried out between two parties at least, or more. It is impossible to
20 figure out any possible negotiation of meaning carried out by single party, without
any single partner of communication to whom the meaning is addressed to. Negotiation of meaning means a process of giving and receiving each
party’s way of identifying the same fact. This definition is supported by Savignon’s statement that “the success of particular communication strategy
depends on the willingness of others to understand and on the interpretation they give to our meaning” 1997, p. 10. The “willingness to understand” and the
“interpretation to the meaning conveyed” can be seen as the process of receiving and giving. From the definition given above, it can also be said that the process of
expressing the meaning is in line with the process of giving, and reversely, the process of interpreting the meaning as the process of receiving. In other words
there is no meaningful and effective communication without any negotiation between the parties involved.
c. Communicative Competence
Following logically the two premises above, communicative competence is interpreted as a person’s actualized potentials of knowledge, skills, self-concept
and values, traits, and motive in order to achieve success in expressing, interpreting, and negotiating meaning amid various-changing situations. Hence,
communicative competence related to English is the actualization of English knowledge and skills in order to express, interpret and negotiate meaning in real
situations which require English as the bridge of communication. Furthermore, Ellis 2003, pp. 13, 696 states communicative competence
as the speaker- hearer’s knowledge about what constitutes appropriate, correct and
21 effective language behavior in order to achieve particular communicative goals.
Communicative competence includes linguistic competence for example, knowledge of grammatical rules and pragmatic competence for example,
knowledge of what constitutes appropriate linguistic behavior in a particular situation; politeness. In this research, the communicative competence about what
the English course concerns is related to grammar-vocabulary acquisition and how that knowledge can be successfully applied in the real situation.
4. Language Course Design
