THE COMMUNICATIVE APPROACH AS A STRATEGY OF DEVELOPING FOREIGN LANGUAGE SPEAKING COMPETENCE

Abstract

The article deals with the issue of applying the communicative approach as a strategy of forming foreign language speaking competence while learning the English language. New political, socio-economic and cultural realities require increasing the role of foreign languages in Ukraine. The general strategy of foreign language teaching is determined by the needs of modern society and the level of developing linguistic, psychological, pedagogical and related sciences. The communicative approach is defined as this strategy. It defines the practical goal of foreign language teaching and learning, that is, forming and developing intercultural communicative competence.The communicative approach in foreign language studying is distinguished as a result of methodological realizing of scientific achievements in the field of linguistics, i.e. the theory of communicative linguistics, psychology, and the theory of activity, that is reflected in papers on methodology of foreign language teaching of such scholars as O. Leontiev, I. Zymnia, Yu. Passov, S. Shatilov, H. Rohova and others. The issue of the specificity of communicative phenomena is considered by M. Bovtenko, O. Bihych, L. Byrkun, V. Demiankov, Yu. Karaulov and others. The issue of intercultural communication is investigated by E. Vereshchahin, N. Liubimova, O. Mykhailova, L. Samovar and others. The problem of motivation in foreign language teaching is studied by A. Danylchenko, A. Lypkina, A. Markova, T. Matis, T. Kharchenko and others. Such researchers as J. Atkinson, I. Bekh, I. Vasyliev, D. Elkonin, O. Leontiev, L. Slavina, H. Shchukina and others claim that forming and keeping the motivation in studying are the most important aspects of modern foreign language education. The analysis of scientific references shows the lack of comprehensiveness in studying the outlined problem and the need to investigate the communicative approach to learning English.The aim of the study is to define the term “communicative approach”, to determine the new strategic directions of mastering English, and to characterize the functions of a foreign language for career prospects.It is found out that the main strategy of foreign language teaching is the communicative approach, which determines the practical purpose of foreign language studying and learning (mastering foreign language intercultural communication through forming and developing intercultural communicative competence and its components). Due to the communicative approach the process of learning a foreign language is built adequately to real speech communication, that is, the learning process is a model of speech communication that takes place in real life. The communicative approach to teaching a foreign language, adopted in the modern national methodology in accordance with the European processes of internationalization and globalization, determines the choice of goals according to which principles, content, methods, techniques, and means of teaching are defined.It is stated that the task of a foreign language teacher is to formulate accurately motivational statements for language learning (e.g. to travel without go-betweens, to solve all questions at the hotel, to choose the best service and route by yourself, to learn about culture and traditions of a foreign country, to watch films in English, to listen to English songs, to use applications and computer programs in English, etc.) and form a person who will be able to participate in intercultural communication. Developing communicative skills will help students to continue their studying, improve professionally, and work abroad that will contribute to the expansion of the international relations of our country and its entry into the educational and economic space. In further papers it is planned to propose linguistic exercises for developing communication skills for student successful professional activity.