Interactional Competence and Intonation in Teaching German

Since the ultimate purpose of learning a foreign language is being capable of communicating in that language, the concept of interactional competence is of dire importance in teaching and learning a second language. Interactional competence is the ability to use language in different social contexts. Furthermore, as a paralinguistic code, intonation has direct influence on the accent of learner or the so-called foreign accent.

 Literature Review:

 Chomsky (1965) introduces performance versus competence. Hymes (1972) broadens competence to include language use in social situations that he calls communicative competence. According to Kramsch (1986) concepts of addressee and communication context are main factors that differentiate interactional competence from communicative competence. Based on Young (2011), interactional competence includes identity, linguistic and interactional resources. Markee (2008) views interactional competence in three elements, namely, a formal system, a semiotic system and paralinguistic features.  

This article aims at going from linguistic and communicative competence to interactional competence that is both context- and interactants-dependent, in order to study intonation in real conversation. To this end, functions of intonation in German language are introduced and described in the process of reaching interactional competence and maintaining successful communication in this language. 

In teaching a foreign language, we should engage the learners in social and cultural aspects of the language in order to improve and develop their interactional skills and reach near native accent.