Competence:
* Definition: The underlying knowledge of a language that a speaker possesses. This includes the rules of grammar, vocabulary, and pronunciation.
* Nature: It's an internal, abstract system that is not directly observable. It's like having a blueprint or a set of instructions for how the language works.
* Focus: Competence focuses on the ideal, "perfect" knowledge of the language, irrespective of actual usage.
* Examples: Understanding the grammatical rules of subject-verb agreement, knowing the meaning of words, and being able to correctly pronounce sounds.
Performance:
* Definition: The actual use of language in real-world situations. This includes speaking, writing, reading, and listening.
* Nature: Performance is the observable manifestation of competence. It is affected by factors like context, memory, and cognitive load.
* Focus: Performance is about how language is used in practice, with all its imperfections and variations.
* Examples: Making grammatical mistakes, using slang, or struggling to find the right word during a conversation.
Relationship between Competence and Performance:
* Competence is the foundation for performance: You can't perform well if you don't have a good understanding of the language.
* Performance is the manifestation of competence: The way you speak and write is a reflection of your underlying knowledge of the language.
* Performance can affect our understanding of competence: Observing people's language use can give us insights into their underlying knowledge of the language, even if we can't directly observe it.
Example:
Imagine a student who has learned the grammar rules for forming plural nouns in English. This is their competence. However, when speaking, the student might occasionally make mistakes, such as saying "two childrens" instead of "two children". This is their performance.
Importance in Linguistics:
The distinction between competence and performance is crucial for understanding how language works. It allows linguists to:
* Study the underlying structure of language: Competence allows us to understand the abstract rules of language, regardless of how people actually use it.
* Analyze the factors that affect language use: Performance allows us to study how social, cognitive, and emotional factors influence how people use language.
* Develop better language teaching methods: By understanding both competence and performance, we can create more effective language learning materials and teaching strategies.
In summary, competence is the knowledge of language, while performance is the actual use of language. Both are important for understanding the full picture of how language functions in the world.