(Lecture-12), What is Linguistic Competence by Noam Chomsky? 'Langue' by Ferdinand de Saussure

Summary

An introductory lecture exploring Noam Chomsky's concept of linguistic competence, its general definition, and its relationship to Ferdinand de Saussure's notion of 'langue'.

Highlights

Origin of Competence and Performance00:00:27

Noam Chomsky introduced the terms competence and performance in his 1965 book, 'Aspects of the Theory of Syntax', establishing them as foundational concepts in linguistics.

General Meaning of Competence00:00:50

In a general sense, competence refers to the quality of being skillful, knowledgeable, and possessing the required capacity or qualifications to perform effectively in a specific field.

Linguistic Meaning of Competence00:02:21

Linguistic competence refers to a native speaker's internal knowledge of their language system. It is the biological and cognitive potential that allows an individual to generate and comprehend grammatical sentences endlessly.

Competence and Saussure's 'Langue'00:04:28

Chomsky’s linguistic competence is closely related to Ferdinand de Saussure’s concept of 'langue'. Both describe an abstract, shared system of rules or knowledge stored within the minds of speakers in a community.