Considering pragmatic competence as a structural component of foreign language communicative competence

Studying the role and place of pragmatic competence in the framework of the formation of communicative competence is important in foreign language teaching. Successful communication in a foreign language requires not only knowledge of vocabulary and grammatical structures, but also the ability to use them in various contexts. We explain the concepts of “pragmatics” and “competence” as basic terms in understanding the pragmatic competence. We define pragmatic competence as the ability to choose appropriate language means in a certain context. We analyze three types of models of foreign language communicative competence. They are functional (or discourse-oriented models), component models and meaning-oriented models. Functional models consider pragmatics as the implementation of functional discourse functions. Component models involve the division into smaller structural units, which, though, are closely related to the time of language use. Meaning-oriented models for the first time consider pragmatic competencies as a discrete element in communicative competence. Basing on the analysis and comparison of the examined models, we form a more complete and broader understanding of pragmatic competencies, including bilateral communication competencies, including coding and using, as well as the basis on three principles - contextual use of the language, interaction of the interlocutors in the conversation and the transmitted meaning.