英语论文网

ew of these in a given testing context, we need to be aware of the full range of language abilities as we design and develop language tests and interpret language test scores, For example, even though we may only be interested in measuring an individual’s knowledge of vocabulary, the kinds of test items, tasks or texts we use need to be selected with an awareness of what other 682 TESOL QUARTERLYcomponents of language ability they may evoke. We believe, therefore, that even though a given language test may focus on a narrow range of language abilities, its design must be informed by a broad view of language ability. Language Knowledge 1 　　What we refer to as language knowledge can be regarded as a domain of information that is specific to language ability and that is stored in long-term memory. For our purposes, we do not attempt to characterize how this knowledge is stored. That is, we use the term knowledge to refer to both conscious and tacit, analyzed and unanalyzed knowledge. While the importance of such distinctions has been recognized in other areas of applied linguistics, it remains to be seen how relevant they are to the design, development, and use of language tests. 　　Language knowledge includes two broad areas: organizational knowledge and pragmatic knowledge. These are constantly chang-ing, as new elements are learned or acquired, and existing elements restructured. The learning or acquisition of areas of language knowledge is beyond the scope of my discussion here, and for purposes of describing how they pertain to language use, I will treat them as more or less stable traits or constructs. The areas of language knowledge are given in Figure 1 below. Discussion of these elements of language knowledge is beyond the scope of this paper. I would simply indicate that this model of language ability has evolved from earlier models, particularly that of Canale & Swain (Canale, 1983; Canale & Swain, 1980b) as a result of both empirical research and review of relevant literature in applied linguistics. The model presented here thus includes a much wider range of elements and provides a more comprehensive view of language ability than have earlier models. Strategic Competence 　　The second component of language ability is what I have called strategic competence, and have described as consisting of three sets 1 This description of language knowledge is essentially the same as Bachman’s (1990b) discussion of language competence. The change in terminology from competence to knowledge reflects the view that the former term now carries with it a great deal of unnecessary semantic baggage that makes it less useful conceptually than it once was. I would note two changes from Bachman’s 1990 model: (a) “Vocabulary” has been removed from “organizational competence” and placed within a new area, “propositional knowledge,” under “pragmatic knowledge,” and (b) “illocutionary competence” has been renamed “functional knowledge.”