Foreign Language Communicative Competence in a Multilingual Environment as a Multifaceted Personal Resource of Non-Language Major Specialists

Abstract

Abstract. The aim of the article is to investigate and analyze foreign-language communicative competence as a personal resource.

Research findings. The concept of communicative competence remains ambiguous, while its components, as presented in domestic and Western models, demonstrate certain discrepancies. This study is based on the Ukrainian model, which encompasses linguistic, speech, sociocultural, compensatory, educational, and cognitive competences. In the contemporary multilingual environment, the emphasis is shifting from strict adherence to phonetic norms toward the ability to achieve mutual understanding in order to ensure effective communication.

The methodological framework of the study relies on the concept of Pierre Bourdieu, according to which cultural capital, together with economic, social, and symbolic capital, constitutes a set of personal resources that determine an individual’s social position.

Conclusions. Linguistic capital is considered as one of the forms of cultural capital that depends on the intellectual, emotional, and volitional efforts of the individual. One of the most extensively studied aspects of this issue is the economic value of language, which has contributed to the dissemination of the term “commercialization of language.” However, focusing on linguistic capital solely in terms of its conversion into economic capital significantly narrows the perspective and diminishes consideration of other advantages of foreign-language communicative competence.

It is emphasized that intercultural communicative competence, as an integral component of any foreign language learning program, facilitates the development and deepening of respect for the language and culture being studied, promotes awareness of one’s own culture, and fosters the skills necessary for competent and adaptive communication in any language.

It is demonstrated that the personality of the foreign language teacher plays a crucial role, as the teacher may consciously, subconsciously, or unconsciously influence the formation and/or reinforcement of stereotypes. Instead of fostering the development of intercultural communicative competence, the teacher may transmit personal biases, cultural patterns, and one-sided interpretations of sociocultural reality, thereby limiting the development of critical thinking, intercultural sensitivity, and learners’ openness to the foreign-language environment.

Keywords: foreign-language communicative competence, multilingual environment, linguistic capital, intercultural communicative competence, language education, specialists in non-linguistic fields.