The introduction of communicative competence as the goal of second and
for- eign language teaching has led to recognition of the role of
context in language learning and use. As communicative competence is
defined by the social and cultural contexts in which it is used, no
single communicative competence can serve as the goal and model for all
learners. This recognition has had an impact on program design and
materials development. One significant change is that the choice of a
teaching method is no longer the primary concern. Instead, the first
step for the program designer is becoming familiar with the social and
cultural features of the context of the language being taught. This
includes a consideration of the uses speakers make of the language,
their reasons for using it, and their attitudes toward it. Contexts of
Competence: Social and Cultural Considerations in Commu- nicative
Language Teaching explores the relationship between context and com-
petence from a theoretical and practical perspective. Its audience is
applied linguists in general and language teaching practitioners in
particular. The overall aim of its five chapters is to provide a
framework for consideration of various contexts of language learning and
use and to guide the implementation and development of models of
communicative language teaching that are responsive to the
context-specific needs of learners.