交际语言能力概念的嬗变及其对语言测试的影响

Evolution of Communicative Competence and Its Influence over Language Testing

自1972年Hymes提出"交际能力"概念至今,交际语言能力理论经历了四十多年的发展,已成为影响外语教学和测试领域的主要理论体系之一。20世纪80年代以来,学者们锲而不舍地补充和完善交际语言能力概念,试图将其发展成为一个可操作的理论模型。20世纪90年代,Bachman提出了一个包含语言能力、策略能力和心理生理机制的全新的交际语言能力模型;21世纪初至今,《欧洲语言共同参考框架》所包含的交际语言能力观在全球外语教育领域引起了广泛关注。但是,如何有效地测量交际语言能力仍是目前语言测试面临的一大挑战。为了应对这一挑战,建议根据测试的语境来定义、实施测试的构念。

Since the concept of communicative competence was initially put forward by Hymes in 1972,it has gone through an evolution of more than forty years,and has thus far developed into one of the dominant theories in the field of foreign language teaching and testing. The 1980 s onward has seen persistent and strenuous efforts made by researchers and scholars alike,amending and expanding the connotation of communicative competence with an attempt to make it operational. As a consequence,the 1990 s was marked by Bachman＇s formulation of a brand-new theoretical model of communicative language ability. Since 2001,a single document,namely the Common European Framework of Reference（ CEFR） has been drawing worldwide attention,with its elaboration of communicative competence being part of the research focus. Regardless of the rapid development of theories concerning communicative competence,how to gauge it in language testing,however,remains a serious challenge. Given the situations above,this paper proposes to define and operationalise test construct in terms of the test context.