THE ESSENCE AND STRUCTURE OF THE LINGUISTIC COMPETENCE AND THE COMPETENCY OF FUTURE ENGLISH TEACHERS

Abstract

In this article are analyzed the meanings of the following definitions: «professional competency», «professional competence», «professional competence of a foreign language teacher», «communicative competence», «linguistic competency», «linguistic competence», «speech competence»; conducted a review of the key concepts of domestic and foreign scientists regarding the interpretations and structure of these competencies and competences. Based on the analysis of this research, our own interpretations of the above definitions are proposed, including linguistic competency and competence in the teaching of foreign languages. It is revealed that professional competence has systematic character and covers certain competencies, which are evidence of the fact that the pedagogue is experienced. The competence of future English teachers is formed by specific blocks of competencies in which communicative as well as linguistic competency occupies a leading position. The history of the formation of the category «linguistic competency» is clarified. It is focused on the closeness of the entity of the definitions «lingual competency» and «linguistic competency»; the works of foreign and domestic scientists, in particular N. Chomsky, S. Savignon, L. Bakhman, I. Zimnaya, I. Snihovskaya, L. Shmelkova, N. Mykytenko, S. Kornienko, are analyzed in terms of the  essence and the structure of those categories.

It is determined that knowledge of lexical units, grammatical and syntactic structure of sentences, ability to formulate and comprehend sentences in a foreign language are not sufficient for the formation of linguistic competency, since there is a threat that such a process leads to understanding and cognition of the language as a pre-existing system but not as means of communication. It is stated that the researchers distinguish between the term «linguistic competency» in their native and foreign languages, and the components of linguistic competency in the process of mastering a foreign language are presented.