It is known that nowadays the purpose of a foreign language course in higher educational institutions of non linguistic specialties is "formation of students of intercultural communicative competence which level at separate stages of language preparation allows to use a foreign language practically as in professional activity, and for self-education". The analysis of special literature shows, that one of the main reasons, complicating communication in a foreign language is the insufficient knowledge of collocations – combinations of words which are traditional and habitual for native speakers. The collocation represents a typical lexical environment of the word. Under the words "traditional", "habitual", "typical" the high probability of co-occurrence of the words making a collocation is understood. Experience of teaching in English testifies that students of non linguistic institutions, possessing a certain lexical vocabulary, don't know rules of compatibility of lexical units to which native speakers used and therefore make mistakes in written and oral speech. The incorrect choice of a synonym at making up a phrase (violation of lexical compatibility) can be an example of a similar mistake. Another manifestation of insufficient knowledge of collocations by the student is the compelled creation of long syntactic designs (compensation of lacunas in lexicon by grammatical means). Such sentences can be grammatically correct, and can be a source of additional (for example, grammatical) mistakes. However anyway they sound unnaturally from the point of view of the native speaker. The above explains need of formation at students a collocational competence.
The concept "collocational competence" was described by J. Hill in 1999 for the first time [1]. Despite gradual distribution of this term in FLT [2 6, etc.], the accurate formulation of content of collocational competence meets only in several works. The most exact, in our opinion, is the following content of collocational competence. Collocational competence is an ability to form lexical unities (chunks of language) correctly according to rules of lexical compatibility. Such ability generates fluent, correct and stylistically the pertinent speech [5].
As for the domestic methodical works devoted to this problem, the term "collocational competence" isn't used. Nevertheless, in connection with changes of training conditions in FLT at the present stage of educational development, we consider that possibility of introduction of this term to terms framework of the domestic methodology is proved. On the one hand, such opportunity is dictated by formation of competence-based approach in education. Within this approach there is an updating of terms framework of didactics and methodology of FLT, in particular. On the other hand, possibility of using the term "collocational competence" is justified by transition from structural to lexical approach in FLT. This transition is caused by change of idea about language in modern linguistics, according to which language consists of "previously prepared lexicon blocks" in which formation the key role is played by a collocation, lexicological and phraseologically caused word compatibility in speech. The big contribution to development of this vision of language was made by such scientists, as: J.Sinclair, D.Willis, R.Carter, M.McCarthy and many others [1, page 3].On the basis of collocational competence content formulated in a foreign methodology, and taking into account the domestic theory of speech skills and abilities, we offer the following content of collocational competence. Collocational competence in the foreign-language speech is understood as an ability, according to standards of the learned language, to combine correctly language units, based on knowledge of collocations and speech skills in their use in all types of speech activity. As the term "collocational competence" is borrowed by us from a foreign methodology, it is necessary to be convinced that in a domestic methodology there are no synonyms of this term. The analysis of methodical literature revealed existence of the term "collocational awareness". But this term is understood as knowledge of word compatibility of the learned language [7, page 3], therefore, these terms aren't synonymous, and designate concepts which correspond as part to the whole. The aforesaid allows tomake a conclusion on possibility of introduction of the term "collocational competence" to terms framework of a domestic methodology. There is a question of a place of collocational competence in the structure of intercultural communicative competence. Collocational competence is a component of lexical competence which is included, in turn, into structure of intercultural communicative competence. This place is defined by us proceeding from the document of the Council of Europe ("Common European Framework of Reference: Learning, Teaching, Assessment") [8]. In it approaches to teaching a foreign language are systematized and the assessment of levels of proficiency in a foreign language is standardized. According to this document communicative language competences/a more specifically language-related intercultural communicative competence consists of the
following components [8, page 108]:
- linguistic competences;
- socio-linguistic competences;
- pragmatical
In turn, linguistic competence which is understood as knowledge of language means and forms and ability to use them in the speech, includes the following components [8, page 109]:
- lexical competence;
- grammatical competence;
- semantic competence;
- phonologic competence;
- spelling competence;
- orthoepic
So, lexical competence is a component of linguistic competence. Lexical competence represents knowledge of dictionary structure of the language including lexical and grammatical means, and ability to use them in the speech [8, page 110]. And as collocations belong to the lexical elements making lexical competence, collocational competence as the ability which is based on knowledge of collocations and speech skills of their use is a component of lexical competence.
Schematically the place of collocational competence in the structure of intercultural communicative competence can be presented as follows (fig. 1).
Fig1. Place of collocational competence in the structure of intercultural communicative competence
At research of collocational competence the question of its contents is not less important. The matter can be resolved proceeding from determination of collocational competence according to which collocational competence as ability assumes existence of two bases. The first basis is the knowledge of the collocations inherent in various layers of lexicon. According to splitting a course of English for non linguistic institutions on two directions – "The common (common) English" (General English) and "English for the special purposes" (English for Specific Purposes (ESP)) – students seize common lexicon, and also lexicon of the professional focused texts (respectively). The lexicon of the professionally oriented (scientific) texts is subdivided into three layers: common, general scientific and terminological [9]. It is necessary to sort out the exact amount of collocations belonging to each layer of mentioned lexicon for the formation of collocational competence. The second basis is lexical speech skills of word usage in accordance with oral and written speech norms of the language. In this way, the content of collocational competence can be shown in the following table.
The content of collocational competence of students from non linguistic institutions. Table 1
Note: CC – collocational competence
In the table it is accurately traced that at addition of knowledge and skills in collocational competence 16 subject fields turn out. Each of this field represents a certain component of collocational competence. For example, ability corectly, according to standards of the learned language to combine language units, based on knowledge of the collocations inherent in general scientific lexicon, and speech skills of their use in written language, represents collocational competence of the written scientific language (its general scientific component).
It should be noted that our research is aimed at formation of collocational competence of the written scientific language. The choice of this component as object of research is caused by the following circumstance. Within Bologna Process (which is one of the factors defining development of the higher education today) the great value of the academic mobility of students is attached. Language of the academic mobility, common language of the European education, it is considered English. Therefore radical improvement of language training of students in general, and, in particular, within the "English for the Academic Purposes" direction (English for Academic Purposes (EAP)) is actual now. Thus, to the forefront there is a formation of intercultural communicative competence of students in the educational and scientific sphere of communication (so, and collocational competence of the written scientific language as its component). In the set the presented components of collocational competence make its contents, and the level of formation of each of them defines a level of development of collocational competence in general. And, generally, formation of the collocational competence which is structural unit of intercultural communicative competence has to be considered as one of the students of non linguistic institutions making the purposes of training in a foreign language.
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