Priorities for L2 use

 To be able to communicate no matter what language, you need to have the language knowledge including culture knowledge, context, content and language use.

Relationship of communicative competence

We can classify communicative competence by purposes for learning L2 as follows:

Academic competence

It occurs when learners want to use the L2 primarily as a tool scholarly research, to learn about the other subjects, and as a medium in a specific professional/occupation field.

For example

- If language learner plan to study the subject at an L2-medium university (i.e., a Thai student studying in the university at the US or studying in Thailand but need to do a thesis in English)

- You are likely to need proficiency in L2 academic writing in order to display your knowledge on examinations that may be required for university admission and to earn academic degrees.

However, it doesn’t necessarily require fluent speaking ability when you’re proficient in writing skill, especially for learners studying the L2 in a foreign language context.

Interpersonal competence

It encompasses knowledge required of learners who plan to use the L2 primarily in face-to-face contact with other speakers. In short, learners’ goal is just being able to communicate in other languages.

                                Table 1 Priorities of L2 activities

Academic competence	Interpersonal competence
Reading	Listening
Listening	Speaking
Writing	Reading
Speaking	Writing

     Compare academic competence to interpersonal competence, you’ll see that reading is typically much more important for academic than for interpersonal needs, and the speaking is usually much more important for interpersonal than for academic purposes.