Multi-competence is a concept in second-language acquisition formulated by Vivian Cook that refers to the knowledge of more than one language held within a single person's mind. Rather than treating a multilingual speaker's languages as separate, self-contained systems, the concept treats them as parts of one interconnected system, and it characterizes second-language speakers as distinctive individuals in their own right rather than as deficient or incomplete monolinguals.
Facts
Core ClaimA person who knows more than one language holds one connected multi-competence rather than several separate monolingual systems, so a second-language user should be judged as a successful L2 user rather than a deficient native speaker. 1 Sources
1. Multi-Competence (Wikipedia)
Wikimedia FoundationLead paragraph, multi-competence definitionQuote, Lead paragraph, multi-competence definition
Multi-competence is a concept in second language acquisition formulated by Vivian Cook that refers to the knowledge of more than one language in one person's mind. From the multicompetence perspective, the different languages a person speaks are seen as one connected system, rather than each language being a separate system.
2. Vivian Cook (Wikipedia)
Wikimedia FoundationBibliography, Articles list, 1991 entryQuote, Bibliography, Articles list, 1991 entry
Cook, V. J. (1991). The poverty-of-the-stimulus argument and multicompetence. Second Language Research, 7(2), 103-117.
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