Talk with Dell Hymes

Dell Hymes was an influential American linguist, sociolinguist, anthropologist, and folklorist whose work broadly focused on the interconnections between language, culture, and society. Born on June 7, 1927, and passing away on November 13, 2009, Hymes made substantial contributions to the understanding of how language functions in social contexts.

One of Hymes' most significant contributions is the development of the concept of "communicative competence," a term he introduced to extend the idea of linguistic competence (as originally formulated by Noam Chomsky, which focuses on an individual's ability to produce grammatically correct sentences). Hymes' concept of communicative competence emphasizes the ability to use language appropriately in various social contexts, taking into account rules of use and cultural norms that guide how language is used in specific interactions.

Hymes also proposed the SPEAKING model, an acronym that stands for Setting and Scene, Participants, Ends, Act Sequence, Key, Instrumentalities, Norms, and Genre. This model is used to break down and analyze components of speech events and has been influential in the study of ethnography of communication, a field that concerns itself with the ways communication practices serve to enact, embody, or constitute cultural norms and social structures.

Throughout his career, Hymes held academic positions at several esteemed institutions, including the University of California, Berkeley, and the University of Pennsylvania. His interdisciplinary work deeply influenced fields such as anthropology, sociolinguistics, and education, helping bridge gaps between linguistics and the broader study of human social and cultural life.

Dell Hymes’ concept of the ethnography of communication is a foundational framework in the field of sociolinguistics, which he developed to broaden the understanding of how language is used within specific cultural contexts. Hymes was particularly interested in the ways in which speech is both culturally situated and functionally diverse across different communities.

The ethnography of communication focuses on understanding what he referred to as "communicative competence," which extends beyond simply mastering grammar and syntax. To Hymes, communicative competence also included knowing when to speak, what to speak about, and how to say it appropriately within specific social contexts. This concept was a response and extension to Noam Chomsky’s idea of "linguistic competence."

Hymes developed the SPEAKING model as a tool for analyzing the components of speech events, which helps in exploring various interactions. SPEAKING is an acronym that stands for:

• Settings and Scene
• Participants
• Ends (purposes, goals)
• Acts sequence (form and order of event)
• Key (cues that establish the tone, manner, or spirit of the speech acts)
• Instrumentalities (forms and styles of speech)
• Norms (social rules governing the event and the participants' actions)
• Genre (type of speech act)

By analyzing these components, researchers can gain a comprehensive understanding of how communication functions within its cultural context, and how it serves to construct and maintain social structures. Hymes’ work emphasized the importance of looking at language in its entire social environment, showing that communication is a culturally embedded activity that cannot be fully understood isolated from its social setting. This approach has been influential in fields beyond linguistics, including anthropology, communication studies, and education.

Dell Hymes was deeply influenced by his background and the socio-cultural dynamics he observed throughout his life. Born in 1927 in Portland, Oregon, he grew up in a time where awareness of cultural and linguistic diversity in the United States was increasing. His academic focus was profoundly shaped by this milieu, along with his personal experiences and interests in languages and cultures.

He pursued his higher education at Reed College and later at Indiana University, where he was significantly influenced by the linguistic anthropological work of Franz Boas and Edward Sapir. Sapir’s approach to language as a cultural phenomenon resonated with Hymes, steering him towards the interconnection between linguistics and anthropology.

During the post-World War II era, there was a burgeoning interest in understanding and preserving the diversity of languages and cultures both in America and around the world. This socio-political climate influenced Hymes to focus on the role of language in social life, leading him to develop the ethnography of communication, a framework that examines how language functions in different social contexts and contributes to the formation of social identities and communities.

Moreover, Hymes' interest in social justice and education, reflected in his work on linguistic inequality in educational settings, shows how his personal values and societal concerns influenced his academic pursuits. His work aimed at advocating for a greater recognition of linguistic diversity in education, reflecting his commitment to both academic and social issues influenced by his background and the times he lived in.

Dell Hymes introduced the concept of "communicative competence" which expands upon Noam Chomsky's notion of "linguistic competence." Chomsky's linguistic competence relates to an ideal speaker-listener's innate grammatical knowledge, enabling the understanding and construction of grammatically correct sentences in a vacuum, so to speak, without considering social contexts.

Hymes critiqued this view for ignoring the social functions and contexts of language use. He argued that linguistic competence (knowing the rules of grammar and syntax) is just one component of overall communicative competence. Communicative competence includes not just the ability to produce grammatically correct sentences but also to make those sentences appropriate to the situation in which they are used. This includes knowing when to speak or remain silent, and what kind of speech is appropriate in different settings.

Performance, in both Chomsky's and Hymes's frameworks, refers to the actual use of language in concrete situations. While Chomsky's focus was on the limitations and errors in the application of linguistic competence in performance, Hymes emphasized the role of performance in demonstrating a speaker's communicative competence. According to Hymes, performance isn't just a translation of competence into action, but a complex display of various competencies aptly suited to various sociocultural contexts.

Thus, the key difference Hymes highlighted was the breadth of competencies that are necessary for actual communication, extending beyond mere grammatical correctness to encompass usage norms, sociolinguistic appropriateness, and cultural context, thereby making communicative competence a more holistic and practical framework than Chomsky’s concept of linguistic competence.

Dell Hymes, primarily known for his work in sociolinguistics and ethnopoetics, influenced educational curricula through his theories on communicative competence and the ethnography of communication. His concept of communicative competence extended the understanding of language proficiency beyond mere grammatical correctness to include the ability to use language appropriately in different social contexts. This notion has significantly shaped language teaching and learning, encouraging curricula that prioritize practical communication skills and cultural literacy alongside traditional linguistic structures.

Through his work on the ethnography of communication, Hymes advocated for education that respects and incorporates diverse linguistic and cultural backgrounds. He believed that curricula should reflect and promote an understanding of the ways different communities use language, which can enrich teaching methods and help in creating more inclusive educational environments.

While Hymes did not work directly on developing specific educational curricula, his ideas have been influential in shaping approaches to language education that recognize the importance of social context and cultural diversity. His contributions have encouraged educators to consider not just what language is taught, but how and why certain forms of communication are valued in different cultural settings.

The Dell Hymes speaking model, more commonly referred to as the SPEAKING model, is a framework introduced by Dell Hymes to analyze various components within a speech event or act of speaking. This model is often used in the fields of sociolinguistics and anthropological linguistics to explore and understand how communication functions across different cultures and social groups.

The SPEAKING acronym stands for:

• Settings and Scene: The physical and psychological setting where communication takes place. This includes the location, time, and social situation.
• Participants: The individuals involved in the speech act, including speakers and listeners.
• Ends: The outcomes, goals or purposes, and intended effects of the interaction.
• Act Sequence: The structure of the communication including the order of what is said and how it is responded to.
• Key: The tone, manner, or spirit in which the communication is carried out. It could be serious, humorous, formal, or informal.
• Instrumentalities: The modes and channels of communication used, including spoken language, written text, and non-verbal cues.
• Norms: The social rules that govern the event and the behavior of the participants, including both the norms of the interaction and the broader social norms.
• Genre: The kind of speech act or event, such as a lecture, joke, prayer, argument, etc.

By analyzing these components, researchers can gain a comprehensive understanding of communication within its cultural and social context, providing insight into not just what is communicated, but how and why it is communicated in that particular manner.

Dell Hymes adalah seorang antropolog dan ahli linguistik dari Amerika yang dikenal karena kontribusinya pada bidang etnografi berbicara dan sosiolinguistik. Ia mengembangkan model "S.P.E.A.K.I.N.G." untuk menganalisis komponen-komponen dan konteks dalam situasi komunikasi. Model ini mencakup Setting, Participants, Ends, Act Sequence, Key, Instrumentalities, Norms, dan Genre, yang membantu dalam memahami bagaimana bahasa digunakan dalam konteksnya yang spesifik.

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