Surveys some basic issues of modern linguistics and the theory of language teaching. Examines the notion of creativity in human language, a concept regarded here as basic to any linguistic description and as fundamental to all pedagogical applications of linguistics. (Text is in French.) (Author)

A model for assessing communicative ability is presented that is prompted by the fact that most error analysts in the past concentrated on morphemic and syntactic levels. It is suggested that emphasis must shift from acquisition of linguistic competence per se to communicative competence. (23 references) (LB)