Which competence includes grammar, lexis, and phonology?

Which competence includes grammar, lexis, and phonology?

• A. Communicative Competence
• B. Linguistic Competence
• C. Discourse Competence
• D. Register

Answer: (B)

Grammar, lexis, and phonology describe the linguistic system: the rules for sentence structure, the vocabulary people know, and how sounds are organized. Knowing these elements lets you form and understand well-formed utterances, recognizing which word forms fit together and how pronunciation works. This is linguistic competence—the mental knowledge of how the language is built and sounds. The other ideas focus on using language in social context (communicative competence), linking ideas across longer texts (discourse competence), or language variation by situation (register). Since the question points to the internal structure of language rather than its use in context, linguistic competence is the best fit.