While most language teaching theorists and practitioners agree that the primary focus of English language teaching should be on helping students develop communicative competence, there has been a small but growing chorus of voices suggesting that communicative competence cannot be achieved by focusing solely on the development of communicative skills in speaking, listening, reading, writing, grammar, and conversation management. The necessary communicative skills and linguistic knowledge that are woven through the fabric of communicative competence must be colored and strengthened by and through the teaching of culture. This paper will argue that communicative competence is incomplete without culture knowledge, awareness of the impact of culture on communicative events, and the development of a non-judgmental attitude towards culture differences. This paper will discuss the importance of developing these three essential pillars of intercultural communicative competence and suggest classroom activities teachers may wish to incorporate when introducing their students to the role of culture in communication.
