Gradient competence at the Syntax-Discourse Interface Roumyana Slabakova,* Jason Rothman and Paula Kempchinsky* *University of Iowa / University of Florida In this article, we present additional support of Duield’s (2003, 2005) distinc- tion between Underlying Competence and Surface Competence. Duield argues that a more ine-grained distinction between levels of competence and perfor- mance is warranted and necessary. While underlying competence is categorical, surface competence is more probabilistic and gradient, being sensitive to lexical and constructional contingencies, including the contextual appropriateness of a given construction. We examine a subset of results from a study comparing na- tive and learner competence of properties at the syntax-discourse interface. Speciically, we look at the acceptability of Clitic Right Dislocation in native and L2 Spanish, in discourse-appropriate context. We argue that Duield’s distinc- tion is a possible explanation of our results. 1. Introduction: Gradient competence A basic tenet of generative grammar since its beginnings has always been the dis- tinction between the underlying system of linguistic knowledge – competence – and the use of this system – performance. While competence has been predicated of an ideal speaker-listener in a completely homogeneous speech-communication who knows his/her (the speech community’s) language perfectly, performance has been deined as applying this knowledge of language in actual communica- tion situations. To the extent that competence is a mental state of linguistic repre- sentation, it is ixed, whereas performance is arguably afected by grammatically irrelevant conditions such as memory limitations, processing complexities, dis- tractions, shits of attention and interest (Chomsky, 1965: 3). However, Duield (2003, 2005) argues that a more ine-grained distinction between levels of competence and performance is warranted and necessary. As it relates to the macro-category of competence, Duield suggests a division between EUROSLA Yearbook 11 (2011), 218–243. doi 10.1075/eurosla.11.12rot issn 1568–1491/e-issn 1569–9749 © John Benjamins Publishing Company