11 Speaking Skill

Mrs. Bhavna Dave

Unit Structure:

10.0 Learning Outcomes

10.1 Introduction

10.2 Essentials of Good Speaking

10.3 Difference between features of Speaking and Writing

10.4 Different activities to improve Speaking skills

10.5 Let us sum up

10.0 Learning Outcomes:

With the help of this unit, you will be able to:

Identify the two major aspects of speaking skill
Enumerate the significance of speaking skill
Understand the essentials of good speech
Differentiate between written and spoken language
Understand the nature and details of some speaking activities
Understand the role of the teacher in development of oral skills

10.1 Introduction:

Speaking is “the process of building and sharing meaning through the use of verbal and non-verbal symbols, in a variety of contexts” (Chaney, 1998, p. 13).Speaking skills have two major components. First, there are ‘motor perceptive skills’ which are the means of perceiving, recalling and articulating in the correct order, the sounds and structure of a language. Second, there are the ‘interaction skills’ which help the learner to transfer his/her knowledge from a language-learning situation to a language-using situation. It involves knowing what to say, how to say and how to establish and maintain contact with the other person.

Generally ‘motor perceptive skills’ are developed at the primary level where learners are put through various ‘look and say’ exercises, or ‘pattern practice’. Usually there is no context provided and learners develop these skills through repetition and choral drill. But concentration on the development of motor perceptive skills leads to problems as the learners are not able to communicate well in real life situations. They are unable to use the language structures learnt. Therefore it is important that more emphasis is laid on ‘interaction skills’ while learning a new language.

According to Ben Jonson, “Language most shows a man; speak, that I may know thee.” Good speaking skill is a passport to cultured society. Proper speech helps to attract others. Faulty speaking makes a person a butt of public ridicule. Spoken language outweighs the written language. Speaking skill helps one to communicate one’s ideas clearly to others.

10.2 Essentials of Good Speaking:

Speaking involves pronunciation, juncture, stress, rhythm and intonation.
Pronunciation involves the way of producing the sounds of a language.
Juncture is simply the presence or absence of a pause between utterances, words or syllables that makes a difference to the meaning of what is spoken.
Stress is the degree of force with which a sound or syllable is uttered.
Intonation is the variation in the pitch of the voice in connected speech. It may be rising intonation or falling intonation.
Correct Speech involves the ability to use words, phrases and idioms already learnt with correct pronunciation and knowledge of grammar.
Effective speaking involves basic courtesy formulas, conventional greetings and other expressions.
Speaking involves acquiring fluency and accuracy of speech.
Public speaking is an art which one needs to develop with practice.

10.3Difference between features of Speaking and Writing:

Written and spoken language differs in many ways. However some forms of writing are closer to speech than others, and vice versa. Below are some of the ways in which these two forms of language differ:

Writing is usually permanent and written texts cannot usually be changed once they have been printed / written out.
Speech is usually transient, unless recorded, and speakers can correct themselves and change their utterances as they go along.
A written text can communicate across time and space for as long as the particular language and writing system is still understood.

Speech is usually used for immediate interactions.

Written language tends to be more complex and intricate than speech with longer sentences and many subordinate clauses. The punctuation and layout of written texts also have no spoken equivalent. However some forms of written language, such as instant messages and email, are closer to spoken language.

Spoken language tends to be full of repetitions, incomplete sentences, corrections and interruptions, with the exception of formal speeches and other scripted forms of speech, such as news reports and scripts for plays and films.

Writers receive no immediate feedback from their readers, except in computer-based communication. Therefore they cannot rely on context to clarify things so there is more need to explain things clearly and unambiguously than in speech, except in written correspondence between people who know one another well.

Speech is usually a dynamic interaction between two or more people. Context and shared knowledge play a major role, so it is possible to leave much unsaid or indirectly implied.

Writers can make use of punctuation, headings, layout, colours and other graphical effects in their written texts. Such things are not available in speech.

Speech can use timing, tone, volume, and timbre to add emotional context.

Written material can be read repeatedly and closely analyzed, and notes can be made on the writing surface. Only recorded speech can be used in this way.
Some grammatical constructions are only used in writing, as are some kinds of vocabulary, such as some complex chemical and legal terms.

Some types of vocabulary are used only or mainly in speech. These include slang expressions, and tags like y’know, like, etc.

10.4 Different activities to improve Speaking skills:

Activities to Promote Speaking:

Discussions:

The students may discuss on a topic to arrive at a conclusion, share ideas about an event, or find solutions in their discussion groups. Before the discussion, it is essential that the purpose of the discussion activity is set so that students do not spend their time chatting with each other about irrelevant things. For example, students can become involved in agree/disagree discussions. In this type of discussion, the teacher can form groups of students, preferably 4 or 5 in each group, and provide controversial sentences like ‘people learn best when they read vs. people learn best when they travel’. Then each group works on their topic for a given time period, and presents their opinions to the class. It is essential that the speaking should be equally divided among group members. At the end, the class decides on the winning group who defended the idea in the best way. This activity fosters critical thinking and quick decision making, and students learn how to express and justify themselves in polite ways while disagreeing with the others. For efficient group discussions, it is always better not to form large groups, because quiet students may avoid contributing in large groups. Groups should be rearranged in every discussion activity so that students can work with various people and learn to be open to different ideas. Lastly, in class or group discussions, whatever the aim is, the students should always be encouraged to ask questions, paraphrase ideas, express support, check for clarification, and so on.

Role Play

One other way of getting students to speak is role-playing. Students pretend they are in various social contexts and have a variety of social roles. In role-play activities, the teacher gives information to the learners such as who they are and what they think or feel. Thus, the teacher can tell the student that “You are David, you go to the doctor and tell him what happened last night, and…” (Harmer, 1984)

Simulations

Simulations are very similar to role-plays but what makes simulations different than role plays is that they are more elaborate. In simulations, students can bring items to the class to create a realistic environment. For instance, if a student is acting as a singer, she brings a microphone to sing and so on. Role plays and simulations have many advantages. First, since they are entertaining, they motivate the students. Second, as Harmer (1984) suggests, they increase the self-confidence of hesitant students, because in role play and simulation activities, they will have a different role and do not have to speak for themselves, which means they do not have to take the same responsibility.

Information Gap

In this activity, students are supposed to be working in pairs. One student will have the information that other partner does not have and the partners will share their information. Information gap activities serve many purposes such as solving a problem or collecting information. Also, each partner plays an important role because the task cannot be completed if the partners do not provide the information the others need. These activities are effective because everybody has the opportunity to talk extensively in the target language.

Brainstorming

On a given topic, students can produce ideas in a limited time. Depending on the context, either individual or group brainstorming is effective and learners generate ideas quickly and freely. The good characteristic of brainstorming is that the students are not criticized for their ideas, so students will be open to sharing new ideas.

Storytelling

Students can briefly summarize a tale or story they heard from somebody beforehand, or they may create their own stories to tell their classmates. Story telling fosters creative thinking. It also helps students express ideas in the format of beginning, development, and ending, including the characters and setting a story has to have. Students also can tell riddles or jokes. For instance, at the very beginning of each class session, the teacher may call a few students to tell short riddles or jokes as an opening. In this way, not only will the teacher address students’ speaking ability, but also get the attention of the class.

Story telling can be done in the following ways also:

With the help of theme pictures/ several sequential pictures
With the help of skeleton form/ rubrics of the story
By giving incomplete stories

Interviews:

Students can conduct interviews on selected topics with various people. It is a good idea that the teacher provides a rubric to students so that they know what type of questions they can ask or what path to follow, but students should prepare their own interview questions. Conducting interviews with people gives students a chance to practice their speaking ability not only in class but also outside and helps them become socialized. After interviews, each student can present his or her study to the class. Moreover, students can interview each other and “introduce” his or her partner to the class.

Reporting:

Before coming to class, students are asked to read a newspaper or magazine and in class, they report to their friends what they find as the most interesting news. Students can also talk about whether they have experienced anything worth telling their friends in their daily lives before class.

Playing Cards

In this game, students should form groups of four. Each group will represent a topic.

For instance:

Diamonds: Earning money
Hearts: Love and relationships
Spades: An unforgettable memory
Clubs: Best teacher

Each student in a group will choose a card. Then, each student will write 4 to 5 questions about that topic to ask the other people in the group. For example, if the topic ‘Diamonds: Earning Money’ is selected, here are some possible questions:

Is money important in your life? Why?
What is the easiest way of earning money?
What do you think about lottery? etc.

However, the teacher should state at the very beginning of the activity that students are not allowed to prepare ‘yes-no’ questions, because by saying ‘yes’ or ‘no’ students get little practice in spoken language production. Rather, students ask open-ended questions to each other so that they reply in complete sentences.

Picture/ Photograph Describing

Another way to make use of pictures in a speaking activity is to give students just one picture and having them describe what is in the picture. For this activity students can form groups and each group is given a different picture. Students discuss the picture with their groups and then a spokesperson for each group describes the picture to the whole class. This activity fosters the creativity and imagination of the learners as well as their public speaking skills.

Find the Difference:

For this activity students can work in pairs and each couple is given two different pictures. For example, a picture of boys playing football and another picture of girls playing tennis. Students in pairs discuss the similarities and/or differences in the pictures.

Suggestions to teach Speaking:

Grab all opportunities you get to speak.
Work collaboratively on different tasks so that knowledge can be shared.
Do not shy away for any speaking activity. Remember you learn if you participate.
Practice voice modulation, stress and juncture by loud reading text with dialogues. It will help you to be a good orator.
Observe the posture and gestures of good orators and develop your own style of communication.
Listen to news or programmes in the language to be learnt.
Take help of experts or friends who speak well.
Gather vocabulary that you would need in speaking activities beforehand and practice pronouncing them correctly.
Do not hesitate to check word meanings and pronunciation before you use any new words in your conversation or speech.
Mistakes are bound to happen in the beginning. Don’t worry. Take feedback and criticism if any, positively.
Make friends with unknown people from different places, and then converse with them on a regular basis. You will not be tempted to talk in your own language then.
The more you speak, the faster you learn.

10.7 Let us sum up:

This unit has brought to light the components of speaking skill, essentials of speaking, different kinds of speaking activities and suggestions for language teachers teaching oral language. Proper rhythm, accent, correct pronunciation and intonation are ornaments of speech and if used properly, help to attract others. Speaking skill helps one to communicate one’s ideas clearly to others. Pair work and group work are most useful in developing oral skills. Tasks to learn speaking have to be simple but interactive.

Suggested Reading:

www.englishfunzone.com/activities-to-improve-english-speaking
http://www.englishleap.com/improve-english
http://esl.about.com/od/speakingadvanced/a/sscripting.htm