article

THE NATURE OF SPEAKING [1]

The Definition of Speaking

Speaking is often considered as undervalued skill. Perhaps, this is because we can almost all speak, and so we take the skill to much for granted. Speaking iks often thought as a ‘popular’ form of expression, which uses the un-prestigious ‘colloquial’ register: literary skills are overall more prized.

Speaking is an active process of negotiating meaning and of using social knowledge of the situation, the topic and the other speakers. Speaking can be medium in social interaction. Spratt stated that speaking is a productive skill and it involves using speech to express meaning to other people. Speaker has a great range of expressive possibilities at his command. A part of actual words he used and he can vary his intonation and stress. Therefore, the language learners, especially English learners, tend to want to know speaking than other skills.

As we know that many language learners regard speaking skill as the measurement of knowing a language. These learners define fluency as the ability to converse with others, much more than the ability to read, write, or comprehend oral language. They regard speaking as the most important skill they can acquire, and they assess their progress in terms of their accomplishments in spoken communication.

Elements of Speaking

According to Jeremy Harmer on his book, The Practice of English Language Teaching, he told “The ability to speak fluently presupposes not only knowledge of language features, but also the ability to process information.” Whereas, Jeremy told that they are two elements of speaking, are:

1. Language Features

Language features is the language element necessary for spoken production. There are four kinds of elements that important. There are:

a. Connected speech

Effective English speakers need to be able not only to produce the individual phonemes of English. (as in saying I would have gone) but also to use a fluent ‘connected speech’ (as in I’d ‘ve gone).

b. Expressive devices

Every English speakers changed the pitch and stress of particular parts of utterances, vary volume and speed, and show by other physical and non-verbal (paralinguistic) means how they are feeling ( especially in face to face interaction).

c. Lexis and Grammar

In spontaneous speech is marked by the use of number of common lexical phrase, especially in the performance of certain language function.

d. Negotiation Language

Effective speaking benefits from the negotiator language use to seek clarification and to show the structure of what students are saying.

2. Mental/Social processing

Mental / social processing is the knowledge of language skills. It depends to the process of language skill. Whilst, in processing the skill it needs as following:

a. Language processing

Effective speakers need to be able to process language in their own heads and put it into coherent order so that it comes out in forms that are not only comprehensible, but also convey, the meanings, that are intended.

b. Interacting with others

Most speaking activities involve interaction with one or more participants. This means that effective speaking also involves a good deal of listening, an understanding of how the other participants are feeling, and a knowledge of how linguistically to take turns or allow others to do so.

c. Information processing

The speakers also need to be able to process the information that delivers to the listener.

Kinds of Speaking

According to Rudolph, et al. at the Challenge of Effective Speaking there are many kind of speaking that should students know, are:

1. Speaking Accurately

Speaking accurately is speaking which using words that convey the meaning precisely. It means that when students speak accurately they want their partner can interpret their words correctly and understand the meaning what students want to convey. If the listener cannot understand, what the students mean it is seem that their speaking is fools.

2. Speaking Clearly

Speaking clearly is the way the students use spoken language clearly, without ambiguous and confusing language. In speaking clearly, they also need a large of vocabulary. The more they have a large vocabulary, the more choices they have from which to select the word, which want to deliver.

3. Speaking Vividly

Vivid language it means a language that is full of life-vigorous, bright, and intense. While, speaking vividly is the way the students speak lively, it can make their listener interest with their information, and they can remember the students’ message. Usually, speaking vividly is one of strategy that is used by the speaker in speaking public.

4. Speaking Appropriately

Students must have been appropriate speaking when they do communication with others, because through this way students can use the language to the needs, interests, knowledge, and attitude of their listeners. It means that students should know how to use 5 W and 1 H (what, whom, where, when, why and how) in our communication. It can avoid from miscommunication with others.

Speaking Skill

According to Guntur “spoken language is a skill that develops in a child's life, which is only preceded by the skills of listening, and speaking skills learned”. Speaking skill has many different aspects. It is useful to look them under these heading:

a. Accuracy

Accuracy involves the correct use of vocabulary, grammar, and pronunciation. In controlled and guided activities the focus is usually on accuracy and the teacher makes it clear from feedback that accuracy is important.

b. Fluency

Bailey, defines fluency as “is the capacity to speak fluidly, confidently, and at a rate consistent with the norms of the relevant native speech community. Fluency as a part of speaking indicates how well or how smooth a speaker expresses ideas in terms of sentences. Fluency in speaking is the quality of being fluent and it needs the intensity or practices, talent, habit and proper speech.

c. Comprehension

Comprehension is the power of understanding an exercised aimed at improving or testing ones understanding of a language in written or spoken. Moreover, it defines as the ability to understand completely and be aware of understanding whatever said by speaker or toward the topics that are discussed during having conversation. Comprehension is one of many components that should be paid attention to increase students’ speaking ability in order to speak better.

Thanks !

By Zainollah - Zain, English Department Student of STAIN Pamekasan, the general manager of BBEC 2004-2005th period. Now, he is instructor/trainer of BBEC Palengaan Pamekasan, Alifia Institute Pare Kediri, Smile Cram English Course and Training Malang East Java.