The Teaching and Learning of Speaking

Speaking within traditional approaches to language teaching was an undervalued skill. It was perceived as a transient, simple, perhaps even a glib skill, not worth teaching time. The skill of writing, on the other hand, was more prized, and was the focus of most, if not all, language tests. Communicative approaches to language teaching, however, came with a view of the speaking skill as being highly intricate, and complex, requiring the learner to be trained in dealing with the subtle and instantaneous demands of spontaneous communication. Communicative language philosophy also perceive of this skill as being inducive to language learning. The aim of this paper is therefore to better our understanding of the nature of the spoken modality. To this end, the paper outlines the features of spoken discourse as opposed to written discourse. It also distinguishes two modes of speaking, namely the presentational and the interpersonal modes. Given that communicative approaches to language teaching brought about a significant change in the status of the speaking skill, a major aim of this paper is to provide an overview of the line of research, pioneered by Hymes (1972), Krashen (1987), Canale and Swain (1980), which allowed for the development of the notion of communicative competence. The last two sections are devoted to a discussion of the features of a communicative task and of the teacher’s role in the development of speaking activities