Speaking: Comprehending the Theory for Later Practical Use

Many definitions of speaking (some of them clearer and more complete than others) have been presented by different authors. One of this concepts is pointed out by Sari Luoma (n.d., P12 ) She states that “speech can be consider to consist of idea units, which are short phrases and clauses connected with and, or but or that or not joined by conjunctions at all but simply spoken next to each other”. A more complete definition is given by Loannou and Pavlou (2003, p 7). For them “speaking…consist of a number of elements such as pronunciation, intonation and turn taking. But the overall aim of speaking is to achieve oral communication.” Different definitions of speaking can be found some of them offer a broader explanation and are expressed in linguistic terms and other can be found in a simpler way. But all of them have something in common which let us understand that speaking is both a skill (formed by different elements like: pronunciation, intonation…) and also something inherent to the nature of people and their daily activity of interacting. Speaking is a skill consisting of different elements which make its nature a little complex. Then, it is highly necessary to have at least an idea of its nature in order to be more successful at the moment of designing tasks oriented to the development of this skill. In general terms, it is necessary to have clear that aspects like: speed, pausing, variation in pitch, volume and intonation are features of this skill. Also, it is very important to have clear that there are many differences between written and spoken grammar being the last one simpler than the other.

Regarding speaking we also should keep in mind that depending on different situations there exist differences within spoken language which make of this social activity something complex(Luoma, n.d). If we continue presenting other features on the nature of speaking and giving more details about the ones mentioned before, we could write many pages. What is really important about the nature of speaking is to bear in mind that when designing a speaking task these features need to be taken into account due to the fact that designing a task is not a matter of selecting or creating any activity but one in which the students, the situation, the purpose, the objectives and other aspects of the activity are analyzed before selecting or creating that specific communicative activity. There have existed different approaches and methods for the teaching of languages. Nowadays, according to the characteristics of this globalized world the most important thing in terms of languages is to be able to communicate successfully in a foreign language. Therefore, efforts in this sense have been made at schools not only in Colombia but in the whole world. Then, having clear aspects like what exactly communicative competence is? What is speaking and how it is conformed are fundamental to be successful in the design of communicative activities depending on the different situations that can be found, and the different aims teachers can have. Having this kind of knowledge also helps us to establish clearer criteria to assess in a better way the communicative activities developed by the students which is something positive in the teaching-learning process of languages. Milton Bird…