teaching speaking in adult esl
DESCRIPTION
This was the keynote presentation for the Manitoba Adult Language Training Conference in 2007. The presentation contrasts written and spoken language and focuses on some of the key aspects that need to be addressed in ESL instruction.TRANSCRIPT
•Spoken vs. Written Language•Skills Involved
•Features of interactive spoken English•Instructional suggestions
Joanne Pettis 2007
Context dependent
Dialogic Unrehearsed &
spontaneous Relies more on
verbs’ Grammatically
intricate
Context independent Monologic Edited & Redrafted Relies more on nouns
and noun groups Lexically dense
Very informal, spontaneous & jointly constructed ◦ (social chit-chat)
Very formal, predictable & planned ◦ (debates, panel discussions, some meetings)
Listening comprehension skills Conversation management skills Linguistic knowledge Genre & Discourse knowledge Intelligible Pronunciation Background knowledge of content Sociocultural & pragmatic knowledge Compensatory strategies
Discourse markers Adverbs Back-channels Deixis Ellipsis Fixed expressions
Delexical verbs General words,
Vague language & hedges
Modality Heads & fronting Tags
Particularly important in terms of the “fluid management of interactive talk”◦ Signal intention◦ Hold the conversation turn◦ Mark boundaries in topic
OK then; anyway
Oh, by the way
Well
But
You know, I mean
Personalize & soften interactive style
Often used to initiate a turn
Indicates a topic change Mark the
beginning/closing of a segment of talk
May be used to return to a topic
As much a generational marker as a discourse marker, used to:◦ Signal a comment on a previous topic◦ Signal an example◦ Signal amplification on a topic
Word or phrases that directly relate an utterance to a time, place or person…. ◦ This/that, these/those, here/there, now/then◦ Pronouns, such as I, you he, she they ◦ Phrases, such as you people, we teachers, over
there, out west, down (back) East, up North, down South
General words - indefinite reference Thing, stuffHedges - To avoid being to direct; To
express an opinion about someone or something
Kind of, basically, Vague language - To avoid sounding too
authoritative or assertive; In informal contexts to soften conveyed information
Something, around, or so; adding “y” or “ish” suffix to words greeny-blue, six-ish
Awareness-raising
Appropriation
Autonomy
Involve 3 processes◦ Paying attention, noticing, understanding
Focus on the type (genre) of spoken language & the context variables
Identify and address gaps in their knowledge ◦ what to say in a certain situation, how to
respond, etc.
Spoken and written language are different Interactive spoken language has distinct
features Instruction that emphasizes awareness-
raising is essential in addition to appropriation and autonomy activities.