tips for speaking english
TRANSCRIPT
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Understanding andTeaching Spoken English
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Outline
Features of the spoken language
Teaching spoken English: Principles and
practice
How to useA Speaking Course
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Part One: Preview
Features of the spoken language
Prosodic features
Shortened forms
Features resulting from limited
processing time
Organizational features
Accent and dialect
Functions of the spoken language
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1. Features of the spoken language (1)
1.1 Prosodic features:
stress rhythm
pitch tempo
intonation
e.g. She sells seashells on the seashore,
the shells she sells are seashells Im sure.
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1. Features of the spoken language (2)
1.2 Shortened forms
ContractionElision
Ellipsis
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Contraction:
a reduced form often marked by an
apostrophe in writing
e.g. cant = cannot
Ill = I will
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Elision:
the omission or slurring (eliding) of
one or more sounds or syllables
e.g. gonna = going to
wanna be = want to bewassup = whats up
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Ellipsis:
the omission of part of a
grammatical structure
e.g. You bored? A bit,
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1. Features of the spoken language (3)
1.3 Features that result from the
limited processing time
False start
Repairs
Fillers
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Repairs:
an alteration suggested or made by
the speaker, the addressee or theaudience to correct or clarify a
previous conversational contribution.
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Fillers:
- no particular meanings
- provides time to think,
to create a pause or
to hold a turn
e.g. er, uhm, ah, well.Compare with the Chinese filler neige.
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1. Features of the spoken language (4)
1.4 Organizational features
Back-channeling
Turn-taking
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Turn-taking:
a typical, orderly arrangement in
which participants speak with
minimal overlap and gap betweenthem.
Short-turns: one or two sentences;
long turns: can be an hours lecture.
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1. Features of the spoken language (5)
Accent: the ways in which words are
pronounced. Factors: age, region or
social class, e.g. RP
Dialect: The distinctive grammar and
vocabulary associated with theregional or social use of a language,
e.g. Bernard Shaws Pygmalion.
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1. Features of the spoken language (6)
Different functions
Interactional talk: Conversational language
for interpersonal reasons and/orsocializing. E.g. chitchat. Primarily
listener-oriented.
Transactional talk: Language to get thingsdone or to transmit content or
information. Primarily speaker-oriented.
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Part Two: Preview
What should be taught and what can be
taught?
The roles of a spoken English teacher
Basic principles in teaching spoken English
Some suggestions for the design ofactivities
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2.1 What should be taught and what
can be taught? (1)
What are the possible aims of a spokenEnglish course?
Notions; Situations; Topics; etc.
Which spoken model should we present to
our students?RP or a standard American accent?
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2.1 What should be taught and what
can be taught? (2)
What should be corrected and what should
not be corrected?
What are the possible sideline productions?
Training of communication skills, publicspeaking skills, and skills to organize
thoughts within a short time
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2.2 The roles of a spoken English
teacher
Three stages and respective teachers roles:
Presentation: an informant (+ a
model provider?)Practice: a conductor or a classroom
manager
Production: a guide or a facilitator
Does teaching have to be in this order?
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2.3Basic principles in teaching spoken
English (1)
The importance of stress and rhythm
Difference between English and Chinese
English: stress-timed
Chinese: syllable-timed
e.g. I saw a big tree on the top of themountain.
The use of songs in the teaching ofpronunciation:Do Re Mi(Unit 1)
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2.3Basic principles in teaching spoken
English (2)
Communicative stress: the less the better
How to reduce this stress?
The listener: peers; one is better than manyThe situation: private; familiar; relaxing
The language: same for speaker and listener
Status of knowledge: information about the
topic or issue and the vocabulary needed
So: group and pair work are better thanindividual and class work.
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2.3Basic principles in teaching spoken
English (4)
Correction: when and how?
Relaxed attitude towards mistakes, esp.
at the beginning.Beginning of a semester: establishing a
good rapport with the students; help
learners to build confidence in speakingin English
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2.3Basic principles in teaching spoken
English (5)
Correction: when and how?
Relatively privately, e.g. in the process of
pair or group work.
In class if necessary without mentioning
names of students. Take notes while
supervising pair or group work.
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2.3Basic principles in teaching spoken
English (6)
The importance of encouragement: Pygmalion
Effect- Rosenthal and Jacobson (1968),
children aged six to twelve years, all drawn
from the same school, given an IQ test.Children were then assigned to an
experimental or control group. When teachers
were told that the children in the experimental
group were "high achievers", these children
showed significant IQ gains over the course of
one year, despite allocation to group having
been in fact random.
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2.4 Some suggestions for the design of
activities
The use of pictures
The use of jigsawThe use of games
The use of drama
The use of role play and simulation
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3.1 A Speaking Course
Principles in organization and design of
content
1) Objectives, warming-up, activities,review, tips
2) Presentation, practice, production
Models are usually provided.3) Situations and topics are close to the
life and future needs of the students.
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3.2 Teaching big classes
Big classes: 50-60 students in one class
Difficult, but not mission impossible.
1) Carefully design tasks with clearlearning goals
2) Use pair work and group work
3) Maintain discipline: Be firm and fair
4) Feedback: One or two groups or pair
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3.3 Teaching mixed ability classes
Let the more competent students do some
of the teaching.
Pair work and group work benefit themore capable students more.
Leave different types of assignments for
the students to choose from.
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3.4 Motivating the students
Involve the students in the design of tasks
Interesting tasks
Varied design of activitiesEncouragement and some training of
learning skills
Make learners aware of the sidelineproducts of the training of spoken
English.
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Tell me and I'll forget;
Teach me and I'll remember;
Involve me and I'll learn.
Benjamin Franklin?
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