Speaking skills

This chapter spots the lights on the importance of teaching and

learning English as a foreign language. It is true that learning and
teaching English requires the integration of all the four skills which
are reading, writing, listening and speaking. However, our main
focuse is at one of the most important skills which is speaking since
it is highly required for cross-borded business communication and
employment and in international debates .Also, the focus is put on
definition of speaking skill. Elements of speaking are mentioned. As
well as, its importance in EFL . And last and not least the difficulties
that learners encounter when learning the speaking skill is highly
stressed.

2. Definition of Speaking:

the aim behind learning a foreign language is to speak and

communicate in that language. people speak for many reasons- to
fulfill social purpose. Either because they need to respond to
someone else, to express thier feelings and thoughts, or to exchange
information Speaking is claimed to be an active or productive skill.
In this respect, it is suggested that:

“Although it might be convenient to represent the language

skills in this way when considering usage , it is not especially
helpful , and indeed might be positively misleading to present
them in this way when considering use.” (Widdowson, 1978)

It is assumed in this quote that speaking is conceived to the

knowledge of linguistic rules i.e. language usage rather than to the
way it is realized in communication i.e. language use. By language
use is meant the ability to use the language to achieve
communicative purposes.
 With reference to usage, it is absolutely true that speaking is an
active or productive skill. If we think of speaking in terms of use, it
involves putting a message together, communicating the message,
and interacting with other people.

Thus, speaking is one of the four language skills and one of the two
kinds of productive skills that should be mastered by learners. In
order to do so, however, certain elements of speaking is required so
that learners can communicate and interact effectively and
successfully .
2.1. Elements of Speaking:
To be a good speaker, it is very important for learners to acquire
the ability to express their opinions, thoughts, speak a foreign
language fluently. This competency must be mastered by learners.
Harmer (2001) states that there are two elements of speaking which
refer to the language features that learners should have knowledge
about namely connected speech, lexis and grammar Expressive
devices, and negotiation language . In addition to the mental and
social processing of the language and information.

It is suggested here that language features are essentially

required In order to speak fluently. Among these features there is
what is called, connected speech. It means that Effective English
learners have to produce more sounds not only phonemes .In
connected speech, these sounds can be modified (assimilation),
omitted (elision), added (linking), or weakened. The teacher should
engage learners in oral activities specifically in order to develop
their connected speech .

Another important feature which puts emphasis on how to use

some of the phonological aspects properly by English learners such
as: pitch, stress, speed in order to express their feelings and thoughts
when they are interacting with others and these device assist them to
convey their intended meaning correctly. This feature is called
expressive devices.
Besides the connected speech and the expressive devices, there is
also lexis and grammar as learners need to produce some functions.
They use lexical structures and teacher’s role is to provide them with
a different phrases that have different functions in order to use them
in different stages of an interaction.

And last and not least learners are required to benefit from the use
of negotiation language, they ask for clarification to show what they
want to say and when they are listening to others' talk .They also
need to structure their discourse if they want to be understood when
they notice that others do not understand them.

Mental and Social Processing are also Another important element

that are quite necessary in speaking English. The necessary
processing skills of speaking are the following: As far as the mental
processes are concerned there are Language Processing where
effective speakers are likely to process language in their minds
putting it into coherent order in order to be understood by others and
convey the intended meaning. Language processing requires
,therefore, to retrieve phrases from memory. Besides to Information
Processing: this involves to process information in the mind; the
moments that learners get the information, they should be respond
when others talk. in addition to the mental processes there is a social
process which is interacting with others. It is known that speaking
requires interaction between two or more interlocutors .This means
that learners are likely to be effective speakers when they listen and
understand others’ talk and react with them through take turns.

3. The Importance of Speaking: (2nd source)

 In the traditional approaches of language learning and teaching,
speaking skill was neglected in many classrooms as the emphasis
was mainly put on reading and writing. The Grammar-Translation
method is one example. Richards and Rodgers (2001) mention that
reading and writing are the essential skills to be focused on within
this approach, while, little or no attention is paid to the skill of
speaking and listening.
In the communicative approach, however, speaking was attributed
more importance since oral communication involves speech where
learners are expected to interact verbally with other people.
Moreover, the teachers‟ talk is required to be reduced; because
learners are supported to talk more in the classroom. Ur declares
that:

“Of all the four skills [listening, speaking, reading and writing],
speaking seems intuitively the most important: people who know a
language are referred to as „speakers‟ of the language, as if
speaking included all other kinds of knowing.” (2000, 12)

From this quote it is assumed that , many second language learners

give the speaking skill priority in their learning today because if
they have a good mastery of this skill they are likely to have a
commend of all of the other skills. Furthermore, the main question
often given to foreign language learners is “do you speak English?”,
but not “do you write English?” It is pointed out here that most of
people take speaking and knowing a language as synonyms.
The importance of speaking is more revealed with the integration
of the other language skills. For instance, speaking can help learners
to develop their vocabulary and grammar and then improving their
writing skill. With speaking, learners can express their personal
feeling, opinions or ideas; tell stories; informing or explaining ;
request; converse and discuss.
 Speaking is very important outside the classroom as well. Many
companies and organizations look for people who speak English
very well for the purpose of communicating with other people. So,
speakers of foreign languages have more opportunities to get jobs in
such companies. Baker and Westrup support that:
“A student who can speak English well may have greater chance for
further education, of finding employment and gaining promotion.”
(2003: 05).
Hence, it can be deduced here that speaking skill is important for
career success, but certainly not limited to one’s professional
aspirations. Speaking skill can also enhance one’s personal life.

However, learning to speak a second or foreign language as

English seems to be quite difficult than learning to speak the mother
tongue. This issue is widely spread among EFL learners, they all try
to speak good English but unfortunately most of them fail.

4.Speaking difficulties encountered by learners:

Learning how to speak is very difficult for second
language learners, Many learners of English fail to
communicate, to express ideas and feelings when communicating
with either native or non native speakers of English. Speaking in a
foreign language is very difficult and competence in speaking takes
a long time to develop. Because there are many factors that play an
important role in hindering the process of mastering the speaking
skill. Which can be classified into two categories namely linguistic
problems and psychological barriers.

While learning the foreign language, the learner usually

encounters varied linguistic problems that evidently handicap his or
her learning and eventually negatively affect his or her general
proficiency as well , according to Thornbury (2005) who states
that:

“being skillful assumes having some kind of knowledge

base ... Knowledge that is relevant to speaking can be categorized either
as knowledge of feature of language (linguistic knowledge) or knowledge
that is independent of language (extra linguistic knowledge) ”(p.11)

Linguistic knowledge for Thornbury plays an essential role in

speaking skill. If any feature from this knowledge is lacking or
poorly performed, learners can find problems within their speaking
development. These difficulties are due to lack of vocabulary,
pronunciation mistakes and grammar mistakes.
The first linguistic problem that the student often encounter is
Lack of Vocabulary. To achieve oral skill learners need the
appropriate selection of words when they are speaking, and using
these words and expression accurately. learning foreign languages
requires a set of knowledge of vocabulary, the phenomenon in EFL
classes is that many learners often find some difficulties when they
try to express what they want to say because they find themselves
struggling their limited words and expression. Therefore, these
limitations of vocabulary affect the amount of their participation in
speaking activities.
Secondly is Pronunciation mistake. Speaking a language like
,English, means having a good pronunciation because the way of
pronunciation is the first thing that learners are judged and
evaluated. EFL learners have to practice their pronunciation and to
be aware of the different rules of sounds as stress, intonation ... etc.
Bada , Genc and Ozkan (2011) assert the importance of
pronunciation in speaking skill:
 “in speaking, they compete with limited time to recall words, and
also take care of their pronunciation ... Speaking is often dealt with
at pronunciation level” (p.122).
Usually learners have unpronounced speech that reflects lack of
experience with English sounds, rhythms and words stress and
student’s poor listening to native speaker or because of teacher’s
miss pronunciation as non-native speaker. Therefore, pronunciation
mistakes are one of the main factors that impede the learners from
performing their speaking activities successfully and with less stress.
This is the reason that leads to the difficulty of speaking.

The third and the last linguistic problem for learners is Grammar
mistake.In fact, grammar knowledge is one of the most important
conditions of being successful in speaking skill. EFL learners
,therefore, need to acquire this knowledge to improve their oral
ability with less difficulties. However, learners who do not have a
good back ground of grammar reluctant than their counterparts who
have a good grammatical knowledge. Hence, they prefer keeping
silent rather than producing odd grammatical structures of
expression, for they are scared about being ridiculer in front of their
teachers and classmates. Many learners do not like speaking a forign
language in front of their classmates because they worry about
producing utterances with many errors. (Davies and Pearse, 2000)
Thus, a grammatical mistake is one of the barriers that prevent
students of foreign language from speaking.

Most of the EFL students who learned English have difficulties to

use the language to speak .Therefore, it is not only due to the lack of
grammar , vocabulary or pronunciation , but it is also a question of
psychology. Hence, there are several psychological factors that
greatly affect English speaking performance, besides to other
conditions like poor listening practice, lack of interest in subject,
non motivating atmosphere and the use of mother tongue.
4.2.Psychological Barrier

Nowadays, one of the big problems that affect EFL learners’

English speaking practices is without any doubt psychological
barrier . The psychological barriers of EFL learners in oral English
communication are the psychological negative emotions that prohibit
their performance in English as a foreign language. In this context,
learners may experience different psychological barriers including
lack of self-confidence, some are shy ,they are always afraid and
anxious of making mistakes just because they feel insecure while
using the target language to communicate.
The first main psychological barrier is the lack of self -confidence
In many classes, some students prefer to keep their ideas and opinion
to themselves because they are not sure about the strength of their
abilities or hesitate to participate in the oral tasks. EFL students are
hardly believing in their skill to speak English or even facing their
teachers and classmates or simply they have not the confidence in
themselves. According to Ni:
“ students who lack confidence are usually found to be extremely
fearful and timid, reluctant to express their opinions and even
unable to utter a complete meaningful sentence in class” ( 2012.
1509)
Less confident learners feel uncomfortable when they are asked
for speaking activities, they are not able to take oral tasks as
challenges, and these are like threats to them. They lack faith in their
own capabilities and are more concern about being criticize or
rejected by others. The issue of developing oral communication
skills becomes problematic when learners suffer from a lack of self-
confidence. Low confident learners feel uncomfortable, afraid and
frustrated in the classroom. As a result, they tend to perform with
less effectiveness and satisfaction, which is affecting their academic
achievement in general. Thus, lacking self-confidence leads them to
say a few words to avoid making mistakes and embarrassment.

Secondly is the inhibition and this problem reveals more when

learners try to participate in the classroom but many factors stop
them to do so Such factors refer to the feeling of shyness and fear of
making mistakes and these are due to the ill development of
communicative skills and the feeling of linguistic inferiority.
Students fear to make mistakes especially if they will speak to
critical audience. Ur states that:
“Learners are often inhibited about trying to say things
in a foreign language in the classroom. Worried about, making
mistakes, fearful of criticism or loosing face, or simply shy of
the attention that their speech attracts.” (2000,111).
Shyness is purely psychological problem that EFL learners are
suffering from. It is the obstacle that learners of English as a foreign
language face because they feel uncomfortable to speak in front of
their classmates and their teachers. They often do not participate in
EFL classroom in natural manner because of this psychological
barrier, so they are unlikely ,thus, to perform well in their tasks
achieving the goals they set previously . This, in fact, may affect
obviously their performance in this skill leading them to having poor
academic outcomes .
Along side shyness, Ur claims that fear of making mistakes also
hinders learners from speaking. In EFL classes, many learners
cannot express themselves in foreign language and do not participate
appropriately in the oral lessons for the reason that they are worried
about making mistakes, fearful about public correction. Therefore,
fear of making mistakes can be considered as another obstacle for
students’ speaking skill.
This view is also supported by Bowman et al. (1989) who argue that
in teaching speaking the teacher is required to ask learners to
express themselves in front of the whole class, so this leads many of
them to experience the stress when doing speaking activities.
Therefore , stress and anxiety are two factors that also can stop the
learners from speaking confidently in front of their classmates and
do not learn well as well as do not communicate effectively in
classroom situation

In addition to above main problems, poor listening practice is

another difficulty encountered by learners. Though learners know all
the rules of English language, they find difficulties when trying to
speak and interact with people. These is mainly because they cannot
understand the other speakers. Listening comprehension, therefore,
plays a major role in helping learners to understand the different
function of English language ,hence to help students in making
further contribution to any discussion and conversation. as a skill
listening is so important for speaking skill performance because they
are into related. So each skills depend on the other one. Anderson
and Lynch show this significant relationship of speaking and
listening skills :
“A carefully prepared L2 utterance is only a useful aid to
communicate if the speaker can deal effectively with replies he
receives. For the L2 learner in conversation, he needs to skilled as
both speaker and listener.” (1988.15).
The major assumption here is that, speaking and listening are two
basic skills and are essential in acquiring communicative
competence in language learning. So, part of being a good speaker is
listening to oral language and understanding what is said so that the
responses will be accurate. A speaker has necessity to a listener
because speaking is rarely carried in isolation this view is supported
by Redmond and Vrchota (2007.120). So far, poor listening practice
undoubtedly is a serious problem for the learners that will lead to a
poor speaking competence.
Furthermore, Lack of interest in subject is another barrier that
prevent speaking skill to develop . In foreign language classroom,
oral expression module aims to develop the learners speaking skill
in order to be able to express their thoughts and feeling freely and
confidently. In the classroom, discussed subjects are the main
stimulation for students to speak and to participate.
Good participant learners in EFL classes are likely to have a
positive attitude toward the topic and the teacher since he is their
guide. However, many learners have nothing to say or simply remain
silent because they have no idea about the topic or have bad attitude
toward the subject. Thus, non-interesting topics is another factors
that stop learners from speaking in the classroom.

Moreover, In the classroom, the atmosphere can be motivating or

none motivating factor for the EFL learners. None motivating
atmosphere prevent learners’ participation and hinder their
development of speaking skill. Teachers, in fact are main responsible
for creating thus relaxed and friendly atmosphere for the learners in
order to express themselves well . Also, they are responsible for
giving them the opportunity to foster their personalities. Davies and
Pearse suggest some implications for teaching:
“Try to create a relaxed atmosphere in your classes so that most
learners are not frightened of speaking in front of the class. And do as
many speaking activities as possible in pairs and groups, so that the
learners can speak English without the rest of the class listening”
(2000,82)
The underlying point here is that Motivating atmosphere is important
for teaching and learning in foreign language. Little wood (1981)
assert that the real progress for speaking and developing
communicative skills can only take place if the learners have
motivation and opportunity to express their own identity and to
relate with people around them (his classmates and his teachers).
Thus, learners motivating atmosphere that gives learners a sense of
security and value as individuals is highly required for enhancing
their speaking skill.
likewise, too ,over and above
And the final hinder that the majority of learners come through is
the use of the mother tongue. learners of the same mother tongue
often use it in and outside classroom because they feel comfortable
and less exposed to the target language. Learners often use the
mother tongue when they could not express themselves in foreign
language, so they borrow words from their native language.
According to Baker and Westrup:
“barriers to learning can occur if students knowingly or
unknowingly transfer the cultural rules from their mother tongue to
a foreign language”( 2003,12).
Therefore, this use of mother tongue breaks down the students’
communication in classroom and lessens their speaking abilities and
the learners are not likely to be able to use the foreign language
correctly if they keep on being influenced by the use of their mother
tongue ,therefore, students always run away from using the foreign
language due to the lack of vocabulary in this language which leads
learners to borrow some words from their native language.

These difficulties are the results of the traditional approach that

used to put focus mainly on the skills of writing and reading within
the process of teaching and learning in classrooms as a result the
learners were not given many opportunities to speak. Speaking skill
is likely to be fostered when learners are given the chance to interact
with their peers and teachers and the more they interact the more
they are likely to enhance their speaking skill .Therefore, the
communicative approach is suggested in this work as a viable
learning context where learners can interact freely in speaking
classroom