Reflections on Teaching Spoken English

Chinese English learners in the application when oral communication in English was particularly difficult in some communication with the sentence though grammatical norms, but inappropriate, improper, in part because the focus of our teaching and learning methods and improper, in part because is in English understand the importance of oral communication a long time, we have adopted the "grammar + translation" and the "teacher-centered" teaching methods, we regard the reading as the focus of teaching and learning.

Hymes's communicative competence has four key parameters - grammatical, suitability, appropriateness and practical feasibility, which includes a decent, Professor He Ziran in his <<Pragmatics and English learning>> a book , has also clearly stated: "pragmatics of communication to establish the appropriateness of the language (appropriate) principles." and said: "This is at any time, any occasion must follow the principle." decent pay attention to verbal communication, that is, pay attention to the specific social situations, for specific communicative intent, the specific relationship of people to say certain words and some grammatical sentences in the actual use of language in communication does not necessarily have to avoid obstacles, and sometimes may even be pragmatic failure, that Language Communication inappropriate. So the students' awareness of the relevance of speech, "or" decent sense of "more than ever be taken seriously.

A the importance of teaching spoken English
Strengthen oral teaching in the college English teaching is important.

1. It is consistent with the Laws of language and language learning
Looking at all the major schools of modern foreign language teaching, such as the "direct method", "I heard that Law," "conscious practice of Law", "communicative" and so they have a common characteristic is the emphasis on spoken language training in foreign language teaching in the important nature, therefore, only the spoken language training, foreign language learning throughout the entire process in order to make the language ability of students to full development.

2. Spoken language teaching can promote the combination of knowledge and practice
That modern foreign language teaching: language, language of form and function are equally important, learn the language structure and vocabulary knowledge in language practice should be implemented only by a large number of language practice, especially in spoken language practice in order to thoroughly understand and master and use what they learn, the formation of language habits. Therefore, to enhance knowledge of spoken language training is to change the current out of touch with the phenomenon of language use is an effective way.

3. Spoken language teaching helps to develop a sense of the formation of the habit of thinking in a foreign language
Sense thinking and language foreign language foreign language fluency is a prerequisite for expression of ideological content, and oral training can help foreign language students to gradually develop the habit of thinking and communication.

4. Spoken language teaching can promote the development of other
In Foreign Language Teaching, that teaching is not only one of the aims is to promote capacity development in other languages ​​as a means.

In short, to enhance oral teaching, effective oral communication skills of students, is to comprehensively improve the overall standard of teaching college English major initiatives.

Two Teaching Spoken English
Enacted in 1999 <<College English Syllabus (Revised>> (with the proposed Undergraduate "students to exchange information in English," not only requires students to successfully read, and to be able to understand common English, oral or written exchange. English communicative ability in English learning has become increasingly important, while China's Foreign Language Teaching has always been based on teacher-led, knowledge-centric language, learning to read as the main way to target vocabulary, which seems to have developed a deep-rooted Culture of foreign language learning, so students develop the practical application of foreign language ability, especially verbal communication skills is particularly important because spoken language is an important tool for the exchange of information, how to effectively develop students oral communication skills, College English teaching has become an important issue, but due to long term I heard the impact of Law and the audio-visual method, many English teachers believe that oral teaching is to teach a few simple daily conversation. In fact, dialogue, practice did not meet the communication needs, Xu Guozhang Mr. alive often said: "Optical few dry English can not. some girls, good voice, tone, Ye Hao, greeted a few opening remarks that it looks like, but after talking about the weather is not so, and can not coherent to talk about serious things, neither knowledge nor opinion. "①
Three oral communication impact analysis of the relevance of factors
In the English learning process, there are many factors affecting the relevance of oral communication, including the existing mode of teaching and methods, language environment, teachers, teaching materials, cultural differences and other factors.

1. Existing mode of teaching methods affect students and the improvement of oral expression
For a long time, China's English teaching poor efficiency, this situation with the various stages of China's primary and secondary English teaching self-contained, repeat too much about, and our English language learning environment and the level is not ideal for English teachers, but also with China English teaching in the use of "teacher-centered," the traditional teaching patterns. This "teacher-centered," the traditional teaching model (the protagonist of the classroom teacher, classroom teacher-centered teaching, students do not have enough practice opportunities, the main task is to listen and take notes, put in the relationship between teaching and learning the wrong position, students will only have a negative psychological effect. well-known scholar Cod (SP Corder said: "Effective teaching should not be contrary to natural language process should be tailored to the natural process, not hinder learning, but should help to promote learning and learning can not allow students to meet the teachers and teaching materials, but should allow teachers and teaching materials to meet the students. "②" to fish by their none better than to teach him to fish ", not to mention college English course is very practical, to improve language skills of students can not leave the practice.

2. Of "pragmatic competence" inadequate attention to teaching students affected the improvement of oral expression
Traditional Foreign Language Teaching goal is to "language skills" (linguistic competence, that is correct form of language from the 1970s began, the simple "language" as a teaching goal is being challenged, a wider range of "communicative competence" (communicative competence and gradually became the dominant modern Foreign Language Teaching objectives. communicative competence theory, the authors of Dell Hymes (1970) that there are four components of communicative competence, reflected in the language areas: ③ (1 of formal possibility that the syntax is correct , (2 on the feasibility of implementing the means that can be more easily understood and accepted, (3 in the appropriate context, that meets the requirements of communication scenarios, (4 implementation in reality, that is, whether to actual expression.

The first point is equivalent to the above in the fifties and sixties linguist Chomsky's "language" ④, often through a little after three called "pragmatic competence" (pragmatic competence ⑤. If the teachers 'language' for teaching target, the form will be special emphasis on grammar is correct (accuracy, if the "pragmatic competence" as the goal, it will pay particular attention to the specific environment, use of language is appropriate (appropriateness, whether successfully achieve the communicative purpose. Therefore, in Oral teaching should pay attention to students' language competence "training.

3. On the oral teaching of inadequate attention to the teaching of thinking affect the improvement of oral expression of students
Understand spoken language teaching may be the complexity of thinking associated with the impact from the perspective of a bilingual to be analyzed. Acquisition of a foreign language, the adults often with the native word for the concept of an intermediary to establish the link, form a synthesis of the bilingual features. To practice communicate in English, bilingual communication should be parallel, that is almost foreign language proficiency and language matched the Chinese people and Westerners as history, geographical features, philosophy and cultural differences led to the psychological differences in thinking.

Reading, students have enough time to understand the article, written when there is sufficient time to make changes, but the session is not spoken as if he always came up with the Chinese, then translated into English, not only the time is too tight, and easy to there are not native English or even wrong, for example: the first thought of "Traffic is very crowded," then this sentence into English, it is prone to "The traffic (traffic is very crowded (crowded" This wrong sentence, in English , correct to say that The road is very crowded. or The traffic is very heavy. different cultural backgrounds and to consider the issue in the way of thinking very different point of view, because people of different nationalities by its own long-term Culture of influence, gradually forming a distinctive way of thinking, we analyzed from the point of thinking that some of the differences between English and Chinese. how to train students in English thinking ability to resist the negative migration of Chinese way of thinking? Lin Yutang's "enlightened English Grammar>> (1933 straight to the point that: "All grammatical forms and constructions are similar ways of expressing motions." "English grammar should, therefore, teach us the English ways of thinking and expression." As long as teachers continue to pay attention to some of the teaching English expression of differences, and make some serious philosophical thinking, reveal whether different ways of thinking about the psychological and, to be summarized, to explain the passage of time, the students according to English habits of thinking will be the ability to express There grow the.

4. The lagged effect of the teacher's own level of oral expression of students to improve
Qualified faculty is the key to quality Education in English universities, because any teaching methods and models to be implemented by teachers, therefore, the first foreign language teachers in their own basic skills must be excellent, in listening, speaking, reading, writing and translating their performance well, so that accurate pronunciation, clarity, tone standard, oral fluency, writing on the blackboard neat specification, the concept of grammar skill, accurate professional level of teachers and language, cultural awareness will directly affect the oral teaching. excellent teachers is the effective implementation and to improve oral prerequisite and basis for the quality of teaching, which is the quality of Education for college English teachers made the most basic requirements. Secondly, the comparative analysis of language and language is essential, in order to gain a thorough understanding of the differences between English and Chinese languages, First, teachers should be proficient in them. We need to strengthen their language training, focusing on both English and Chinese language studies, and strive to make their own English and Chinese language proficiency while increasing again, teachers must take English and Chinese language proficiency of their characteristics and differences, which in the classroom teaching is very important.

Otherwise, students in the sentences, writing, oral communication even when the translation will write or say "Chinese English" or "British Chinese", mechanically, look after the really ridiculous.

5. Material defects affecting the improvement of students speaking
Most materials are designed to practice speaking, are more emphasis on language in the form of drills and the shallow mechanical imitation, classroom teaching, teachers often focus on teaching materials for students to complete the questions or repeat, or give some words, design a scenario for students in non-real scenario have some form of language in communication, to prepare for the future to the real skilled use of verbal communication, such as a variety of textbooks have examples for students to practice the following dialogue:
-What 's your name?-What are you doing?
-My name is Wang.-I 'm writing a letter.

-How old are you?-Who are you writing to?
-I 'm twenty.-I' m writing to my parents.

No doubt, the above exercises, students can learn some proper English expression, but if in the learning process, students are not pragmatic in the prompts may be misleading, as well as in communication resulting in pragmatic failure, because in the real communication, the former seems too stiff for some rude dialogue, a conversation is to intervene after private affairs of others suspected.

To enable students to conduct oral expression words to convey his ideas, knowledge of the language spoken before the event input is necessary, but some materials in the oral reading content too long, this time assigned to the oral exercises will be depleted, can not help but feel overwhelming. I heard some other material known materials, but actually hearing some more than enough practice, but some of the serious shortage of oral practice, while speaking practice because some of the activities provided by a single form, but also with "wh-" question the majority, can not expand variety of activities so that both sides will make oral practice teaching by the desire to change the interest disappointment, so the lack of an actual level suitable for students and effective teaching spoken language, spoken language teaching will start to bring some difficulties . Links to free download http://www.hi138.com 6. Cross-cultural awareness caused by a lack of pragmatic failures affect the improvement of oral expression
"Cross-cultural awareness" refers to foreign language learners learn the target language for their cultural knowledge can better grasp, with strong interpersonal skills and ability to adapt to the same tribe as the target language to think and react, and various exchanges has good cross-cultural awareness means that foreign language learners can consciously eliminate the target language of the tribe with the process of interaction may encounter various obstacles in order to ensure the effectiveness of the entire communication process.

Currently, the vast majority of university students in English is difficult to meet such social needs, in its foreign relations in the language can not land gracefully communication channel, often guilty of "cultural mistakes" often committed by Chinese students and language-related "cultural mistake" There are four categories:
First, from the perspective of sociolinguistics is not appropriate. Social pragmatic failure, because communication is a conversation the two sides do not understand or ignore the social and cultural background differences in the emergence of language errors. It is with the identity of both parties talk , conversation areas, familiarity with the topic and other factors, such as: Lu-yu foreigners when Hello! Excuse me! Where are you from? Have you had lunch? other words, as the originator of the conversation with We will think it over to reject the proposal of foreign friends, etc. to the guests to the door, the Chinese, used to say "slowly!" "Please take a good!" but to send foreigners to go, they said "Bye, walk slowly" on irregularities, typical social pragmatic failures, because the same social occasions, the English people often say: "Bye", "Have a pleasant trip", "It's nice meeting you", "Thanks for coming" and so on.

Second, on the unacceptable cultural practices, such as: inviting foreigners to participate in social activities, do not you ask their spouses, foreign teachers to use silence to answer questions, to express gratitude on a lot of time to say so many thanks.

Third, the different value systems of conflict, such as: long-awaited reunion with foreign friends said "You've got no change at all", not allowed to look at their foreign friends album and so on.

Fourth, too simplistic or too general, such as that all Americans love to go to McDonald's fast food restaurant, are all British man of few words as the study of language understanding and use of language learning, pragmatics in communication of important can not be ignored.

• According to Jenny Thomas (Jenny Thomas's point of view, in communication, the speaker did not encode the syntax of the standard model to words and sentences and grammatical errors committed by the speaker can see from the surface, he would be considered insufficient knowledge and understanding of language to get his most obedient people think that language would be "not good" (speaking badly), but if one can speak fluent foreign languages ​​who did not follow the pragmatic principles to deal with words, he will be considered is "poor performance" (behaving badly, are considered "bad faith, deliberately deceptive or ill-intentioned people." In other words, language is the language level of the error problem, pragmatic failure is the quality of individual behavior problems, more Research urgency, necessity and significance. shows that the key to successful communication is to avoid pragmatic failure.

So, cultural factors on language learning what is the point? Famous language educator Colorado (Lado that do not know how cultural patterns and norms, it is impossible to really learn the language, the famous English expert Professor Deng Yanchang have pointed out, learning language understanding and that language must be closely related to Culture, familiar with the relevant foreign language and cultural knowledge will help ensure the integrity of ... ... To this end, we should attach great importance to cultural factors in the importance of language learning process.

How authentic and decent use of language, not only with the proper use of language are equally important, but also cross-cultural communicative competence is an integral part of English teaching, teachers and students on the impact of oral status and oral communication teaching the relevance of the factors that have a clear understanding of the spoken language capabilities to a certain extent.

Note
① Zhou Xia. University of barriers to students speaking English and teaching strategies of [D]. Northwest Normal University, 2004
② Corder, Pit. 1981. Error Analysis and Interlanguage [M]. Oxford; Oxford University Press
③ Hymes, DH 1972. On Communicative Competence. In Brumfit, CJ & Johnson, K (eds.

④ Chomsky, N. 1977: 40. Essays on Form and Interpretation (Essays, North-Holland
⑤ Widdowson, H. 1989: 128-137. "Knowledge of Language and Ability for Use". Applied Linguistics, Vol. 10. No 2
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