Speaking and Instructed Foreign Language Acquisition

Edited by Prof. Mirosław Pawlak, Ewa Waniek-Klimczak, Prof. Jan Majer

Publication date:

04 July 2011

Publisher

Multilingual Matters

Dimensions:

234x156mm
6x9"

ISBN-13: 9781847694119

Developing the ability to speak in a foreign language is an arduous task. This is because it involves the mastery of different language subsystems, simultaneous focus on comprehension and production, and the impact of a range of social factors. This challenge is further compounded in situations in which learners have limited access to the target language. Thus, there is a need to explore issues related to teaching, learning and testing speaking with a view to translating the guidelines based on theoretical positions and research findings into feasible and context-specific pedagogical recommendations. This is the rationale behind this book, which considers speaking from leading theoretical perspectives, investigates individual variables which affect its development, and reports the results of studies focusing on different aspects of its instructed acquisition.

Preface

Part I: Theoretical perspectives on instructed acquisition of speaking

1. Mirosław Pawlak: Instructed acquisition of speaking: Reconciling theory and practice

2. Agnieszka Nowicka and Weronika Wilczyńska: Authenticity in oral communication of instructed L2 learners

3. Piotr Białas: Formulaic sequences in the output of instructed L2 learners

4. Agnieszka Wróbel: Formulaicity vs. fluency and accuracy in using English as a foreign language.

5. Jan Majer: Talking the same language: Sociocultural aspects of code-switching in L2 classroom discourse

6. Anna Niżegorodcew: Speaking in English for Academic Purposes in the light of Lingua Franca English

Part II: Speaking and individual variables

7. Adriana Biedroń: Near-nativeness as a function of cognitive and personality factors. Three case studies of highly able foreign language learners

8. Ewa Waniek-Klimczak: ‘I am good at speaking, but I failed my phonetics class’ – pronunciation and speaking in advanced learners of English

9. Krystyna Droździał-Szelest: Oral skills awareness of advanced ESL learners

10. Aneta Całka: Pronunciation learning strategies – identification and classification

11. Magdalena Wrembel: Metaphonetic awareness in the production of speech

12. Krzysztof Nerlicki: Foreign language speaking anxiety from the perspective of Polish students of German studies

13. Ewa Piechurska-Kuciel: The relationship between language anxiety and the development of the speaking skill. Results of a longitudinal study

Part III: Research into instructed acquisition of speaking

14. Sebastian Piotrowski: On the authenticity of communication in the foreign language classroom

15. Irena Czwenar: Ways to proficiency in spoken English as a foreign language – tracing individual development

16. Anna Mystkowska-Wiertelak: Task repetition as a way of enhancing oral communication in a foreign language

17. Mariusz Kruk: The use of the Internet and Instant Messengers in assisting the acquisition of speaking skills in English lessons

18. Dorota Werbińska: Investigating the perception of speaking skills with metaphor-based methods

19. Jolanta Szpyra-Kozłowska: Phonetically difficult words in intermediate learners’ English

20. Przemysław Krakowian: Transcultural interference, communities of practice and collaborative assessment of oral performance

This volume offers comprehensive analysis of speaking skills as one of the most important issues in instructed foreign language acquisition. The nature and development of speaking are not only discussed here from theoretical and practical perspectives but are also well-illustrated with examples of empirical studies in the area.