International Journal of Language and Literature

June 2018, Vol. 6, No. 1, pp. 123-128

ISSN: 2334-234X (Print), 2334-2358 (Online)
Copyright © The Author(s). All Rights Reserved.
Published by American Research Institute for Policy Development
DOI: 10.15640/ijll.v6n1a17
URL: [Link]

Understanding the Complex Process of Oral Communication

Dr Areena Ali1

Abstract:

This paper focuses on the complex process of learning oral communication in a second language. It deals
with various kinds of steps from simple to complex in the path to learn better oral communication. It also
talks about the important factors affecting the oral communication.

Keywords: Speaking skill, second language, oral communication, second language learner, speaking.
Introduction:
Teaching English is not an easy task and most of the times it has failed to meet its goal. Learners studying
English cannot use English inside and outside the classroom. Their production in the language is limited to writing
skills but they face difficulty in daily-life communication. The traditional English classroom helps to develop accuracy
rather than fluency.
Oral communication perhaps is one of the most effective and common types of communication channels one
uses in everyday life. Oral communication is not confined to the workplace. There are so many situations where an
individual get involved in oral communication. All oral communications involve two-way communications.
All the four skills (Listening, Speaking, Reading and Writing) are integrated. But only Reading and Writing are
emphasized. There is a very little room for the teaching of Oral Communication. The teaching and testing of Oral
Communication are both done in a faulty way. It‟s being taught and tested in the same way as the other skills like
Reading and Writing.
One can teach oral communication through language activities. It is an attractive way of teaching oral
communication because it gives a setting for developing their listening skill as well as speaking skill and improves their
linguistic abilities.
This paper focuses on the complex process of oral communication and tries to find out an easy way to teach
and learn oral communication.
1. Oral Communication:
The ever-growing need for good communication skills in English has created a huge demand for English
teaching around the world. Millions of people today want to improve their command over English or to ensure that
their children achieve a good command of English. There are so many ways to learn English. One can learn English
by listening to it like by formal instruction, traveling, studying abroad. Many opportunities are available on the internet
to learn English. The increasing demand for learning English is also increasing the demand for good quality of
teaching and teaching materials of English. Everybody wants to master the accuracy and fluency in English.
Employers, too, insist that their employees should have good English language skills, and fluency in English are a
condition for success and advancement in many fields of employment in today's world. The demand for a suitable
teaching method is therefore as strong as ever. Teaching a language involves developing the ability to produce correct
sentences. The ability to produce sentences is a crucial one in learning a language. Learning a language involves the
ability to produce correct sentences and inappropriate context. (Widdowson, 1978: 1-3)

1 Assistant Professor, English Language Teaching, (Prince Sattam bin Abdulaziz University). Email ID: areena14ali@[Link]
124 International Journal of Language and Literature, Vol. 6, No. 1, June 2018

1. 1 The Nature of Spoken Language:

Brown and Yule (1983) begin their discussion on the nature of spoken language by distinguishing between
spoken and written language. They point out that for most of its history; language teaching has been concerned with
the teaching of written language. This language is characterized by well-formed sentences which are integrated into a
highly structured paragraph. Spoken language, on the other hand, consists of short, often fragmentary utterances, in a
range of pronunciations. There are often many repetitions and overlap between one speaker and another. Brown and
Yule point that the loosely organized syntax, the use of nonspecific words, phrases and the use of fillers such as well,
oh, huh make spoken language feel less conceptually dense than other types of language such as expository prose.
Brown and Yule also draw a useful distinction between two basic language functions. These are the
transactional function, which is primarily concerned with the transfer of information, and the interactional function, in
which the primary purpose of speech is the maintenance of a social relationship.
The interactional nature of spoken language is examined by Bygate (1987). He distinguishes between motor-
perceptive skills, which are concerned with correctly using the sounds and structures of the language, and the purpose
of the communication. Motor-perceptive skills are developed in the language classroom through activities such as
model dialogues, pattern practice, and oral drills and so on. Until recently, it was assumed that the mastery of motor-
perceptive skills was all that one needed in order to communicate successfully.
Another basic distinction is considered the development of speaking skills between monologue and dialogue.
The ability to give an uninterrupted oral presentation is quite distinct from interpersonal purposes. (David Nunan,
1989: 26-27)
A teacher can apply two approaches to the teaching of speaking skill- a bottom-up approach and a top-down
approach. The bottom-up approach suggests that a teacher can start with the smallest units of language, that is
individual sounds, and move through the mastery of words and sentences to discourse. The top-down view, on the
other hand, suggests that a teacher can start with larger chunks of language, which are embedded in meaningful
contexts, and use our knowledge of these contexts to comprehend and use correctly the smaller elements of language.
(David Nunan, 1989: 32)
Communication is said to be the most important skill for human survival because one needs it to maintain
contact with the world. It is true that one communicates all the time, knowingly or unknowingly. Of course, Oral
Communication is a two-way process between the speaker and the receiver, involving the productive skill of speaking
and the receptive skill of understanding (listening).
Apart from the speaker and the receiver, there are many elements involved in the process of communication.
And all of them are equally important in communication.
i. A source
ii. Stimuli received from that source
iii. A receiver
iv. Sensory receptors
v. The receivers‟ interpretation of and responses to the sensations
vi. Noise
vii. Feedback
viii. Situation or context
Communication, generally, is described as a process. But it is a process of processes because it involves many
processes for example receiving sensation, interpretation of the received sensation and responding to interpretations.
Another important aspect of communication is the nonverbal behaviour. During communication, the gestures, facial
expression, and body movements naturally influence both the speaker and the receiver. And nonverbal behaviour
does send meaning with the verbal message.
Spoken language production (similar to the processing of written language) involves three main phases of
language processing (Levelt, 1989; Poulesse, 1997; Scovel, 1998). The first is a conceptualization of the message
content, whether at the content, of a short message or the content of a longer turn or sequence of turns. The second
phase involves selecting a proper linguistic formula for the message. The third phase involves the articulation of the
message. Normally the third phase works smoothly and can often be difficult to distinguish.
 Dr. Areena Ali 125

However, there are times when each phase can cause problems. During the conceptualization phase, a
speaker can give someone an appropriate message or convey an inappropriate intention. At the formulation phase, the
speaker can choose the wrong word or expression to send an appropriate intention. At the articulation phase, a
speaker can mispronounce words. The fact that speakers routinely self-correct these different types of error implies
that monitoring and self-correction must be further aspects of the production process. Finally speaking involves
adjusting one's speech to the interlocutor. This occurs in the patterns and types of turns that speakers use, as well as in
their phases. (Michael Byram, 2004:564)
In second language speech, these processes can function differently from first language speech; they are
commonly slower and more prone to errors in all phases of the process, therefore requiring more frequent self-
correction. Speakers are also commonly unsure of what message to convey or how to convey it, resulting in the use of
communication strategies (Kasper & Kallerman, 1997) to improvise what to say and how to say it. Finally, it is
communication for second language speakers to have difficulty coping with the demands of managing social
interaction. Here, too, in a second language, speakers find themselves having to improvise ways of communicating
and of responding to their interlocutors. (Michael Byram, 2004:564)
Bygate (1987:5) points out that speaking involves two different types of basic skills, lower level motor-
perceptive skills, such as how to produce phonemes or use irregular verb forms, and the decisions and strategies used
in communication such as what to say, how to say it (considering the conditioning factors of the context as is dealt
with in pragmatics) and what to do if problems arise to negotiate to mean. (Jane Arnold)
2. Advantages of oral communication over written communication:
 It has the distinct advantage of being quick and prompt. It provides the opportunity to both the transmitter and
receiver of the message to respond directly.
 Oral communication promotes close contact and thus promotes the mutual exchange of thoughts, information,
understanding, and support.
 Oral communication through direct contact undeniably inculcates a sense of self-importance in the subordinates,
which successively acts as an inspiring element.
 It also helps in bringing a responsive and encouraging morale among employees of an organization.
 Oral communication further allows the superior to make a rapid evaluation of subordinates action as well as
reaction to any message transmitted. This obviously assists the superior to diminish and prevent differences and
revamp plans and policies according to the need of time and conditions.
 It is faster, direct and can have more impact on the receiver. One can seek clarification almost instantly by
recognizing the tone of the speaker.
The ability to speak effectively to others in formal and informal settings is commonly regarded as something
inborn („the gift of the gab‟), rather than something that can be learned. Some abilities are to the extent inborn, but
most of them can be acquired and improved with effort. (Baden Eunson, 2005: 305)
One cannot learn English without practicing. Speaking helps in expressing ideas, thoughts, messages easily
and freely. Majority of people wants to learn English only for speaking purpose. 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 that language (Penny, 1991:120).
Speaking is active, productive and makes use of the aural medium. Communication through speaking is
commonly performed face-to-face interaction and occurs as part of a dialogue or the other form of verbal exchange.
Speaking is a part of the reciprocal exchange in which both reception and production play a part. Therefore, the skill
of speaking involves both receptive and productive participation.
The act of speaking involves not only the production of sounds but also the use of gesture, the movements of
the muscles of the face, and indeed the whole body. All these non-vocal accompaniments of speaking as a
communicative activity are transmitted through the visual medium.
3. Three important areas of knowledge:
The study of oral communication is a process that helps in understanding between the speaker and the
audience.
 126 International Journal of Language and Literature, Vol. 6, No. 1, June 2018

It can be said communication is a process of understanding and exchanging messages that comprise of a set
of behavior that uses in the perception, interpretation, and understanding of the meaning of the verbal and nonverbal
behavior of individuals. While speaking one is communicating nonverbally. Body language has as much effect on the
audience as the words on the audience- in some cases, it has more. Of course, speaking is not a mechanical process, a
one-way flow of data, as if a tape recorder hooked up to a loudspeaker was sending out noises to a row of
microphones, hooked up to the other tape recorders. One is communicating to the living organism and is responding
to one another all the time (Beden Eunson, 2005: 322).
Many students regard speaking ability as the measure of knowing a language. These students define fluency as
the ability to converse with others, much more than the ability to read, write, or understand oral language. They regard
speaking as the most important skill they can acquire, and they assess their progress in terms of their accomplishments
in spoken communication (Burnkart, 1998).
Generally, students need to recognize that speaking involves three areas of knowledge (Burnkart, 1998):
 Mechanics (pronunciation, grammar, and vocabulary): Using the right words in the right order with the correct
pronunciation
 Functions (transaction and interaction): Knowing when clarity of message is essential (transaction/information
exchange) and when precise understanding is not required (interaction/relationship building).
 Social and cultural rules and norms (turn-taking, rate of speech, length of pauses between speakers, relative roles of
participants): Understanding how to take into account who is speaking to whom, in what circumstances, about what,
and for what reason. (Minda Mora, 2011)
4. The Components of speaking skills:
Speaking is making use of words in an ordinary voice, uttering words, knowing and being able to use
language; expressing one in words; making a speech. While skill is the ability to do something well. Therefore, one can
infer that speaking is the ability to make use of words or a language to express oneself in an ordinary voice. In short,
the speaking skill is the ability to perform the Linguistic knowledge in actual communication. The ability functions to
express our ideas, feelings, thoughts, and need orally.
Speaking is also one of the language arts that are most often used by people all over the world. The art of
speaking is very complex. It requires the simultaneous use of the number of abilities which often develop at different
rates.
Nowadays, many teachers agree that students should learn to speak the second language by interacting with
others. In this case, students should master several speaking parts', such as comprehension, pronunciation, grammar,
vocabulary, and fluency. In brief, English teachers should be creative in developing their teaching and learning process
to create a good atmosphere, improve the students speaking skill, give attention to the speaking components, and
make English lesson more exciting.
For this reason, the English teacher should apply the appropriate method and technique of teaching speaking.
The method that is generally used by the teacher is the Communicative approach. In the communicative approach, a
language is primarily a tool of communication. Thus, learning a language means learning to perform communicative
speech acts with it.
In general, speech acts are acts of communication. To communicate is to express a certain attitude, and the
type of speech act is performed corresponds to the type of attitude being expressed. For example, a statement
expresses a belief, a request expresses a desire, and an apology expresses regret. As an act of communication, a speech
act succeeds if the audience identifies, in accordance with the speaker's intention. Learners of different languages face
difficulty in comprehending the intended message conveyed by a speech act or delivering a speech act using proper
language. Classroom instruction on speech act can help learners to improve their performance of speech acts and thus
their intentions with native speakers. There are at least five components of speaking skill concerned with
comprehension, grammar, vocabulary, pronunciation, and fluency:

i. Comprehension:
Language teachers often experience difficulty in trying to improve their students‟ listening skills, especially in
a „Foreign Language‟ context since learners are not exposed to the language outside the classroom.
Dr. Areena Ali 127

Listening comprehension is a key initial step in communication. The better a student can understand what is
being said, the better will be their ability to communicate. In addition, they will be able to notice the characteristics of
the target language which will improve their language development in all four key skill areas.
Students may feel a great deal of pride when they are able to comprehend something in the target language.
This can be a great motivating factor in continuing to learn the language, and teachers should do whatever possible to
promote this sense of accomplishment. Thus, teachers need to construct learning activities which will improve
learners' oral comprehension (listening skills) and motivate them, as well.
ii. Grammar:
Without grammar, it is generally possible to communicate orally, notably through dialogue, since oral
communication and in particular dialogue are bilateral processes, in which the receiver - the person being spoken to -
can request clarification and repetition until the meaning of a message is clear. Grammar is very useful for oral
communication, as it ensures that speakers and listeners use the same code; but a poor command of grammar will not
normally prevent two people from communicating relatively effectively.
iii. Vocabulary:
Words play an important role in communication. The right word in the right place is very necessary to convey
the appropriate meaning/message. One cannot communicative effectively or express his ideas both in oral and written
form if they do not have plenty of vocabulary. Without grammar very little can be conveyed, without vocabulary
nothing can be conveyed.
iv. Pronunciation:
Pronunciation is the way for students‟ to produce clear language when they speak. It deals with the
phonological process that refers to the part of a grammar made up of the elements and principles. 'Intelligible
pronunciation is an essential component of communication competence' teachers should include pronunciation in
their courses and expect students to do well in them. Without adequate pronunciation skills, the learner's ability to
communicate is severely limited. Students can be expected to do well in the pronunciation of English if the
pronunciation class is taken out of isolation and becomes an 'integral part of [the] oral communication' class.
v. Fluency:
Oral fluency is a measure of how well and how easily one can communicate one's ideas clearly and accurately
in speech. Fluency can be defined as the ability to speak fluently and accurately. Fluency in speaking is the aim of
many language learners. Signs of fluency include a reasonably fast speed of speaking and only a small number of
pauses and "ums" or "errs". These signs show that the speaker does not have to spend a lot of time searching for the
language items needed to express the message.
Conclusion
It is found that oral communication in the second language is not an easy process. It goes through various
steps from simple to complex. Although acquiring good communication skills is not difficult or impossible and can be
learned by practice inside and outside the classroom. The best way to learn it by starting with listening skill. It is
believed that the more input there be more outcome.

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128 International Journal of Language and Literature, Vol. 6, No. 1, June 2018

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