Friday, October 19, 2012

Speaking


photos by web
There are many experts explain about definition of speaking. Speaking is a productive language skill.[1] It means that speaking is a person’s skills to produce sounds that exists at the meaning and be understood by other people, so that able to create of good communication. It is a mental concept that processed by someone in such a way to form a meaning when uttered.
Chainstand in Hamzah state that “Speaking is learning to speak is obviously more difficult than learning to understanding the spoken language.”[2] On the other hand, we can say that speaking is learning about how to speak, and it is so hard better than knowing what other people saying.
A S Hornby has explained that speaking is “to say exactly what you think, in every direct way”[3] it means that speaking is skill that has meaning which appears directly from our mind to convey messages to other people. In other words, speaking a way to say what you feel now, and it is appears from our mind.
Wendy and Listbeth state that speaking is perhaps the demanding skill for the teacher to teach. In their own language children are able to express emotions, communicate intonations and reactions, explore the language and make fun of it, so they expect to be able to do the same in English.[4] In other words, speaking activity must be done on fun situation that make the students feel enjoy to learn it. When the condition of the learning process class are good, enjoy, fun, full of spirits, etc. it will make the brain’s of the students are processed, so that acquisition process of the students run effectively. 
Based on the definitions above, it can be inferred that speaking is a basic of person skill to produce language that has meaning and be understood by other people about what the speaker says. It is a skill of speaker to give information to a listener or group of listeners by transfer it effectively. And speaking activity must be set on fun situation.



[1] Sanggam Siahaan, Issues in Linguistics (Yogyakarta: Graha Ilmu, 2008), p. 95.
[2] http://achankprima.blogspot.com/2011/01/definisi-of-speaking.html (October 1, 2011)
[3] A S Hornby, Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary, Six Edition, (New York: Oxford University Press, 2003), p. 1289.
[4] Wendy A. Scott and Listbeth H. Ytreberg, Teaching English to Children. (New York: Longman), p. 33.

Thursday, October 18, 2012

Harris’s oral English rating scale frame




No
Criteria
Rating Scores
Description
1
Pronunciation
5
Has few traces of foreign language.
4
Always intelligible, thought one is conscious of a definite accent.
3
Pronunciation problem necessities concentrated listening and occasionally lead to misunderstanding.
2
Very hard to understand because of pronunciation problem, most frequently be asked to repeat.
1
Pronunciation problem to serve as to make speech virtually unintelligible.
2
Grammar
5
Make few (if any) noticeable errors of grammar and word order.
4
Occasionally makes grammatical and or word orders errors that do not, however obscure meaning.

3
Make frequent errors of grammar and word order, which occasionally obscure meaning.

2
Grammar and word order errors make comprehension difficult, must often rephrases sentence.

1
Errors in grammar and word order, so, severe as to make speech virtually unintelligible.

3
Vocabulary

5
Use of vocabulary and idioms is virtually that of native speaker.

4
Sometimes uses inappropriate terms and must rephrases ideas because of lexical and equities.

3
Frequently uses the wrong words conversation somewhat limited because of inadequate vocabulary.

2
Misuse of words and very limited vocabulary makes comprehension quite difficult.

1
Vocabulary limitation so extreme as to make conversation virtually impossible.

4
Fluency

5
Speech as fluent and efforts less as that of native speaker.
4
Speed of speech seems to be slightly affected by language problem.
3
Speed and fluency are rather strongly affected by language problem.
2
Usually hesitant, often farced into silence by language limitation.
1
Speech is so halting and fragmentary as to make conversation virtually impossible.
5
Comprehension
5

Appears to understand everything without difficulty
4
Understand nearly everything at normal speed although occasionally repetition may be necessary
3
Understand most of what is said at slower than normal speed without repetition
2
Has great difficulty comprehend. social conversation spoken slowly and with    frequent repetition
1
Can not be said to understand even simple conversation.