An Analysis of Teacher Talk in Language Teaching

【Abstract】For many learners， language class is the main place to learn and use the target language and the quality and quantity of teacher talk affect even decide the success of language class. The article analyses type and characteristics of teacher talk and proposes effective strategies of teacher talk.

【Key words】Analysis； teacher talk； language teaching

1. Introduction

Teacher talk is the language used by teachers in class for classroom management and teaching activities. Teacher talk is of crucial importance， not only for the organisation of the classroom but also for the processes of acquisition. It is important for the organisation and management of the classroom because it is through language that teachers either succeed or fail to implement their teaching plans. In terms of acquisition， teacher talk is important because it is probably the major source of comprehensible target language input the learner is likely to receive. （Nunan， 1991：189）The analysis of teacher talk is of great practical value for the investigation of second language acquisition and the improvement of language teaching， which contribute to the search of strategies of effective teacher talk.

2. Type of Teacher Talk

Teacher talk could be classified into two types， organisation teacher talk and instruction teacher talk. Organisation teacher talk is the language used for organizing， managing and directing teaching activities， which includes greeting， order， proposal， summary， topic switch， etc. Organisation teacher talk has crucial meaning for language teaching. First， the language ensures language teaching proceed smoothly. Second， the language demonstrates some functions of language such as instrumental， regulatory， interactional， and personal functions， which help learners in better understanding these functions through concrete examples and acquiring these useful expressions. Instruction teacher talk is the language closely related to teaching materials and activities， such as questions， presentation， feedback， explanation， etc. This type of talk displays the main information of the class and decides the achievement of teaching objectives. It is a major source of language input， demonstrations and practices of language skills.

3. Characteristics of Teacher Talk

First， teacher talk is not only target language， but also a medium， which performs the function of instruction and demonstration. Next， teacher talk features acceptability and comprehensibility. The object of language teaching is the learners who need constant learning to improve their understanding and output abilities. Teacher talk far beyond learners understanding ability is void of teaching value. Thus， teacher talk should accord with learners practical needs and also slightly surpass their present understanding ability. Then， teacher talk is phased based on the gradual teaching process， which manifests in speech rates， sentence length， sentence structure and difficulty of discourse. Also， teacher talk is characterised by repetition. Necessary repetitions emphasize the important points in teaching， intensify knowledge， stimulate students attention， help teachers correction and guide students self-correction. Finally， teacher talk has individual characteristics and does not have a unified model， which varies with the individual teachers experience， language ability and the understanding of teacher talk. （朱婷婷，2009）

4. Strategies of Effective Teacher Talk

4.1 Amount of Teacher Talk

It is common that in all kinds of classes， not just in language classes， it is the teacher who does the most talking. Empirical research has shown that the teachers are also surprised by how much they talk in class. It can be understood that time in classes is limited and teachers are desperate to give students the information they need. However， the best effect need appropriate amount of teacher talk to achieve. When determining the appropriateness or otherwise of the quantity of teacher talk， we need to take into account a variety of factors including：

（1）The point in the lesson in which the talking occurs.

（2）What prompts the teacher talk： whether it is planned or spontaneous， and， if spontaneous， whether the ensuring digression is helpful or not.

（3）The value of the talk as potentially useful input for acquisition. （Nunan， 1991：190）

Modifications of amount of teacher talk according to the objective of each class can be an effective and efficient strategy to achieve the class objective. Students time， such as practice time， thinking time and questioning time are necessary for students and should be taken into consideration with care.

4.2 Appropriate Use of Native Language

Native language is a useful assistance of class presentation. The students may not be proficient enough to fully understand teacher talk. Thus explanation and demonstration is necessary sometimes. Target language is certainly a good choice because it provides not only additional input， but also listening practice. However， in some cases， not every word can be demonstrated or clearly presented in target language that can be accepted by students. In such cases， native language is the ideal instrument for both the teacher and the students to save time and improve efficiency. Also， the use of native language should be appropriate to achieve the best result. With the students proficiency gradually improving， use of native language can be reduced step by step.

4.3 Speech Modifications

Speech modifications have been investigated in numerous literatures and proved to be effective. Chaudron（1988：85）summarised the research on teacher speech in language classrooms which shows that the following modifications occur：

（1）Rates of speech appear to be slower.

（2）Pauses， which may be evidence of the speaker planning more， are possibly more frequent and longer.

（3）Pronunciation tends to be exaggerated and simplified.

（4）Vocabulary use is more basic.

（5）Degree of subordination is lower.

（6）More declaratives and statements are used than questions.

（7）Teachers may self-repeat more frequently.

Ideal teacher talk should be language which is certainly above the students own productive level， but which they can more or less understand. In addition， vivid and interesting language and figures of speech can enliven teacher talk and attract students attention.

4.4 Attitude of Teachers

Teachers play a vital role in the class， which does not mean that students are inferior. Teachers and students learn together in the class. Thus teachers need to care the students feelings， which promote learning process. Teachers attitude is clearly manifested in teacher talk and keenly sensed by the students. An objective and appropriately positive respond is convincing and valuable for a reflective learner. When correcting errors， teachers need special caution to use appropriate ways such as using some reminding words for minor errors， asking students to repeat incorrect parts for major errors. Appropriate encouragement is also a necessity. Appropriate ways of teacher talk reflect positive attitude of teachers， which decrease negative emotions of students and enhance learning.

5. Conclusion

Teacher talk is a carrier of teaching activity and a medium of teacher-student interaction. Teachers need to use the important tool to improve language teaching and learning. Appropriateness is the best technique to make full use of teacher talk， but also a hard way to explore for teachers which need practices， experience and research.

References：

[1]Chaudron，Craig.Second Language Classrooms： Research on Teaching and Learning[M].Cambridge： Cambridge University Press，1988.

[2]Nunan，David.Language Teaching Methodology： A Textbook for Teachers[M].Cambridge： Cambridge University Press，1991.

[3]李玉芳.英語教師課堂話語分析[J].樂山師范學院學報，2005，4.

作者簡介：吳瓊（1991-），女，山東鄒城人，青島科技大學外國語學院外國語言學及應用語言學2013級研究生，研究方向為翻譯理論與實踐。