Developing Communication Skills in Language Teaching

Abstract

The aim of this paper is to investigate what emphasis is put on speaking development in different teaching methods. This sequence of thought offers a survey of teaching methods in the 19th century, from The Grammar Teaching Method up to present day. In this period of time, considerable changes have taken place concerning speaking skills development, since as time went by, there was a growing importance of teaching this skill. This change relates to the kind of proficiency what learners need. Nowadays, the main goal of many foreign language learners is to speak, namely to use the language, which means being able to communicate with friends, colleagues or even with strangers. Yet speaking in a foreign language is not as easy as it seems to be, and competence in speaking takes a long time to develop. These days, some sixty percent of the world speaks at least one foreign language, says Richards & Rodgers (1986). Consequently, foreign language learning has always been an important concern.