The forms of Speaking

importance of meaning in context and the facts about word formation and how to twist words to fit different grammatical contexts. d. Fluency Fluency is the ability to speak spontaneously and eloquently with no pausing and with absence of disturbing hesitation markers. 13 It also refers to some aspects like responding coherently within the turns of the conversation, using linking words and phrases, keeping in mind a comprehensible pronunciation and adequate intonation without too much hesitation. Fluency cannot be separate with accuracy. Accuracy refers to the mastery of phonology elements, grammar and discourse. It also refers to the linguistic competence that deals with the correction of the utterances to get a correct communication. Speaking accurately means doing without or with few errors on not only grammar but vocabulary and pronunciation. e. Comprehension The last speaking element is comprehension. Comprehension means the understanding and the interpretation of what is said. Comprehension seeks students thinking ability to understand the information accurately. It is in line that speaking can only be successful when people understand messages in the target language. 14 In conclusion, pronunciation, grammar, vocabulary, fluency, and comprehension are the important and complementary components in the development of students‟ speaking skill. These elements support each other to gain the goal of speaking. 13 H. Douglas Brown, Teaching by Principles: An Interactive Approach to Language Pedagogy, Second Edition , New York: Pearson Education, 2001, p. 268. 14 Jack C. Richards and Theodore S., Approaches and Methods in Language Teaching, Second Edition , New York: Cambridge University Press, 2001, p. 180.

5. The Characteristic of a Successful Speaking Activity

There are four characteristics of good speaking activity based on Penny Ur. 15 First, students talk a lot. It means that the students are asked to participate in the learning process. However, the students‟ talk should be fair, not dominated by one or two talkative students – all students get a chance to speak. Students‟ motivation to speak is one reason of successful speaking activity. Language learners who lack of motivation to participate successfully in oral discussion often listen in silence while others do the talking. One way to encourage such learners is to help them build up some minimal responses that they can use in different types of exchanges. Next, students are willing to communicate because they are interested with the topic given. If they are interested, they will have something to say in front of the class. This is also in line that students‟ want to take a part in the discussion in order to achieve task objective. The last characteristic is acceptable language level. Students express their ideas in spoken language that is easily to comprehend by others participants. Moreover, Nunan points out successful oral communication involve developing: a. The ability to articulate phonological features of the language comprehensibly; b. Mastery of stress, rhythm, intonation patterns; c. An acceptable degree of fluency; d. Transactional and interpersonal skills; e. Skills in taking short and long speaking turns; f. Skills in the management of interaction; g. Skills in negotiating meaning; h. Conversational listening skills successful conversation need good listeners as well as good speakers; i. Skill in knowing about and negotiating purposes for conversations; 15 Penny Ur, A Course in Language Teaching: Practice and Theory, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1996, p. 120.