10 time, so the grammar used in speaking activities tend to be less complex than
grammar in writing. However, speaking activities are not simply producing words and sounds, yet every speaker has purposes on doing the activities
From some definitions above, it could be concluded that speaking is productive skill in which it is used to communicate with others. It is not only
producing words and sounds, but the speakers has purposes on doing the activity which is to convey meaning and share the speakers’ ideas to the listeners.
b. Functions of Speaking
There have been numerous attempts made to classify the functions of speaking in human interaction. Richards 2008: 21 distinguishes the functions
of speaking into three categories which are quite distinct in terms of form and function and requires different teaching approaches. Those functions are
categorized into talk as interaction, talk as transaction, and talk as performance. Talk as interaction refers to what we normally mean by “conversation”
and describes interaction that serves a primarily social function Richards, 2008: 22. People do the speaking activity in order to be friendly and to establish a
comfortable zone of interaction with others. The focus on this category is more on the speakers and how they wish to present themselves to each other than on
the message. The main features of talk as interaction described by Richards 2008: 22 could be quoted as follow:
a. Has a primarily social function
b. Reflects role relationships
c. Reflects speaker’s identity
d. May be formal or causal
e. Uses conversational conventions
f. Reflects degrees of politeness
11
g. Employs many generic words
h. Uses conversational register
i. Is jointly constructed
Richards also promotes some of the skills involved in using talk as interaction involve knowing how to do the following things; opening and closing
conversations, choosing topics, making small-talk, joking, recounting personal incidents and experiences, turn taking, using adjacency pairs, interrupting,
reaching to others, and using an appropriate style of speaking Richards, 2008: 23.
Talk as transaction refers to situations where the focus is on what is said or done. The message and making oneself understood clearly and accurately is
the central focus, rather than the participants and how they interact socially with each other Richards, 2008: 24. Talk as transaction has different main features
from talk as interaction. As quoted from Richards 2008: 26, the main features of talk as transaction are:
a. It has a primarily information focus.
b. The main focus is on the message and not the participants.
c. Participants employ communication strategies to make themselves
understood. d.
There may be frequent questions, repetitions, and comprehension checks. e.
There may be negotiation and digression. f.
Linguistic accuracy is not always important.
Some of the skills involved in using talk for transactions proposed by Richards are; explaining a need or intention, describing something, asking
questions, asking for clarification, confirming information, justifying an opinion, making suggestions, clarifying understanding, making comparisons, also
agreeing and disagreeing.
