Listening
Listening is a skill in a sense that it is related but a distinct process than hearing which involves merely perceiving sound in a passive way. While listening occupies an active and immediate analysis of the streams of sounds, listening has a “volitional component†as well as the capability to listen (comprehension) which must be present with the listener for the successful recognition and analysis of the sound,
According to Mecheal (1991), listening comprises some competent skills which are: discriminating between sounds, recognizing words, identifying grammatical groupings of words, identifying expressions and sets of utterances that act to create meanings, connecting linguistic cues to non-linguistic and paralinguistic cues, using background knowledge to predict and later to confirm meaning and recalling important words and ideas. McDonough and Shaw (1993) explained that a listener as a processor of language has to go through three processes using three types of skills:
a. Processing sound/perception skills
b. Processing meaning/analysis skills
c. Processing knowledge and context/synthesis skills
However, none of these micro-skills is either used or effective in isolation or is called listening. Successful listening refers to the integration of these component skills and listening is nothing but coordination and integration of these component skills.
Even as a receptive skill, listening differs greatly from reading. Reading materials are printed and permanent enough where the learners are required to interact with the next sentence and the knowledge of the previous one while listening involves continuous presentation where they have to respond to the immediate expression Listening is more a process which instantly shapes the understanding and utterances of the learners.
No doubt, listening is the most common communication activity in daily life, according to Morley (1991) “we can expect to listen twice as much as we speak, four times more than we read, and five tunes more than we writeâ€
Listening as a skill is assuming more and more importance in Second Language or Foreign Language classrooms than ever before Rost (1994) pointed out that†listening is vital in the language classroom because it provides input for the learner†Without understanding input at the right level, any learning simply cannot begin Listening is thus fundamental to speaking.
Kraslen’s (1981) view is that “acquisition†takes place as a result of the learner understanding an input that is a little beyond the current level of his competence. Therefore, we must take into account that the level of listening input must be higher than the level of language production of the target learners Tomatis (2009) theory showed that “the quality of an individual listening ability will affect the quality of both spoken and written language developmentâ€. He also viewed that if the sounds of the target language are presented to the, learners before presenting them in written form, the ease with which they integrate those sound will be reflected in their understanding and production of the language.
Speaking
Speaking is “using†language for a purpose For example instead of asking students to repeat sentences, you can sometimes give students a topic and ask them to construct and say their own responses Someone who can use English well is usually both accurate and fluent Accurate speakers do not make mistakes in grammar, vocabulary or pronunciation Fluent speakers can express themselves appropriately and without hesitation Fluent speakers do not usually worry unduly about making mistakes In a language lesson, students need to spend time not only on becoming more accurate but they also need to practice using language fluently The amount of time spent on each skill will be different in each learning situation.
Grammar and vocabulary are mainly taught by teachers worldwide because they are areas that are tested in examination. This means that speaking is a neglected language skill in many classrooms. More and more educators, government, ministries of education and employers need people who can speak English well. Students who can speak English well may have a greater chance of further education, of finding employment and gaining promotion.
Speaking English well also helps students to access up-to-date information in fields including science technology and health. Good English speakers will be in strong position to help their country’s economic, social and political development. So by learning to speak English well, students gain a valuable skill which can be useful in their lives and contribute to their community and country.
Unlike reading or writing, speaking happens in real time: usually the person you are talking to is waiting for you to speak right then. Secondly when you speak, you cannot edit and revise what you wish to say, as you can if you are writing.
Language generated by the learner in speech or writing is referred to as productive language while reading or listening is called receptive. Speaking is the productive aural/oral skill. It consists of producing systematic verbal utterance to convey meaning. Speaking in a language other than our own is anything but simple. Ighile (1997) stressed that the issue of the falling standard of English at all levels of the nations educational system has become increasingly disturbing. I-Ic lamented that to a large extent, this unfortunate situation can equally be said to be responsible eventually for the depreciating over- all level of education in Nigeria.
Akere (1998) stated that proficiency in English among pupils in school is low and this is quite disturbing He stated further that many pupils at the secondary school level cannot communicate fluently in English, which is true in most public secondary schools in Nigeria where pupils can neither write nor speak correct sentences.
