Speaking and Instructed Foreign Language Acquisition. Second Language Acquisition

Developing the ability to speak in a foreign language is an arduous task. This is because it involves the mastery of different language subsystems, simultaneous focus on comprehension and production, and the impact of a range of social factors. This challenge is further compounded in situations in which learners have limited access to the target language. Thus, there is a need to explore issues related to teaching, learning and testing speaking with a view to translating the guidelines based on theoretical positions and research findings into feasible and context-specific pedagogical recommendations. This is the rationale behind this book, which considers speaking from leading theoretical perspectives, investigates individual variables which affect its development, and reports the results of studies focusing on different aspects of its instructed acquisition. Part 1: Theoretical Perspectives on Instructed Acquisition of Speaking, contains the following chapters: (1) Instructed Acquisition of Speaking: Reconciling Theory and Practice (Miroslaw Pawlak); (2) Authenticity in Oral Communication of Instructed L2 Learners (Agnieszka Nowicka and Weronika Wilczynska); (3) Formulaic Sequences in the Output of Instructed L2 Learners (Piotr Bialas); (4) Formulaicity vs. Fluency and Accuracy in Using English as a Foreign Language (Agnieszka Wrobel); (5) Talking the Same Language: Sociocultural Aspects of Code-Switching in L2 Classroom Discourse (Jan Majer); and (6) Speaking in English for Academic Purposes in the Light of Lingua Franca English and Sociocultural Theory (Anna Nizegorodcew). Part 2: Speaking and Individual Variables, continues with these chapters: (7) Near-Nativeness as a Function of Cognitive and Personality Factors: Three Case Studies of Highly Able Foreign Language Learners (Adriana Biedron); (8) "I Am Good at Speaking, But I Failed My Phonetics Class" Pronunciation and Speaking in Advanced Learners of English (Ewa Waniek- Klimczak); (9) Oral Skills Awareness of Advanced EFL Learners (Krystyna Drozdzial -Szelest); (10) Pronunciation Learning Strategies Identification and Classification (Aneta Calka); (11) Metaphonetic Awareness in the Production of Speech (Magdalena Wrembel); (12) Foreign Language Speaking Anxiety from the Perspective of Polish Students of German Studies (Krzysztof Nerlicki); and (13) The Relationship between Language Anxiety and the Development of the Speaking Skill: Results of a Longitudinal Study (Ewa Piechurska-Kucie). Part 3: Research into Instructed Acquisition of Speaking, provides: (14) On the Authenticity of Communication in the Foreign Language Classroom (Sebastian Piotrowski); (15) Ways to Proficiency in Spoken English as a Foreign Language -- Tracing Individual Development (Irena Czwenar); (16) Task Repetition as a Way of Enhancing Oral Communication in a Foreign Language (Anna Mystkowska-Wiertelak); (17) The Use of the Internet and Instant Messengers in Assisting the Acquisition of Speaking Skills in English Lessons (Mariusz Kruk); (18) Investigating the Perception of Speaking Skills with Metaphor-Based Methods (Dorota Werbinska); (19) Phonetically Difficult Words in Intermediate Learners English (Jolanta Szpyra-Kozlowska); and (20) Transcultural Interference, Communities of Practice and Collaborative Assessment of Oral Performance (Przemyslaw Krakowian).