Publisher's Synopsis
Speaking blurb What is speech, exactly? Whose speech is being taught? Have we come to confuse 'speaking' and 'language'? This book attempts to address some of these fundamental questions and help the reader understand some of the complexities of spoken discourse. The central argument of the book is that speech has been under-researched as a faculty in its own right and as distinct from the written form. The author presents an original stance on the topic of speaking and relates this to wider issues in Linguistics and Applied Linguistics; she summarises sometimes difficult and key texts and makes them relevant to the reader's own potential research projects. The book presents the analysis of the state of teaching and researching speaking through three different levels: interactions and discourse, grammar and speaker choices, fluency and pronunciation. "Teaching and Researching Speaking" is a timely review of approaches to the topic of teaching and researching speaking and one which draws together these insights in an accessible way. In so doing, it attempts to carve out a new territory for the topic of spoken language within the research territory.;The book is intended for classroom professionals or higher degree students who need to have an up-to-date, detailed, and straightforward summary of current research and issues in the field. Rebecca Hughes is Director of the Centre for English Language Education, University of Nottingham and a Senior Lecturer in the School of English Studies.
