9.4. Level of formation of habits and skills in pronunciation, grammar and lexis

The level of formation of habits and skills in pronunciation, grammar and lexis plays a very important part in mastering foreign language oral speech. To a great extent these habits and skills add much to such properties of foreign language speech as its fluency, "the ability to link units of speech together with facility and without strain" [70, 275], self-confidence of speakers and accuracy.

In a secondary school an appropriate level of these language skills can be developed in students through carrying out the tasks, exercises and drills in pronunciation, grammar and vocabulary combined with prepara­tory training exercises in oral speech supplied for each unit of a text-book [7,210].

However, every teacher must keep in mind that carrying out purely lexical, grammatical and pronouncing exercises can't result in learn­ers' spontaneous speech in a foreign language. To develop learners' oral speech skills "today, teachers are expected to balance a focus on accuracy with a focus on fluency as well" [76, 152], e.g. [The pictures below are taken from 84, 88]:

Task 1. Together with your peer make up dialogues to each of the pictures. You

may use the following: How are you?, How is ?,

looks terrible!, What's the matter with ?,

Vm sorry to hear that.

Ask and answer these questions.

She

eecacW

cold

? 2. ? 3.

4. ? 5. ? в.

He 1 She

Fig. 17 To Task 1

Task 2. Role-play the dialogues aloud keeping to the normal tempo of speech Task 3. Together with your peer expand the dialogues expressing what makes you think that your peer looks terrible, e.g.:

You look terrible! Your hands are shivering. What's the matter? You look terrible! Your face is so red! What's the matter? Task 4. Role-play the dialogues aloud by heart keeping to the normal tempo <>/ speech.

Task 5. Make up dialogues to the each of the following pictures. The follow­ ing will be of help to you: drink, eat, How much?, How many? What's the mat­ ter?, yesterday, this morning, this evening, too much, so much that, so

1. drink . . . coffee

2. eat. . . tomatoes

4. smoke. . . cigarettes

5. wash . . . dishes

8. haue . . . ice cream 11

9. sing . . . songs

many. that, Гт never going to again.

Fig. 18 To Task 5

9.5. Level of formation of sociocultural activity

By the level of formation of sociocultural activity of learners there is meant the ability of people to use language phenomena (in grammar, pronunciation and vo­cabulary) adequately to different sociocultural conditions. Professor Tarnapolsky О. В. writes that the oral speech skill to answer the question "How are you?" correctly, i.e. in the way the English do it, is an example of a proper sociocultural

speech competence [45, 13]. Most frequent possible answers to this question in Anglophone countries, are "Fine, thank you!"/ Pretty well. Not bad."

It can be accounted for the fact that in Enlgish they usually try not to add one's personal negative emotions to formulas of politeness. The answers to the question "How are you?" like those in brackets ("Bad. / Awful. / I feel bad./ I feel unwell.") are generally not used in English. If there is a need to render some negative information, it is done in a very polite and soft form, e. g.:" How are you? — So-so. / As usual./; Not too bright././ Could be better.

Another example of the same sociocultural regularity can be found in the following dialogue:

• What about going out this evening?

• I'm afraid I can't. I have to get ready for the test tomorrow.

Each culture develops its own social norms. In the dialogues like the one above the sociocultural norm is to use polite and soft refusal. Categorical def­inite refusals (e. g.: "No, I won't go.", "No, impossible", "I can't.") are not in use in Anglophone countries[45, 13].