Language Skills

 Language skills:  
   When we learn a language, there are four skills that we need for complete communication. When we
learn our native language, we usually learn to listen first, then to speak, then to read, and finally to write.
These are called the four "language skills".  The five skills of language (also known as the four skills of
language learning) are a set of four capabilities that allow an individual to comprehend and produce
spoken language for proper and effective interpersonal communication.  These skills are Listening,
Speaking, Reading, and Writing. In the context of first-language acquisition, the four skills are most often
acquired in the order of listening first, then speaking, then possibly reading and writing. For this reason,
these capabilities are often called LSRW skills.

   English Language has 5 main skills and each skill has other sub-skills and skill activities.  The main
skills are all basic and very important.  They are called the Macro skills.  Macro skills refer to the primary,
key, main, and largest skill set relative to a particular context. It is commonly referred to in English
language. The four macro skills are reading, listening, writing, and speaking.  You have to perfect them in
order to use your English language properly.  Listening and speaking are brain input skills but reading and
writing are brain output skills.  Of course, there other skills such as pronunciation, grammar, vocabulary,
and spelling all play a role in effective English communication.

 Receptive VS productive:
    Languages are generally taught and assessed in terms of the ‘four skills’: listening, speaking, reading,
and writing.  Listening and reading are known as ‘receptive’ skills while speaking and writing are known
as ‘productive’ skills.  Listening to and reading content in the language you are learning is a great way to
develop your vocabulary and comprehension.
    Developing your speaking skills will involve gaining fluency in spoken interactions with others, as well
as practicing your pronunciation. To practice pronunciation try reading aloud or repeating after a recorded
text, trying to reproduce the pronunciation and intonation of the original.  As in your first language, your
writing will be improved by becoming a critical reader - try to think actively about how texts are structured
and what kinds of phrases or vocabulary are used for different purposes (e.g. introducing a topic,
describing, comparing and contrasting, writing conclusions).
1-Listening
You should understand the main ideas of most speech in a standard dialect.
You should demonstrate an emerging awareness of culturally implied meanings beyond the surface
meanings of the text.

2-Speaking
You should be understood without difficulty by natives, and converse in a clear and participatory fashion.
You should be able to initiate, sustain, and bring closure to a wide variety of communicative tasks.
You should be able to narrate and describe concrete and abstract topics using sustained, connected
discourse.

3-Reading
You should easily follow the essential points of written text.
You should be able to understand parts of texts which are conceptually abstract and linguistically
complex.
4-Writing
You should be able to address a variety of topics with significant precision and detail.
You should be able to write competently about topics relating to particular interests and write clearly about
special fields of competence.
You should be able to organize writings with a sense of theoretical structure.
5-Cultural awareness
Someone's cultural awareness is their understanding of the differences between themselves and people
from other countries or other backgrounds, especially differences in attitudes and values. ... programs to
promote diversity and cultural awareness within the industry.
Listening skill
    Listening is an input receptive skill, which means receiving language prevails producing it. Listening is
the process of interpreting messages, interpreting what is said. Producing messages or texts involves
putting them into a form, using individual sounds, syllables, words (which may be linked together),
phrases, clauses, sentences and longer stretches of a text. Meaning is added by intonation, and word and
sentence stress, too. The listener has to be able to decode a lot of elements to get the message.
Listening can be either active or passive. Listening is the first language skill we acquire in our native
language.

It is what is known as a receptive skill, or a passive skill, as it requires us to use our ears and our brains to
comprehend language as it is being spoken to us. It is the first of two natural language skills, which are
required by all natural spoken languages. Listening to class discussion, students are expected to respond
appropriately, to ask the speakers to repeat what they said, or to clarify what they have said. When
listening is more passive, listeners are not expected to respond (e.g. when listening to the news on the
radio or a public announcement) or semi-passive listening to a lecture. On the other hand, listening to
a lecture can be accompanied by an active approach of listeners who ask for repetition, clarification or
providing supportive or contradictory opinions.

Goal:
1-Identifying sounds, word stress, sentence stress and intonation.
2-Recognizing vocabulary, boundaries and reduced forms to get meaning.

kinds of Listening:
1-One-Way Communication

Materials:
 Radio and television programs
 Public address announcements (airports, train/bus stations, stores)
 Speeches and lectures
 Telephone customer service recordings

Procedure:
 Help students identify the listening goal: to obtain specific information; to decide whether to
continue listening; to understand most or all of the message
 Help students outline predictable sequences in which information may be presented: who-what-
when-where (news stories); who-flight number-arriving/departing-gate number (airport
announcements); "for [function], press [number]" (telephone recordings)
 Help students identify key words/phrases to listen for

2-Two-Way Communication
In authentic two-way communication, the listener focuses on the speaker's meaning rather than the
speaker's language. The focus shifts to language only when meaning is not clear. Note the difference
between the teacher as teacher and the teacher as authentic listener in the dialogues in the popup
screens.

Types of Listening
When we engage in listening we are doing so for many different reasons depending upon the goals in
which we are trying to achieve. There are four different types of listening that are essential to know when
deciding what your goal as the listener is. The four types of listening are appreciative, empathic,
comprehensive, and critical. Familiarize yourself with these different types of listening so you can
strengthen and improve your ability to critically think and evaluate what you have heard.

Appreciative Listening
When you listen for appreciation you are listening for enjoyment. Think about the music you listen to. You
usually listen to music because you enjoy it. The same can be said for appreciative listening when
someone is speaking. Some common types of appreciative listening can be found in sermons from places
of worship, from a motivational speech by people we respect or hold in high regard, or even from a
standup comedian who makes us laugh.

Empathic Listening
When you listen empathically you are doing so to show mutual concern. During this type of listening you
are trying to identify with the speaker by understanding the situation in which he/she is discussing. You
are stepping into the other’s shoes to get a better understanding of what it is he/she is talking about.
Usually during this type of listening you want to be fully present in the moment or mindfully listening to
what the speaker is saying. Your goal during this time is to focus on the speaker, not on yourself. You are
trying to understand from the speaker’s perspective.

Comprehensive Listening
If you are watching the news, listening to a lecture, or getting directions from someone, you are listening
to understand or listening to comprehend the message that is being sent. This process is active. In class,
you should be focused, possibly taking notes of the speaker’s main ideas. Identifying the structure of the
speech and evaluating the supports he/she offers as evidence. This is one of the more difficult types of
listening because it requires you to not only concentrate but to actively participate in the process. The
more you practice listening to comprehend, the stronger listener you become.

Critical Listening
. As a critical listener you are listening to all parts of the message, analyzing it, and evaluating what you
heard. When engaging in critical listening, you are also critically thinking. You are making mental
judgments based on what you see, hear, and read. Your goal as a critical listener is to evaluate the
message that is being sent and decide for yourself if the information is valid.

Speaking Skill
      Speaking is the second language skill.  This vocalized form of language usually requires at least one listener.
When two or more people speak or talk to each other, the conversation is called a "dialogue". Speech can flow
naturally from one person to another in the form of dialogue. It can also be planned and rehearsed, as in the delivery
of a speech or presentation. Of course, some people talk to themselves! In fact, some English learners practice
speaking standing alone in front of a mirror.

     Speaking is the second language skill we acquire in our native language. It is what is known as a productive skill,
or an active skill, as it requires us to use our vocal tract and our brains to correctly produce language through sound.
It is the second of two natural language skills.

    Speaking is probably the language skill that most language learners wish to perfect as soon as possible. It used to
be the only language skill that was difficult to practice online. This is no longer the case. English learners can practice
speaking online using voice or video chat and services like Skype. They can also record and upload their voice for
other people to listen to.

      Speaking is the delivery of language through the mouth. To speak, we create sounds using many parts of our
body, including the lungs, vocal tract, vocal chords, tongue, teeth and lips. Speaking is the second of the
four language skills, which are: Listening.
Goals:
     The goals focus on pronunciation, fluency, dialect, intonation, stress rhythm, interaction, practice and
communication. The goal of teaching speaking skills is communicative efficiency. Learners should be able to make
themselves understand, using their current proficiency to the fullest. They should try to avoid confusion in the
message due to faulty pronunciation, grammar, or vocabulary, and to observe the social and cultural rules that apply
in each communication situation.

 Types of Public Speaking

Demonstrative Speaking
Science demonstrations and role playing are types of demonstrative speaking. This type of public speaking requires
being able to speak clearly and concisely to describe actions and to perform those actions while speaking. A
demonstrative speaker may explain the process behind generating power while cycling to power a toaster, for
example. The idea behind demonstrative speaking is that the audience members leave with the knowledge about
how to do something.

Informative Speaking
With informative speaking, the speaker is trying simply to explain a concept to the audience members. College
lecture courses involve informative speaking as do industry conferences and public officials sharing vital information.
In this type of speaking, the information is what is important. The speaker is not trying to get others to agree with him
or to show them how to do something for themselves. Rather he is disseminating vital information.

Persuasive Speaking
Persuasive speaking tends to be the glitziest. Politicians, lawyers and clergy members use persuasive speaking. This
type of speaking requires practicing voice inflections and nuances of language that will convince the audience
members of a certain viewpoint. The persuasive speaker has a stake in the outcome of the speech. Politicians, for
instance, may want votes or a groundswell of support for a pet project, while lawyers are trying to convince a jury of
their position -- and clergy members are trying to win others over to their faith. The persuasive speaker uses
emotional appeals and strong language in speeches.