Everybody wants to speak or converse
in English fluently. This is good. But what does a learner need to be able to
speak without making many pronunciation and grammar mistakes?
In English learning program, there are four basic skills that a learner needs
master in order to communicate, in a normal speed, his or her ideas with a
partner. These communicative skills are listening; speaking (being able to have
a conversation or dialogue); reading; and writing.
If someone who studies English only practice his listening skills, then what he
studies is not complete enough. The four language skills are closely related
from one to another in spoken and written communication. Sometimes, I read an
advertisement in a newspaper which says that a local English language course or
a private teacher in Indonesia is able to make somebody speaks English fluently
in just about three months.
In my opinion, the ability of have a dialog or conversation in English can be
increased gradually. Of course, someone can speak English with his or her
partner on some simple topics after finishing a three-month course program. But
it takes more time for someone to be able to speak fluently. Conversation or
English dialogue is a keyword which many people who offer English language
training programs like to discuss about in various ads in mass media. I don't
agree if what is taught in a program is only conversation skill. Why? Because
English learning includes the above four language skills. Someone who is
learning English needs to study sample dialogues, phrases that are mentioned in
them, how they are spoken (pronunciation), the cultural background, grammar and
vocabularies.
In English learning we don't only study sentences, grammar and vocabularies. We
will study all aspects that are directly related to English language. So, we
will enter a language and civilization. Therefore, we will be able to understand
English and all of the cultural aspects of British people as a nation.
Dialogue or conversational skill is only one of the four basic skills in
learning a language which an English learner needs to master together with all
other aspects of language learning. by
Charles Roring
