Training Fluency: An Essential Factor in Language Acquisition and Use

Abstract

In language education, three primary aspects of communi cation should be taken into account: accuracy, appropriateness and fluency. The first, long the traditional goal of teaching, has in recent years been weakened by interlanguage theory and the view that a knowledge of usage alone is insufficient. An over emphasis on Monitor-use (Krashen's terminology) may also adversely affect acquisition, lead to slow pacing and an im poverishment of language samples presented in the classroom. Appropriateness has in recent years been seen as a major factor in achieving communicative competence, now widely accepted (though not always well-defined) as the major goal of language teaching and learning. The rules of use are undoubtedly a suitable field for study but have perhaps been overemphasized by some proponents; they often differ little between related cultures. To learn language, however, one must use it, and fluency training is the essential but partly neglected third factor in the learning situation. Fluency is essential in the receptive skills, which should be given early priority and trained by constant exposure to and processing of a wide variety of preferably authentic materials. It is desirable in the productive skills, and requires the frequent use of genuine and stimulating communica tive exercises in the classroom, which not only increase fluency but are a major vehicle of language acquisition. Examples are given of methods of training fluency, in the classroom and in the learning laboratory.