Filologiya məsələləri, № 7, 2017
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SƏİDƏ QƏMƏRLİ
Azərbaycan Dövlət Neft və Sənaye Universiteti
saidaqamarli@mail.ru
LANGUAGE SKILLS IN TEACHING ENGLISH
Açar sözlər: ifadəli, dil, bacarıq, lüğət, söz, məhsuldar, müərkkəb, ifadə
Key words:expressive, language, skill, vocabulary, word, productive,
complex, expression
Ключевые слова: выразительный, язык, умение, словарь, слово,
продуктивный, комплекс, выражение
Expressive language skills are those skills that relate to the orga-
nization, production and context of what a person says. The areas of
expressive language are expansive and varied; however, a few highlights are
discussed here within the context of this Social Thinking forum. Expressive
Language skills fall in the realm of vocabulary, morphology/syntax
(grammar), describing/defining skills, verbal narrative skills (re-telling a
story), and discourse skills (explain, persuade, inform, compare/contrast). In
contrast to Receptive Language skills, these skills relate to how a person
communicates thoughts, needs, experiences, and opinions. In some cases,
there can be differences between a receptive level of knowledge and an
expressive level of skill. For example, “receptive vocabulary” refers to
words that a student understands, while “expressive vocabulary” refers to
words that a student uses aloud. Most typically, a person’s receptive
vocabulary is more developed than his or her expressive vocabulary.
Consider how a toddler develops language. There are many more words that
a toddler understands than they say day to day. In the case of students on the
autism spectrum, one might find the expressive language to be more
developed than the receptive language. This is the opposite of what one
would expect. One theory to explain this reversal is that students on the
autism spectrum may display superior strengths in rote memory and
decoding ability. The child may hear vocabulary words, or decode them in
texts and can be very savvy about using them in contexts that are similar to
the context they first heard it. Then, when asked what a word or phrase
means, a child may not know. Expressive language, is most simply the
“output” of language, how one expresses his or her wants and needs. This
includes not only words, but also the grammar rules that dictate how words
are combined into phrases, sentences and paragraphs as well as the use of
gestures and facial expressions. It is important to make the distinction here
between expressive language and speech production. Speech production
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relates to the formulation of individual speech sounds using one’s lips, teeth,
and tongue. This is separate from one’s ability to formulate thoughts that are
expressed using the appropriate word or combination of words. If you have
concerns about your child’s language development, consider both how they
respond to directions you provide, as well as the words and word
combinations they use. Give credit to the gestural cues and facial expressions
that your child uses and reacts to as this is an early-developing and important
skill. If your concerns persist, seek out the advice of a Speech-Language
Pathologist who can evaluate your child and determine if their development
is on track, or whether therapy is warranted. And regardless of your child’s
skill set, keep talking and interacting with your child- however they are able.
Language models are key in fostering the development of communication
skills.These vocabulary words and phrases were recorded in their vocabulary
without a meaning attached. Further, given inferential reasoning challenges
for learners with ASD, they may not be able to infer the meaning of a
vocabulary word given context cues either.
Similarly, the grammar of children with ASD, can appear to be more
sophisticated or formal than that of their peers. This certainly is not always
the case. It depends entirely on the overall language strengths and needs of a
child. When grammar appears more formal, the child may have heard these
grammatical structures and imprinted them in their minds, only to recall
them later to use in a scenario that is contextually similar. The scenarios of
children recalling advanced vocabulary words or formal grammar structures
are related to the phenomenon of “delayed echolalia”. When learners with
ASD use “delayed echolalia”, they are recalling words or phrases that were
recorded with the help of rote memory strengths in various contexts they
were learned. Many times, the vocal intonation is exactly the same as when
the words or phrases were heard originally. I can recall many instances that a
child says something that I know to be from Sponge Bob or some other
cartoon, book series, or even coming from my own mouth!
The last area of expressive language I would like to highlight in this
Social Thinking forum is verbal narrative skills. A narrative is a monologue
by which a person re-tells a story they have heard or an experience they
had. This is an expressive communication task that encompasses many
individual skills such as sequencing, providing adequate background
knowledge, vocabulary, grammar skills, and story elements such as focusing
on a main idea and connecting events. Narrative skills are important for
students to learn how to describe events in their lives in an organized,
understandable manner for their listeners. They need to ensure they are
providing enough background information so their thoughts make sense. On
some occasions, students may tell a personal story about something they
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