Communication is “the exchange of meanings between individuals through a common
system of symbol” (Britannica:17). It is of two categories; verbal and symbolic. Verbal
communication occurs through vocal symbols like sounds, words etc. Symbolic
communication is the process of meaningful exchange of ideas through symbols and
expressions like gestures and body language. There is an absence of verbal language there.
The origin of verbal language dates back to the mythical concept of Babel tower
which marked the genesis of several languages. Verbal communication makes use of
language which has four basic skills namely listening, speaking, reading and writing.
Of the four, listening as a curricular discipline was developed in the later stages of
teaching and innovative practices. The traditional approaches of learning were done through
reading and speaking with a focus on vocabulary building. The deductive method of teaching
grammar in the Second Language Acquisition (SLA) methodology was also significant. The
present school curriculum focusses on the four skills of language in a comprehensive way.
The reality lies in the fact that listening skill is the least focussed skill among the four skills.
The practical teaching of listening does not happen in the language classrooms of India.
Listening is a basic skill among the four skills of language. It could be said that
teaching and learning process of listening is a difficult one to acquire. It is connected with the
environment of language which is termed as culture. Edward Sapir in his work Language
gives a fine discussion of the concepts of culture and language. He defines language as a
product of culture and this makes the SLA a complicated process in countries like India,
Japan, Korea etc where English is recognised as a second language. In SLA, the cultural root
of the language creates a barrier to smooth comprehension of the language. The perceptual
nature of language is a threat when there is lack of listening.
There are a lot of questions connected with the teaching-learning process of listening to
English as a second language:
• Whether the standard English comes as a criterion for ESL or English as Second
Language
• Whether English should be taught taking mother tongue as the base
• Whether the communication and expression of language should be taught with
competence
• Whether the levels of LT should be clearly defined and those levels should be
included in the curriculum
• Whether there is a necessity of a proper curriculum for SL Learning and Teaching?
Listening as a skill strongly carries the background of verbal communication which is the
primary method of communication. Listening has certain difficulties as far as school
curriculum is concerned. The larger group of students, exposure to the language, lack of
equipment, lack of orientation given to teachers and the efficiency level of the teachers are
some of the problems faced in the acquisition of listening skills. The changes made in the
curriculum and the lack of communication of it also elevates the problem. The dynamics of
listening with regard to Second Language Acquisition is therefore a multifaceted and
complex phenomenon that needs concerted efforts on all fronts.
Complied By:
Dr Jyotsna Krishnan,
Assistant Professor of English,
Department of Humanities