DISCOURSE ANALYSIS

“EFFECTIVE TEACHER TALK”

Compilled By :

1. Wulandari Noor Rasyid (20400116031)

2. Alviani Ramadanti (20400116007)
3. Siti Rahmah (20400116035)
4. Jumriani (20400116018)

PBI 1-2

English Education Department

Tarbiyah and Teaching Faculty
UIN Alauddin Makassar
2019
I. Introduction

In learning English language, there must be two dimensions that shoud

be understood by the learners, those are form and function. It is as stated
in Kaharuddin (2018:3) that foreign language should be studied by the
learners by paying attention to two different dimensions (form and
function) in order to be able to use the foreign language correctly in social
lives. Form here means the structural pattern of language including
vocabulary, pronunciation, and grammar.for the function itself, it is related
to how we use the language correctly in social lives as the native speakers
usually do.

In Indonesia, most students who learn English as a subject in their

school or university are dominantly taught grammar and its pattern which
refers to the form of language. Then, as a result,te students are ableto
produce sentences and speech structurally correct. However, they lack the
function of language in learning process, so that, eventhough they are
good at constructing sentences and speech grammatically, their language is
mostly not appropriate with its use in social context. As example given by
Kaharuddin (2018:3) when a student came to school late and said : Sorry
because I am late. This expression is grammatically correct, but not
commonly used as an apology in that context. That student should say
Sorry for coming late which is generally used in social context. The case
that we can see here is called as using English unnaturally (able to use
language grammatically, but not functionaally) which is in line with the
statement of Kaharuddin (2018:4).

As we have known in the previous paragraphs that learning English

should involve both form and function. Then, what we eagerly want to
know is how we should learn the function of language, so that we will be
able to use it naturally. According to Kaharuddin (2018:13), one of the
source that can be used to understand language use functionally is

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discourse analysis which investigates language use in social context
including the function, the purpose, and the hidden concept inside
sentences that people used in social communication. Wikipedia.com
shows Discourse Analysis (DA) as an approach to analyze written, vocal,
or sign language use, or any significant semiotic event.

According to Kaharuddin (2018:21), for pedagogical reason, English

language teaching and learning (ELTL) becomes one thing that should not
be separated with discourse analysis. The existing of discourse analysis in
teaching and learning English will help students to learn Englih as its
context and also help English teachers to teach English in form and
function.

There has been some researchers conducted a research related to using

discourse analysis in English language teaching (ELT), three of them are
as follows: (1) Effective Teacher Talk: Discourse Analysis in The Field of
Second Language Acquisition (Romero,2009), (2) Conversation Analysis
of ESL Learners’ Speech Acts in Classroom Discourse (Malenab,2018),
(3) An Analysis of Cohesion in Texts Made by ELT 7th Students of IKIP
PGRI Madiun: A Discourse Analysis (Karistiantari,et.al, 2015).

For the first article, it presents an analysis of teacher talk time

(TTT) in context of the communicative approach. the purpose of this
article is to provide a description of teacher speaking in the classroom in
order to improve the awareness of how the effective teachers’ talk is. In
the second article, it also examined the conversation occured between
teachers and students in the classroom, spesifically in ESL classroom
context. Furthermore, it identified the locutionary, illocutionary, and
perlocutionary as performed in the context of ESL classroom discourse.
The third as the last one, thearticle indicates about an analysis ofcohesion
in texts made by ELT of the 7th grade students of IKIP PGRI Madiun.
There are two points which are identified by the researcher, namely

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 cohesive devices and thematic progression. The aim of this research is to
identify the cohesive devices and thematic progression which are
constructed in texts made by the students as the final project of
psycholinguistic class.

Considering three articles above, the authors are interested in

elaborating the first article which is about effective teacher talk in
classroom context since it is necessary to be understood by the next
English teachers. However, to acquire better understanding of effective
teacher talk, so there are at least.three questions to be answered, such as
what is teacher talk?, what is the types of teacher talk?, and how is the
effective teacher talk?

II. Teacher Talk in Classroom

There has been two perspective showed some researchers related to

teacher talk in classroom. As stated in Darn (2017) that most teachers
have a large amount of talk time in classroom which results in students
involvement in the class, such as an opportunity to use target language.
Thie less chance of students then brings them to boredom and monotony,
and prevents them from taking initiative learning in a responsible and
autonomous way. Meanwhile, another view taken from Romero (2009:17)
considers teacher talking time (TTT) as something that can bring positive
impact for class. It is also in line with Nurpahmi (2017:36), teachers have
important role during classroom learning as a provider of language input
and language models that can be imitated by the students in teaching and
learning process.

Some acivities involving teacher talk are such as lecturing, asking,

and responding questions,explaining and giving direction or instruction.
These activities will facilitate students to communicate and interact one
another in classroom as what their teacher has assigned to them.
Futhermore, teacher talk which is appropriate with the context can result in

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 a warm classroom situation and lead to informal teacher-student
relationship.

III. Types of Teacher Talk in Classroom

Before acquiring understanding of effective teachers talk, so it is

necessary to understand some types or categories of teacher talk in
classroom. As stated in Romero (2009:19) that teacher talk consists of
some different language function which will favour studets’ learning and
also be determinant whether or not their speech is effective.

There are several types of teacher talk derived from some authors. For
the first Cullen ( 1998:181) explains some features of teacher talk which
brings communicate purpose. It can been seen as follows:

1. Using referential questions it refers to the prosess when a teacher ask his or
her students for something that she or he does not know. By transfering
information between teacher and student so comunicative purpose will be
occured in classroom.
2. Giving “feedback” to students. It is mostly done after students have given
answer question from teacher . feedback can be a correction related to what
tudents hve stated (grammar or pronounciation)
3. Using speech modification, hesitation, and reprhasing in the teacher’s own
talk when explaining, asking questions, giving instruction, etc.
4. Negotiating meaning with te students, for example asking for the students
to interrupt the teacher and do the same.

As the opposite of four points above, there are also several features of
teacher talk regarded as non communicate in which they do not represent
how language is used in many situation outside the classroom. It can be
seen as folows

1. Exclusive or exccessive use of display question. Display question refers

to a kind of asking something in which the answer has been known it is

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 only intended to know the use of language form, as what stated in cullen
(1998: 181)
2. Form-focused feedback, giving response regarded to the use of lanuage
form.
3. Echoing students’ response by repeating what they have said for the
benefit for the whole class.
4. Sequence of predictable IRF (Imitattion-Response-Feedback)

In addition, Bowers (1980), cited in Cullen (1998:185), shows some

points of teacher talk in classroom:
1. Questioning/eliciting
2. Responding to students’ contribution
3. Presenting/explaining
4. Organizing/giving instruction
5. Evaluating/correcting
6. Sociating/establishing and maintaining classroom rapport

IV. Effective Teacher Talk

To acquire understanding whether or not teacher talk is effective, so
we should be based on the criteria of teacher talk which has been
presented in the previous explanation.
In this part, there will be some examples in form of transcription of
teacher-student talk taken from the analysis result of Romero (2009:21)
by paying attention to the categories of teacher talk. The example given
shows how to behave in the language classroom. Then, as the result
presented in that article, teacher talk is clear and direct. The learners are
able to obtain understanding since the teacher makes sure that the students
understand every word in target language. Besides, the teacher affords to
create a friendly learning environment, gives positive feedback, provides
some jokes, and using non-verbal communication. All these facilities then
presents classroom interaction, elicits students’ oral production, adapts

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speaking speed and provides vocabulary to students. Here are some
examples of teacher talk involving communication with the students.

Example of questioning

T : Do you remember howto call people who spend the whole

day in front of the computer?
{display question : eliciting/asking for information}
VV
S1 ; Alcoholic computers
T : Nott alcoholic.... {laughs) do you remember the word?
What’s that? {corretion}
S2 : Potato
T : What do we call people who are all day in front of tthe TV?
S2 :..........
T : coach potato, sofa potato

T : what do you think? Do you agree?

{referential question open-ended question}
S1 ; I agree with that statement....lawyers in general...I think it
is difficult to take the people in prisonl, but if people are
ustice... I would like, it’s my opinion, the capital
punishment... maybe in the future criminals and terrorist...
T : and what kind of capital punishment? {corretion}
S2 : Potato
T : What do we call people who are all day in front of tthe TV?
S2 : All their lives
T : But that is a “life-sentence’! {negotiation f
meaning/correction}
S2 : yes, life -sentence

Example of giving instruction

T : Here there is an esample of a letter, I am going to read it

and you have to tell me if it is formal or informal.

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 Example of giving feedback

T : OK, not bad, not bad

T : Yes, that’s right!
T : Yex,exactly

V. Conclusion
The author has explained about effective teacher talk in classroom which
is mainly based on the article by Romero (2009), Effective Teacher Talk:
Discourse Analysis in The Field of Second Language Acquisition. To obtain
understanding of effective teacher talk, so we should consider these three
points i.e (1) the concept of teacher talk in classroom, (2) some types or
categories of teacher talk in classroom, and (3) examples of teacher talk in
real action. These points at least present a description of effective teacher’
talk for the readers. In addition, it can be also become as one of references for
language teachers, especially for English language teacher to understand how
they should behave in the classroom, so that the teachers can addapt to the
situation where teaching and learning processes are conducted.

References :
[1] Cullen, R. 1998 . “Teacher Talk and The Classroom Context” . ELT Journal
52/3;179-187. Retrieved from
https://www.academia.edu/23056712/Teacher_talk_and_the_classsroom_cont
ext

[2] Darn. 2007 . “Teacher Talking Time”. Teaching English (British Coucil).
[Internet document available at
http://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/think/articles/teacher-talking-time]

[3] Kaharuddin, A. 2018 . “Disourse Analysis for English Language Teaching”.

Germany: LAP LAMBERT

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[4] Karistiantari, et.all. 2015 . “An Analysis of Cohesion in Texts Made by ELT
7th Students of IKIP PGRI Madiun: A Discourse Analysis”. English Teaching
Journal: 3/2:102-110. Retrieved from e-journal.unipma.ac.id

[5] Malenab, C. 2018 . “Conversation Analysis of ESL Learners’ Speech Act s in

Classroom Discourse”. APJMR 6/3:47-56. Retrieved from www.apjmr.com

[6] Nurpahmi. 2017 . “Teacher Talk in Classroom Interaction”. Eternal 3/1:35-

43. Retrieved from
https;//www.researchgate.net/publication/323340494_TEACHER_TALK_IN
_CLASSROOM_IN_CLASSROOM_INTERACTION

[7] Romero, B N. 2009 . “Effetive Teacher Talk: Discourse Analysis in The Field
of Second Language Acquisition’. 17/1&2; 18-24. Retrieved from
https://betsabenavarro.weebly.com

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