淺談交際型口語測試

王鑫磊

【摘 要】口語測試是最典型的一種主觀語言測試。它的可信性、有效性和測試目的、原則、形式緊密相連，這些都能直接反映出被測試者的語言能力。口語測試的目的并不只是評估被測試者的語言知識，重點的是測出被測試者能否利用所學的知識完成既定任務和解決實際問題的能力及適當性。因此，口語測試需要達到熟練掌握語言知識和適當應用語言技巧的有效結合。本文從交際型口語測試的角度，介紹口語測試在實際中的應用。

【關鍵詞】交際方法；口語測試

Language testing varies with the change of approaches to language learning. Both testing and learning are so closely interrelated that it is virtually impossible to work in either field without being constantly concerned with the other.

1.Feathers of Communicative Language Test

Communicative oral testing is more concern about language social intercourse ability， appropriacy and validity. The remarkable features are as below：

1.1Factuality

Oral testing shows what are really need in a communicative circumstance. If we want to reflect this， there must be an information gap between both sides， what A knows， B doesnt know； what B knows， A doesnt know. Also the two parties all have the wishes to get information through communication.

1.2Functionality

Oral testing is task oriented， that is to complete a whole task. For instance， ask for suggestions， complaint about power cut in dormitory. Testers would judge the efficiency of the use of language.

1.3Interactive

Oral testing is emphasis on interaction that between examinee and examiner， or between two or some examinee. They communicate around several subjects.

2.Formats of Communicative Language Test

Many previous oral tests include a test of reading aloud in which the student is given a Short time to glance through an extract before being required to read it aloud.

2.1Interview

The most obvious format for the testing of the oral interaction is the interview. Most of the time， interview is between examinee and examiner. Different from structuralism oral test， the oral questions are unrelated from one to another.

2.2Role play

Role-play activities can be used successfully to test oral communicative ability. The students involves are assigned fictitious roles and are required to improvise in language and behavior.

2.3Group discussion

Discussion between candidates can be a valuable source of information. These may be discussions of a topic or in order to come to a decision. Testers will assess their performances according their communicative competence.

3.Difficulties in testing the speaking skills in practical aspects

Testing the ability to speak is most important aspect of language testing. However， at all stages beyond elementary levels of mimicry and repetition it is an extremely difficult skill to test， as it is far too complex a skill to permit any reliable analysis to be made for the purpose of objective testing.

In many tests of oral production it is neither possible nor desirable to separate the speaking skills from the listening skills. Clearly， in normal speech situations the two skills are interdependent.

4.Suggestions as to how to administer communicative tests

Tests should therefore assess the examinees communicative behavior and not be based on linguistic items alone. In taking communicative tests， students performance should be measured not only in terms of formal correctness， but also primarily in terms of interaction， for the concern is not how much the students know， but how well they can perform.

Conclusion

A language test which seeks to find out what candidates can do with language provides a focus for purposeful， everyday communication activities. Such a test will have a more useful effect on the learning of a particular language than a mechanical test of structure. Communicative competence is “the knowledge that users of a language have internalized to enable them to understand and produce messages in the language”. A test which sets out to measure students performances as fairly as possible without in any way setting traps for them can be effectively used to motivate them. A well-constructed test will provide the students with an opportunity to show their ability to perform certain tasks in the language. Provided that details of their performance are given as soon as possible after the test， the students should be able to learn from their weakness.

【References】

[1]Deruing，T.&Munro;，M.2001.What speaking rates do non-native prefer [J].Applied Linguistics 22：324-337

[2]Fulcher，G.et al.2003.Task difficulty in speaking tests[J].Language Testing 20：321-344

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