The Study of Spoken Language gives students the opportunity to learn about effective talk. This area of study encourages them to analyse talk and think about what influences the language speakers use. The analytical skills students have developed through reading can be used in spoken language. Think of this as the study of an aural text.

Consider all examples of talk from a variety of sources. Tailor the talk to the areas that are of most interest to your students. You do not need to limit your choices to traditional literary sources. The task objectives act as a guide to the types of talk you choose to listen to. The task objectives are:

• how language is used for a range of purposes;
• influences on language choices;
• regional and non-standard variations; and
• variations due to time, place and context.

You can also choose other features as the focus of the task.