Conceptualizing Oracy Development for Young Language Learners: An Introduction

This chapter applies the concept of oracy as the use of listening and speaking for communication, thinking, and learning. It briefly highlights the thinking about oracy from the time Andrew Wilkinson coined the term ‘oracy’ in 1965 for first language children to the way oracy is being taught and researched today by both first and second language educators and researchers. The focus of the discussion are childhood bilingual learners in formal language programmes. They are children who experience sequential childhood bilingualism mainly beyond their homes in preschools and elementary schools. Two dimensions of oracy development are explained: oracy as competence and oracy for learning. The chapter next introduces how these dimensions of oracy development are explored in the various chapters. It ends with a summary of highlights from the book and three research areas for further exploration.