CHAPTER II

DESCRIPTION THEORITY

A. The Definition of Speaking

Speaking a language involves using the components correctly –

making the right sounds, choosing the right words and getting constructions

grammatically correct. Pronunciation, grammar and vocabulary tasks will

focus on the need for practice in language accuracy. At the same time, we

also need to get a clear message across and this involves choosing

appropriate content or ideas to suit a situation, e.g. deciding what is polite or

what might appear rude, how to interrupt or how to participate in a

conversation.

Hyams said, “When you know a language, you can speak and be

understood by others who know that language. This means we have capacity

to produce sound that signifies certain meaning and to understand or

interpret the sound produced by others.”1 Speaking consists of producing

systematic verbal utterances to convey meaning. (Utterance is simply thing

people say). Flores said, “Speaking is an interactive process of constructing

1 Hyams,Rodman,Fromkin, An Introduction to Language (Wadsworth, Thomson, 2003), p. 4

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meaning that involves producing and receiving and processing information”2

Speaking as an instance of use, therefore, is part of reciprocal exchange in

which both reception and production play a part. In this sense the skill of

speaking involves both receptive and productive participation. Brown and

Yule made useful distinction between the interactional functions of speaking

(in which it serve to establish and maintain social relation), and transactional

functions (which focus on exchange of information).3

From all statements above, speaking is one activity to share

information, idea, and felling by sound produce that signify and then we can

make some communication with other people. Communication involves at

least two people: the sender and the receiver. There four are types of

communication between senders and receivers: writing, speaking, listening,

and conducting meetings. Communication is a process by which information

is exchanged between individuals through a common system of symbols,

signs or behavior.4

The activity the person does primary based on particular goal. So,

it is important that everything we wants to say is conveyed in an effective

way, because speaking is not only producing sounds but also a process of

2 Kathlen M. Bailey. Nunan, PracticalEnglish Language Teaching : Speaking, (New York, The Mc Graw Hill Companies, 2005), p. 2

3 Jack C. Richard, Developing Classroom Speaking Activities; From Theory to Practice. pp. 2 Http://Sribd.com

4 Klaus Hilgers (2007). Speaking and Listening. Epoch Consultants, Inc. Email: epochconsultants@verizon.net

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achieving goals that involves transferring messages across. Therefore,

speaking process should pay attention how to say as well as to whom

appropriately.

Speaking is an activity used by someone to communicate with other.

It takes place very where and has become part of our daily activities. When

someone speaks, he or she interacts and uses the language to express his or

her ideas, feeling, and thought. He or she also shares information to other

trough communication.

Speaking skill ensures the language learners to be able to

communicate actively in a target language. Thus, one’s eloquence in using a

target language orally is greatly determined by how well he or she learns

speaking skills. However, learning speaking is no easy task, let alone

teaching it. Students often encounter many problems. Confidence and being

afraid of making mistakes are two of the greatest psychological barriers that

hold the learners back from advancing in their study. Students tend to have

fears before larger groups. This happens especially in a culture that people

tend to use other people’s weaknesses as laughing matter.

Although students are able to overcome this problem, adjusting their

speech to different situations seem to be the problem of the more advanced

learners. Therefore, the language teachers should call for cultural learning to

engage in the learning of speaking. Many language learners I interview

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claim that the lack of vocabularies obstructs them from producing a good

speaking skill. These are the most problem found in most language learners

that urge an immediate solvency.

Building up confidence should be the first step a good language

teacher does to the learners. The teacher should be able to identify each

learner’s problems. This is a matter of constructing a mindset and a friendly

atmosphere in the classroom that speaking is a fun activity and that it is

easy. Teachers should be able to convince the students that speaking fears

are common and that it happens to everyone. This especially is effective to

those who are new to language learning. When they are advanced enough,

the focus of the teaching should be about how to develop what they have

acquired.

B. The Definition of Story Joke

Spontaneous conversation among friends, family members and

peers at school or work is the most frequent, most natural mode of

interaction for most people. Some people like to hear or make a joke,

because it making situation being conducive and fun.

This activity, makes the relation of communication more pleasing, causing

formed an active interaction.

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A joke is a short story or ironic depiction of a situation communicated with the intent of being humorous. These jokes will normally have a punch line that will end the sentence to make it humorous. A joke can also be a single phrase or statement that employs sarcasm. The word joke can also be used as a slang term for a person or thing which is not taken seriously by others in general. A practical joke or prank differs from a spoken one in that the major component of the humor is physical rather than verbal (for example placing salt in the sugar bowl).5

Narrative or story joke involves the telling of a story. Story joke is rather

different humorous story. The difference is that story joke has simpler plots

than humorous story. Another difference is that the chronology of story joke

is not as detailed as that humorous story. Before told, the story joke is

preceding by the opening question like “Did you hear about…? “Have you

ever heard about this one? “, “Do you know the one about…? Etc.6

There are two steps using story joke in the class:

1. Joke in Speaking Class Activity

Joke or funny story can used to make a classroom condition

more pleasant and interesting. Tosta states, that the use of humor

make the classroom atmosphere more pleasant increases interaction

among teacher and students, make learning more meaningful and

enjoyable, and pleases the students.7 There many reasons for using a

joke in the language classroom:

5 Joke, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joke6 Delia Chiario, The language of Joke. (London: Routledge, 1992) P. 1027 Antonio Luciano Tosta, Laugh and Learn: Thinking Over the “Funny Teacher” Myth.

(English Teaching Forum, 1.1 2001) P. 27

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1. It is authentic form of communication

2. It involves talking real experience

3. It draws on the resources in the classroom

4. Students do not have to assume imaginary rules

5. students are motivated by content of each other story

6. It help group dynamics

7. It can be used t practice many different topic areas.

8. It promotes linguistic fluency

9. Learners practice circum-location skills

10. It help build learner's

2. The Selection of Jokes Used

The selection of jokes should consider the cultural differences

among students. Not all students will laugh at the same jokes because

they have different ways to perceive what is funny. Dobson

recommends, “When assembling humorous materials, choose only

those item that are known universally since each society has

somewhat different concepts of what funny.”8 So, teacher should

carefully select some jokes, especially those that contain ethnic,

8 Dobson, M. Julia. Effective Techniques for Conversation Groups (Washington: United States Information Agency, 1987), p. 90

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sexual, and political goners. For example a sexual joke may be funny

for some students but disgusting and rude for the other students.

The use of humour or joke is a complex and intriguing aspect of human

behaviour. Nash goes as far as to claim that ‘humour is a specifying

characteristic of humanity’, comparable in this respect to ‘the power of

speech, the mathematical gift, the gripping thumb’.9

Raskin said, that humour is present throughout social conventions

and cultural artefacts, and the use of humour is highly valued in interactions

between people. Despite this apparent importance, there is, as Raskin has

observed, currently no major theory of humour, in the sense of something

which ‘explains what is funny, why it is funny, how it is funny, when it is

funny, and to whom it is funny’.

C. The Technique of Teaching English Speaking Through Story Joke

Technique

Every student who studies English will study about all components,

which in that subject. Those components are reading, listening, writing and

speaking. All components have great correlation and support each other;

one of those items will be discussed by researcher is teaching speaking.

9 Ritchie Graeme, The Linguistic Analysis of Jokes, (New York, Routledge 2004),p. 12

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As one of the language skills, speaking can be complex process. The

first speaking has some points to show speaking and productions are relate

in the mind of individual for the learners. The learners also need

production to get interaction in receiving messages, result according to

Hymes10.

Sometimes students-perhaps especially those at the lower levels-can

be anxious about speaking in class. One way to overcome their reticence

and increase their opportunities to speak is to use pair work and group

work. Pair work and group work are configuration of people for doing

activities, rather than activity types per se. Pair work, as the name suggest,

involve two students working together to complete task or exercise target

language. Group work is three or more students working together.

Try to create humorous situations for role-plays and dialogues.

Changing the context of that tedious role-play in the textbook to a fun one

that allows the same structure to be practiced will make quite a difference

in the end. Teacher may also have students change the tone of their voices

and dress differently, reinventing the character, while role-playing. Another

nice technique is to attribute students’ names to the characters in role-plays

and skits. Teacher can always throw in one or two intelligent jokes every

now and then, and, above all, play games. By using humor, do not mean

10 Hymes, Communication Competence, (Cambridge Press, 1976), p. 16

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entertaining students with silly jokes all the time. Although jokes, if used

wisely, may contribute to the repertoire of his teaching kit, the funny

teacher is not an entertainer. He is an educator interested in the progress of

his students.11 Moreover, what is need in a classroom is a real and

spontaneous reaction. This where jokes and funny stories can come handy

and students can understand easily because they have they have familiar

with their humor in their lives.

D. The Advantages and Disadvantages of Using Story Jokes in Speaking

Class

There are some advantages and disadvantages of using story jokes in

speaking class.

1. Advantages of Story Jokes

1.1 The story jokes offer variety and provide interesting topics for

students. They can, therefore, be used to create various

activities and interaction between students like small

discussion and sharing story jokes.

1.2 Story jokes, which are funny can cheer up and make students

smile or even laugh. When they laugh they fell relaxed and

11 Tosta Antonio Luciano.. Laugh and Learn: Thingking Over the Funy Teacher”Myth”, English Teaching Forum 1992

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their anxiety becomes low. As a result, the will enjoy the class

better and feel more secure in taking part in the activity.

1.3 Story jokes provide students with various topics of interaction.

They can share the stories and discuss the jokes with one

another. In addition, the function of the story jokes as

conversation topics also provide students with opportunity to

perform their own activity. In this way, they help increase

students involvement in the learning process.

2. Disadvantages of Story Jokes

2.1 The control of the class tends to be loss. Especially at speaking

activity-telling story jokes to each other-take places. Students

are free to go around the class to find partner. They

unexpectedly will talk outside the frame that has been the

frame that has been set. For example they speak in their

mother tongue, Indonesia.

2.2 This model also requires teacher to make well preparation. He

has to spend much time to select some suitable jokes and

design them. Teacher need to identify potential difficult words

that can hinder students’ comprehension and rewrite them in a

sheet of paper. English humor is one of the most important

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components of cultural schema of the target community

because of its richness in social knowledge.12

2.3 Since not every students would take or perceive jokes they

read as amusing, i.e. some might not smile or laugh upon

reading certain jokes, there is mistaking it for their non-

comprehension (of what they have read). Some teacher tends

to conclude that if the students are not laughing, then they fail

to understand the jokes they have just read. Unfortunately, this

may not always the case. The students may understand the

jokes completely, but it is just the jokes are not so funny

enough for them to laugh enough about.

E. The Action Research

Action research can be described as: any research into practice

undertaken by those involved in that practice, with an aim to change and

improve it. It is therefore, a process of enquiry by you as a practitioner into

the effectiveness of your own teaching and your students’ learning.

Action research is about both ‘action’ and ‘research’ and the links

between the two. It is quite possible to take action without research or to do

research without taking action, but the unique combination of the two is

12 http://www.asian-efl-journal.com. Download 12 January 2010

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what distinguishes action research from other forms of enquiry. It is, of

course, not restricted to an educational context.

a. The Definition of the Action Research

The most important component of action research is that it does

include both action and reflection that lead to enhance practice.

Kemmis and Mc Taggart distinguish it from the normal practice of

teaching in the following way:

1. It is not the usual thinking teachers do when they think about their

teaching. Action research is more systematic and collaborative in

collecting evidence on which to base their group reflection.

2. It is not simply problem solving. Action research involves

problem-posing, not just problem-solving. It does not start from a

view of ‘problems’ as pathologies. It is motivated by a quest to

improve and understand the world by changing it and learning

how to improve it from the effects of the changes made.

3. It is not research done on other people. Action research is research

by particular people on their own work, to help them improve

what they do, including how they work with and for others.

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4. Action research is not “the scientific method” applied to teaching.

There is not just one view of “the scientific method”; there are

many.13

However, if action research is different to the normal practice of

teaching, to what extent is it ‘research’? Notwithstanding Kemmis and

McTaggart’s differentiation between action research and teaching, there

is obviously a close connection between the two and it is this close

connection that makes the approach a particularly attractive one for

practitioners. The self-initiated approach to research and to an

improvement in practice is another strong attraction of the action

research approach. Indeed, some have argued that it is a legitimate part

of good teaching. Zeni said :

“Action research involves practitioners in studying their own professional practice and framing their own questions. Their research has the immediate goal to assess, develop or improve their practice. Such research activities belong in the daily process of good teaching, to what has been called the 'zone of accepted practice”.14

b. The Steps in Action Research

Within all the definitions of action research, there are four basic

themes: empowerment of participants, collaboration through

13 The Open University, Action Research A Guide for Associate Lectures (COBE, Walton Hall Milton Keynes MK7 6AA), p. 814 Ibid, p. 8

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participation, acquisition of knowledge, and social change. In conducting

action research, we structure routines for continuous confrontation with

data on the health of a school community. These routines are loosely

guided by movement through five phases of inquiry.

Action Research Cycle:

1. Planning, data collection based on the problem and tested the

hypothesis by empirical measures based on initial observations in

general and can be as a reference to reveal the factors supporting and

inhibiting the implementation of the action

2. Action is a variation of careful and prudent practices which are

recognized as the idea into action and used as guidelines for the

development of the next actions with a view to improving the

situation.

3. Observation serves to document the effect of actions oriented to the

future, as well as providing a basis for reflection now.

4. Reflection is a reminder and a action ponder exactly as has been

observed. Reflection is an activity analysis, interpretation and

explanation (explanation) of all information obtained value from

observations on the implementation of the action.

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c. The Benefit of the Action Research

Action research can be a worthwhile pursuit for educators for a

number of reasons. Foremost among these is simply the desire to know

more. Good teachers are, after all, themselves students, and often look

for ways to expand upon their existing knowledge.

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