A new approach of looking at speech - the grammar of talk - was published by the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority (QCA) in Britain in late October to help improve the teaching of "speaking and listening" English.
The booklet provides a new grammatical description of spoken English based on patterns observed from more than 5 million words from real conversations compiled by researchers at the universities of Nottingham and Cambridge.
The aim is to use the new descriptions of speech in the classroom to help students gain a better understanding of spoken English, so they can learn to communicate more effectively.
Ronald Carter, of the University of Nottingham, whose work provided the foundation for the project, said the development of a "grammar of talk" was necessary because spoken language was often very different to written language.
"Our models of grammar are determined by what we know about written language, but spoken language can actually be very different. In an informal context, such as talking to a friend one-on-one, our use of language will inevitably be more informal and less like written language," he said.
He explained this way of looking at language could be extended to teaching foreign students to help them gain a more flexible command of the language.
"The problem with judging how to use language are the same for students of English as a foreign language. A lot of the textbooks for foreign students of English tend to be based purely on written language, and even a lot of the dialogues are very formal and unrealistic."
"By using the 'grammar of talk' to reflect on when language should be used in a formal way and when it should be informal, foreign language students can learn to use English in a much more natural way", he added.
Sue Horner, lead consultant for English at the QCA, also agreed the project had the potential for wider application.
QCA is a public body sponsored by the Department for Education and Skills in Britain. It maintains and develops the national curriculum and associated assessments, tests and examinations; and accredits and monitors qualifications in colleges and at work.
