Abstract:

Educational experts claim that advanced second language acquisition (SLA) requires constant development of reasoning skills and extension of content knowledge that should be implemented through enhancing students' spoken argumentative discourse. When it comes to discussion of fiction, argumentation is backed up by narration and description. As this type of spoken discourse implies the usage of abstract vocabulary units vital for emotional and intelligent communication, vocabulary extension should be focused predominantly on the vocabulary units related to the corresponding topic. Such units are usually acquired in content-reflection tasks (discussion, dispute) on the basis of literary texts and through vocabulary exercises. Content-reflection tasks provide natural memorization of vocabulary needed for emotional and intelligent communication, while the exercises stimulate forced memorization of the vocabulary units. For the purposes stated, we propose a comprehensive task pivotal to the process of vocabulary expansion. This task accompanies a particular piece of home reading and is crucial to mastering speaking skills and acquiring the corresponding vocabulary. A comprehensive task is a set of vocabulary and speech exercises that must satisfy the following theoretical principles:

1. The task should involve a combination of natural and forced vocabulary memorization with a significant dominance of the latter. At the same time, it is necessary to provide a gradual transition from a rigidly controlled to a free use of the word in a variety of contexts, taking into account specific features of each vocabulary item.
2. The task should be focused on the word-picture, most versatile and detailed description of the characters.
3. The task should combine a detailed analysis of the current chunk of text with a summary of the content read before.
4. The task should foster transfer of acquired vocabulary items into related plots and problem questions.
5. The task should include various vocabulary practice.

These requirements determine the structure of each comprehensive task, which consists of four elements: analysis of the current chunk of literary text; general summary of the whole content; vocabulary exercises and practice through discussing related plots and moral or ethical problems; vocabulary memorization.

Keywords:

SLA, spoken discourse, speaking skills, reasoning skills, communication skills, contextualised learning.