This chapter presents a review of the literature that is related to the focus of the
current study. The purpose of this chapter is to lay a theoretical foundation for
the study by considering international good practice in teaching EFL speaking,
which will eventually facilitate shaping the investigation and guiding the
analysis. First, essential issues of the nature of speaking, including complexity,
accuracy, fluency and the distinction from the written language, will be
discussed. Next, the various functions of speaking will be described in more
detail. Then, more insights will be presented, especially, with respect to the
interaction skills. This chapter will also explain the strategies that speakers
employ to overcome communication problems. Conversational structure will be
then addressed. The chapter will also discuss the various methods of the
teaching of EFL speaking. The main findings of recent empirical studies on
EFL speaking will be summarised. The chapter will also discuss the various
types of speaking activities and the features of classroom discourse. Finally, the
research questions of the current study will be outlined based on the theoretical
conceptualisation of speaking and also based on the gap in the literature
presented in Chapter 1.