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Nabat Jafarova,
Doctor of Pedagogical Sciences, Professor
Azerbaijan State Pedagogical University
Baku, Azerbaijan
e-mail: jafarova_nabat@mail.ru
ORCID: 0000-0003-0684-9374
https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.15786775
Keywords: Azerbaijani language, speech, vocabulary, cognitive activity, independence, search, school of thought
Abstract. Modern pedagogical views put forward the concept of transforming the traditional school, characterized as a school of memory, into a school of thinking by giving greater importance to speech, cognitive activity, independence and search in the formation of the student’s personality [10]. It is known that speech is formed along with the development of thinking. Without knowing the principles of speech and thinking development, the teacher will have difficulty in choosing the appropriate means, methods and approaches in teaching the Azerbaijani language. It should be taken into account that the speech of students must meet pedagogical requirements in accordance with their age characteristics. Thus, the requirements of speech include richness, content, logical consistency, correctness, clarity and accuracy. These requirements also include expressiveness and purity of speech. Students should be able to evaluate the expressiveness of speech. Mastering the expressiveness of speech, they understand how the inner world of a person is reflected in language, how human feelings are conveyed through language. Therefore, the teacher should always pay attention to cultivating students’ sensitivity to language and the ability to feel the language, because speech should be cultivated in accordance with the norms of the literary language.
Introduction
The development of students’ communicative competence and speech culture constitutes one of the core objectives of general education, particularly within the framework of native language instruction. In the context of Azerbaijani language teaching, this objective acquires special significance as the language serves not only as a means of interpersonal communication but also as a carrier of national identity, cultural heritage, and cognitive activity. According to modern pedagogical paradigms, language instruction must extend beyond the transmission of grammatical knowledge to encompass the holistic development of learners’ cognitive, emotional, and social capacities (Kazimov & Hashimov, 1996). Numerous studies by leading scholars such as L.V. Zankov, N.A. Menchinskaya, D.B. Elkonin, M.A. Danilov, and M.N. Skatkin have established that developmental teaching (развивающее обучение) entails fostering students’ attention, memory, reasoning, and volitional qualities in addition to linguistic skills. Within this framework, the teaching of the Azerbaijani language should be approached not merely as the mastery of phonetics, lexicon, and syntax, but as a systematic process aimed at cultivating coherent, logical, expressive, and culturally appropriate speech (Jafarova, 2018; Gurbanov, 2014). The present article examines the didactic and methodological foundations of speech development in the teaching of the Azerbaijani language in primary and secondary education. Particular attention is paid to the enrichment and activation of students’ vocabulary, the cultivation of accurate pronunciation, and the formation of communicative competence in line with literary language norms. The analysis is grounded in the provisions of the national curriculum (Azərbaycan Respublikasının Təhsil Proqramı, 2024) and supported by methodological literature and empirical findings in the field.
Main part
The tasks that stand before the teaching of the Azerbaijani language are broad and multifaceted. The primary goal of Azerbaijani language instruction is “to ensure that students acquire a culture of speech by forming general language and communication skills.” As a form of expression of national thinking, the role of the Azerbaijani language as a means of thinking, learning, and speaking further expands the responsibilities assigned to this subject [1, p.3]. The issues related to the teaching of Azerbaijani language, bearing both linguistic and methodological character, require a renewed perspective and modern pedagogical approach. The mutual reinforcement of linguistic and methodological components facilitates students’ flexible thinking and acquisition of culturally appropriate speech habits. In this regard, “if a student, during oral lessons, repeatedly observes how words form phrases or sentences under the guidance of the teacher’s experience, and if the student understands this mechanism, then he will inevitably develop a conceptual understanding of the sounds and phonemes present in speech and the world around him” [Karimov, 1978, p.9]. It is precisely in such circumstances that the student’s speech perception acquires a fuller and more qualitative character. Students must be able to hear and distinguish the articulation of phonemes, recognize how different sounds are pronounced within words, and understand how they function in spoken language. They must also grasp the lexical and grammatical meanings of the words, phrases, and sentences they employ in speech. Without this, it becomes exceedingly difficult to perceive the emotional nuances of speech and to master the language. Typically, a child’s early utterances consist of grammatically incomplete and incoherent word clusters. The child hears sound complexes and repeats them without understanding, only later reflecting on their lexical content. With comprehension of meaning comes the first syntactic abstraction, allowing the construction of rudimentary speech frameworks. This development is closely tied to the student’s mastery of phonetics, vocabulary, and grammar. It is through these components that students begin to sense how the external world is reflected in language.
In accordance with the requirements of the modern era, students must develop flexible thinking, swiftly respond to problems encountered in both life and the learning process, and search for effective solutions. It is in this context that speech characterized by rich vocabulary and conformity with linguistic norms—phonetic, lexical, and grammatical—is regarded as culturally competent. In his work The Foundations of Lexical Work in Azerbaijani Language Lessons in Primary School, Prof. Y.Sh. Karimov writes that the environment in which students live and their living conditions play a crucial role in the development of their speech. Based on his investigations in this direction, the author concludes that students more easily remember the names of concrete objects present in their surroundings. The peculiarities of students’ perceptions and vocabulary are determined by the environment they inhabit, as well as by geographical and social conditions [5, p.123]. These observations reveal the lexical richness of student speech and substantiate the notion of the Azerbaijani language as a means of thinking, learning, and communication [2, p.5]. As Prof. Nabat Jafarova writes, “Depending on the age and level of knowledge, the number of words and concepts considered necessary in each grade and for each age group must be determined in such a way that the student is capable of understanding their meanings and utilizing them in both oral and written speech. Naturally, the approximate minimum vocabulary cannot be the same for all students of a given age and grade. Depending on the individual abilities of the student, as well as environmental and contextual factors, this quantity may be either below or above the designated minimum. Furthermore, the intense flow of information naturally broadens students’ spheres of interest, stimulates their cognitive activity, and enriches their vocabulary” [Jafarova, 2018, p.147]. The richness of students’ vocabulary depends on their familiarity with words and their various shades of meaning. The influence of their surrounding environment, family, subject teachers, literary texts, textbooks, assignments, and also information and communication technologies leads to a continuous enrichment of vocabulary from one grade level to the next, which is reflected in both spoken and written speech. The development of student speech proceeds normally only when this work is carried out consistently and correctly, with strict adherence to the requirements of lexical instruction. Thus:
- Developmental (constructivist) learning model.
- Vocabulary work, first and foremost, must be conducted in close connection with other areas of speech development. In every lesson, vocabulary activities should be integrated with the cultivation of phonetic culture, the formation of grammatical concepts, the development of coherent speech, and the reading of literary texts.
- Vocabulary instruction should not be confined solely to Azerbaijani language classes. This work must also remain in focus during extracurricular activities and even in moments of leisure.
- In the process of vocabulary instruction, it is essential to apply various active and interactive methods and techniques.
- Vocabulary-related activities should assist students in developing an understanding of events occurring in their environment, in nature, and within society at large.
The work carried out in the domain of vocabulary holds exceptional significance in ensuring that students acquire a refined culture of speech and are capable of skillfully and comprehensively using words. Within the system of speech development, vocabulary instruction occupies a central position. By “vocabulary work,” we refer to the study of the characteristics of students’ lexical resources, their enrichment, clarification, activation, and purification. In many cases, students’ culture of speech directly depends on the extent and quality of their acquisition of the lexical richness of the language and on the volume and depth of their personal vocabulary. Indeed, the word is the fundamental unit of language, and if work with vocabulary is not properly organized — if the student’s lexical repertoire is not enriched—their speech communication and cognitive development cannot progress. This is due to the fact that one of the key components in the development of speech skills is precisely the expansion of vocabulary. The richness of vocabulary is a crucial condition for the richness of the language itself. The more extensive an individual’s lexical reserve is, the richer and more expressive their speech becomes. It is well understood that language serves as a means of communication, whereas speech is the process of communication. An inseparable condition of mastering speech is the development of its various functions—such as the communicative and interpersonal functions, the function of speech planning, and the symbolic (sign) function — all of which must occupy a prominent place in the child’s speech activity. Among the many scholars who have authored works on the methodology of speech development are: Prof. Y.Sh. Karimov, Prof. A.N. Rahimov, Prof. H.B. Baliyov, Prof. N.B. Jafarova, Doctor of Pedagogical Sciences V.T. Gurbanov, Assoc. Prof. S. Guliyeva, Assoc. Prof. H.M. Jafarli, Assoc. Prof. A.H. Hajiyeva, Assoc. Prof. S.H. Salamova, Assoc. Prof. A.B. Gadimova, Assoc. Prof. Z.A. Zeynalova, Assoc. Prof. R.A. Asgarova, and others. Each of them has addressed issues of speech development relevant to specific age groups. As the child grows older, their speech undergoes both quantitative and qualitative transformations [Jafarova, 2019, p. 72]. In order to develop the accuracy of students’ speech and ensure their skilful and versatile use of words, vocabulary instruction holds exceptional significance. It occupies a central place within the overall system of speech development. By vocabulary instruction, we refer to the study, enrichment, clarification, activation, and refinement of students’ lexical reserves. In many instances, the level of students’ speech culture is directly dependent on how they master the lexical richness of the language, and on the volume and quality of their personal vocabulary. Since the word is the principal unit of language, if vocabulary work is not properly organized and students’ lexicon is not sufficiently expanded, their ability to communicate and think will inevitably be hindered. This is because one of the primary components in the development of speech competence is precisely the enlargement of vocabulary.
The richness of vocabulary is a vital condition for the richness of language itself. The broader a person’s vocabulary, the more expressive and developed their speech becomes. It is well understood that language is a means of communication, while speech is the very process of communication. One of the integral conditions for acquiring speech is the development of its functions — namely, communicative, interactive, planning, and symbolic — which must be meaningfully reflected in students’ speech. Teachers must support students in comprehending the meanings of the lexical units within their active vocabulary, enhance their ability to choose precise linguistic forms to express ideas expressively, and work toward both the activation and the refinement of vocabulary. At the same time, teachers must prevent the use of nonstandard or substandard pronunciation and expressions in students’ speech. Particular attention must be given to the usage of polysemous and figurative words, as they carry special linguistic nuance and require careful handling. The enrichment of a student’s speech through the introduction of new words and syntactic constructions proceeds more rapidly than their acquisition of phonetic and grammatical habits. As speech develops, educational material is retained more effectively in the student’s memory. Taking this into account, the teacher must select didactic material in line with the student’s developmental level, gradually complicate the instructional techniques employed, and prepare students for independent work. For this, the lexical base of speech must be enriched. Proper pronunciation of sounds and words must be ensured, and the syntactic deployment of words in sentences must be studied. Students should be able to differentiate between word combinations and full sentences. Attention should be given to the meaning of every word used in speech, to its etymology (where possible), its shades of meaning, and to the contexts in which it is appropriately employed. Understanding the construction of the language and being able to operate with it cognitively helps develop linguistic sensitivity in learners.
In addition, strict adherence to speech requirements is essential:
- Speech must be meaningful and deep in content. In narration, students must focus on the content of the subject they are speaking about, recognize and describe its characteristics. The meaningfulness of speech manifests itself in students’ understanding of the words and expressions they use. Behind every sentence spoken by a student, there must stand a concrete object or event. Speech must be convincing.
- Speech must be logical. Students’ ideas should be presented in a consistent and structured manner. Logical connections—temporal, causal, consequential—must be observed between the events described. Logic in speech demands the thoughtful sequencing of words within sentences and sentences within the text. Each new idea must pave the way for the next.
- Speech must be clear and intelligible. The development of speech reflects the development of thought. Unclear thinking leads to imprecise and confused expression. Clarity in speech requires full and coherent expression of thought, where the order of words in the sentence corresponds accurately to the intended meaning. The use of dialectal forms, grammatical errors, or incoherent sentence construction impairs the clarity of expression.
- Speech must be precise. Students’ speech should faithfully reflect what they have seen, heard, or observed in the surrounding world. They must be able to use synonyms according to the communicative situation and choose the right word from a semantic field.
- Speech must be expressive. Proper use of intonation, pauses, and logical emphasis is necessary so that ideas are communicated with emotional weight and vividness. Speech should impact the listener through its conciseness and imagery. The student must be able to not only borrow expressive phrases from memorized poems or read texts but also independently form their own figurative expressions.
- Speech must be grammatically correct. It is essential for speech to comply with literary language norms. Sentences must adhere to syntactic rules. In oral communication, orthoepic norms should be respected; in written communication, orthographic norms must be maintained.
- Speech must be pure. Language that contains expressions not characteristic of the literary norm must be avoided. It is unacceptable for students to use unnecessary foreign words, dialectisms, or vulgar, jargon, or barbaric terms, as such usage violates the purity of speech [4, p.76].
The research conducted by renowned pedagogues such as L.V. Zankov, N.A. Menchinskaya, D.B. Elkonin, M.A. Danilov, M.N. Skatkin, and others has demonstrated that the concept of developmental instruction encompasses not only the development of students’ thinking but their comprehensive development as individuals. The developmental effect of instruction ensures the advancement of attention, cognition, memory, willpower, emotions, interests, and speech competencies in students. The developmental function of Azerbaijani language instruction, particularly in terms of speech development, must be built predominantly around dialogic tasks, as these create space for students to express their own opinions and engage in meaningful verbal interaction.
Conclusion
As noted in the Azerbaijani language curriculum (grades I–XI), the primary aim of language instruction in general education schools is to cultivate students’ speech culture by developing their general linguistic and communicative competencies. At the primary education level, this includes mastering the alphabet, acquiring basic reading and writing techniques, handwriting rules, and foundational skills for accurate, fluent, conscious, and expressive reading. Additionally, it entails the gradual enrichment of students’ vocabulary, acquisition and application of essential grammatical rules and literary pronunciation norms, the formation of expressive speech abilities, and the introduction of basic concepts concerning the Azerbaijani people’s language, history, moral and ethical values, culture, and traditions. The effective organization of speech development work requires that the teacher become closely acquainted with each student’s speech level. This awareness enables the teacher to plan instructional activities properly and to implement them within a well-structured system.
References
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