Teaching dialogue in beginner english classes Introduction Main body

Identifying Monologue and Dialogue in Beginner

Before teaching monologue and dialogue it is important to know what they are, how they are used and why they need us in teaching language. Monologue is a speech given by a single character in a story. In drama, it is the vocalization of a character’s thoughts; in literature, the verbalization. It is traditionally a device used in theater a speech to be given on stage but nowadays, its use extends to film and television.[1] A monologue doesn’t have to be at the start or end of a play, show, or movie on the contrary, they occur all of the time. Imagine a TV series about a group of young friends, and on this episode, one friend has been being a bully. The group is telling jokes about some of the things the bully has done to other kids at school, when one girl interrupts everyone. When a conversation stops and shifts focus to a single character’s speech, it is usually a sign of a monologue. In this situation, a group conversation between friends turns into one girl’s response; a monologue addressing bullying and the bully himself.

Types of Monologues – There are mainly three types of monologue :
Soliloquy - A speech that a character gives to himself as if no one else is listening which voices his inner thoughts aloud. Basically, a soliloquy captures a character talking to himself at length out loud. Of course, the audience and sometimes other characters can hear the speech, but the person talking to himself is unaware of others listening. For example, in comedy, oftentimes a character is pictured giving themselves a lengthy, uplifting speech in the mirror…while a friend is secretly watching them and laughing.
Dramatic Monologue - A speech that is given directly to the audience or another character. It can be formal or informal, funny or serious; but it is almost always significant in both length and purpose. For example, a scene that captures a teacher’s speech to a crowd children a dramatic monologue that is both lengthy and important to the story’s plotline. In fact, in class, theater ,and film, all speeches given by a single character to an audience, the audience, or even just one character are dramatic monologues.
Internal Monologue –The expression of a character’s thoughts so that the audience can witness or read, in literature what is going on inside that character’s mind. It is sometimes depending on the style in referred to as stream-of-consciousness. In a piece of writing, internal monologues can often be easily identified by italicized blocks of text that express a character’s inner thoughts. On TV and in films, internal monologues are usually spoken in the character’s voice, but without seeing him actually speak; thus giving the feeling of being able to hear his thoughts.
Importance of Monologues – Monologues give the audience and other characters access to what a particular character is thinking, either through a speech or the vocalization of their thoughts. While the purpose of a speech is obvious, the latter is particularly useful for characterization: it aids the audience in developing an idea about what the character is really thinking, which in turn helps explain their previous actions and behavior.[2] When you think of the word monologue, you might think of a stand-up comedian's routine, or maybe a late night show host's opening bit. But the literary term monologue typically refers to a speech given by a character in a book, film or stage performance. Keep reading for monologue examples from works of literature and film in which characters express their thoughts and emotions.
The monologue is first and foremost a dramatic device; it is used on stage, television, and in films in other words, mediums that use actors and across all genres. In literature, they are principally used in dramas. Characters express their thoughts through monologues, and use them to deliver important speeches to the audience and other characters. They can be used to share feelings, plans, anxieties anything that a character needs to communicate that can only be accomplished through speech. More often than not, a monologue presents the most significant words of a scene; thus, they can be very helpful in both explaining and progressing a story’s plot and developing a scene’s mood. Reasons to use monologue in language teaching are, first it always improves person’s individual thinking during the speech. Especially, it is crutial to teach young language learners. It also helps to correct mistakes that are said during the speach.
Dialogue - While a monologue is a given by one character a dialogue is a conversation that occurs between two or more characters. Monologues and dialogues are similar in that they both deliver language to the audience. For instance, in a class, a teacher’s speech is a monologue, however, a speech collectively given by class children is dialogue. Both techniques can address the audience, but the difference lies in how many people are speaking.
Dialogue is a facilitated conversation within a CU class that provides an opportunity for participants to share their experiences and speak from their own perspectives while also challenging participants to understand why they hold a perspective.[3] A dialogue is both an introspective and sharing process which allows differing viewpoints to be held side-by-side. The goal is for participants to gain a deeper understanding of their own and others’ perspectives on a topic or issue. A dialogue does not aim to persuade or push a certain perspective but to help participants understand varying viewpoints. The facilitator helps promote introspection and critical thinking about the perspectives participants hold. In a classroom dialogue a facilitator leads a dialogue on a specific topic planned in collaboration with the faculty member requesting the dialogue. Dialogues are tailored to fit specific course content and curricular goals. A classroom dialogue is yet another tool that faculty can use to support or achieve course objectives. At the same time, a dialogue provides students with a new, experiential way to understand course material.  A facilitated classroom dialogue is an effective way to address complex and/or contentious issues within a classroom setting. The dialogue process promotes analysis of course content and encourages reflection. Dialogues provide a means to encourage inclusive practices in the classroom. In writing, dialogue shows a character speaking. It works to tell you more about the character and how they converse with others or react. When it comes to dialogue, you might see two types: outer and inner dialogue. Outer dialogue is when a character talks to another character in the story or play. This is the classic dialogue you see most of the time, set off by quotation marks. Inner internal dialogue is when a character talks or thinks something to themselves like an inner monologue. In written works, this is set off by quotation marks or italics. Dialogue refers to a conversation or discussion or to the act of having a conversation or discussion. It can also describe something related to conversation or discussion. Dialogue, when used as a literary technique, helps to advance the plot of a narrative, as characters engage in dialogue to reveal plans of action and their inner thoughts and emotions. Sometimes, authors show us a character's inner dialogue where thoughts and feelings are revealed as the character has a conversation with him or herself. Often, we read outer dialogue, which occurs between two characters as spoken language.