Book contents
- Oracy
- Oracy
- Copyright page
- Contents
- Figures
- Tables
- Contributors
- Foreword: The Oracy That Democracy Needs
- Acknowledgements
- Introduction
- Part I Debating Oracy in the UK
- Part II Oracy in Global Context
- Part III Oracy in History and in Theory
- 10 What the Chartists and Suffragettes Realised about Oracy
- 11 From Elocution to Empowerment
- 12 Releasing Civic Voices
- 13 The Trouble with Oracy?
- Index
- References
13 - The Trouble with Oracy?
from Part III - Oracy in History and in Theory
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 23 September 2025
Edited by
Book contents
- Oracy
- Oracy
- Copyright page
- Contents
- Figures
- Tables
- Contributors
- Foreword: The Oracy That Democracy Needs
- Acknowledgements
- Introduction
- Part I Debating Oracy in the UK
- Part II Oracy in Global Context
- Part III Oracy in History and in Theory
- 10 What the Chartists and Suffragettes Realised about Oracy
- 11 From Elocution to Empowerment
- 12 Releasing Civic Voices
- 13 The Trouble with Oracy?
- Index
- References
Summary
In this chapter, Deborah Cameron, University of Oxford’s Professor of English Language tackles head on what she calls ‘The Trouble with Oracy’. She identifies several key contradictions and tensions within the oracy movement, including the lack of consensus on goals and definitions, the issue of social class, and the enduring clash between traditional and progressive education philosophies. Despite a contemporary shift towards business-centric goals, she notes, defining essential spoken language skills remains problematic, reflecting broader societal divisions. Though supportive of the aspirations of the oracy movement, she concludes on a sceptical note. To Cameron the complexities in defining "good" communication and the enduring influence of class divisions on educational discourses, will continue to hinder equitable oracy education.
Information
- Type
- Chapter
- Information
- OracyThe Politics of Speech Education, pp. 188 - 200Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2025
References
Cameron, D. (2000). Good to Talk? Living and Working in a Communication Culture. London: Sage.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Cushing, I. (2022). ‘Word rich or word poor? Deficit discourses, raciolinguistic ideologies and the resurgence of the “word gap” in England’s education policy’, Critical Inquiry in Language Studies, 25 July 2022. doi.org/10.1080/15427587.2022.2102014.Google Scholar
Hodgson, A. and Spours, K. (2002). ‘Key skills for all? The key skills qualification and Curriculum 2000’, Journal of Education Policy, 17(1), 29–47.10.1080/02680930110100045CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Mercer, N., Ahmed, A. and Warwick, P. (2014). ‘Explainer: What is oracy and why should every child be taught it?’, The Conversation, 3 October 2014.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Mugglestone, L. (2003). Talking Proper: The Rise and Fall of the English Accent as a Social Symbol. 2nd edn. Oxford: Oxford University Press.Google Scholar
HM Stationery Office (1921). The Teaching of English in England: Being the Report of the Departmental Committee Appointed by the President of the Board of Education to Enquire into the Position of English in the Educational System of England. London: HMSO.Google Scholar
Snell, J. and Cushing, I., , I. (2022). ‘“A lot of them write how they speak”: Policy, pedagogy, and the policing of “nonstandard” English’, Literacy, 53(3), 199–211.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Starmer, K. (2023). Full Keir Starmer mission speech on opportunity, education and childcare. LabourList. https://labourlist.org/2023/07/read-full-keir-starmer-mission-speech-on-opportunity-education-and-childcare/.Google Scholar
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