Competence-in-performance in China's ESL teaching

This paper endeavours to explain why Weigand's dialogic theory - the Mixed Game of human competence-in-performance - should be considered in improving Chinese College English language teaching. This paper will review several of Weigand's key publications and research and analyse current Chinese College English language textbooks and teachers' attitudes toward teaching English speaking. The results suggest that teachers refuse to be involved in teaching English speaking because they lack adequate training and need a theory to guide them. Therefore, based on Weigand's theory of human competence-in-performance, the paper proposes several suggestions for improving oral English teaching. This article hopes to contribute to the further study of dialogic pragmatics in Chinese English language-speaking teaching.