The contribution of spoken language to outcomes for education and beyond, including attainment, wellbeing and empowerment is long-established and has recently become more prominent under the title of oracy, often conceptualised as learning both to and through talk. Part of the renewed interest in oracy is due to its potential for driving social mobility and its role in developing cultural capital. Cultural capital has a high profile in current English education policy due to its association with ‘knowledge-rich’ curricula and its explicit inclusion in the latest school inspection framework. In comparison with the original characterisation of cultural capital, however, policy-level cultural capital is narrowly defined. This article draws on the experiences of Oracy Leads from 12 schools to explore the motivations for their focus on oracy and the implicit and potential connections with cultural capital. It critiques reductive conceptualisations of cultural capital and oracy's role, arguing that oracy has a broader contribution to make than communicative competence and access to knowledge. Two forms of transformation are suggested: personal transformation through ‘exploratory’ forms of talk and societal transformation through the cultivation of agency and empowerment. Aiming for these transformations may be a powerful next step for schools which are already oracy-engaged.

中文翻译：

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口语与文化资本：口语的变革潜力

口语对教育及其他领域的成果（包括成就、福祉和赋权）的贡献由来已久，并且最近在口语的标题下变得更加突出，通常被概念化为通过谈话学习和通过谈话学习。人们对口语重新产生兴趣的部分原因在于它具有推动社会流动性的潜力及其在发展文化资本方面的作用。文化资本由于与“知识丰富”的课程相关并且被明确纳入最新的学校检查框架，因此在当前的英语教育政策中备受关注。然而，与文化资本的原始表征相比，政策层面的文化资本的定义是狭隘的。本文借鉴12所学校Oracy Leads的经验，探讨他们关注口语的动机以及与文化资本的隐含和潜在联系。它批评文化资本和口头表达作用的简化概念，认为口头表达比交际能力和获取知识有更广泛的贡献。建议采取两种形式的转变：通过“探索性”谈话形式进行个人转变，通过培养能动性和赋权来进行社会转变。对于已经开展口语教学的学校来说，以这些转变为目标可能是一个强有力的下一步。