This paper addresses the linguistic and the social aspects of a doctoral viva voce examination, with the aim of elevating the prospects of a successful defence by refining the social and foreign language skills. I can share my experience, combined with my knowledge of the teaching and learning of English in order to provide insight upon the dynamics of a doctoral viva from a foreign language perspective. This may become useful to doctoral candidates, or directors of studies of such candidates, who wish to defend their theses successfully using a foreign language. The paper first analyses the linguistic issues involved in defending a doctoral thesis, the  knowledge required for this defense during a viva exam, and then offers practical advice for a successful thesis defense.

This paper addresses the linguistic and the social aspects of a doctoral viva voce examination, with the aim of elevating the prospects of a successful defence by refining the social and foreign language skills. As a foreign language speaker of English who conducted her viva in English, and as a teacher of English as a foreign language for more than three decades, I can share my experience, combined with my knowledge of the teaching and learning of English in order to provide insight upon the dynamics of a doctoral viva from a foreign language perspective. This may become useful to doctoral candidates, or directors of studies of such candidates, who wish to defend their theses successfully using a foreign language. The paper first analyses the knowledge required for the defense of a thesis during a viva exam, and then offers practical advice for a successful thesis defense.

“The doctoral viva is a (social) event in which relative strangers are required to create instant collegial rapport and collaborate in scholarly dialogue, within an acutely critical occasion for those who are present” (Trafford, 2004). It is a lively discussion, which aims at clarifying areas that are obscure in the thesis. During the viva the examiners probe and ask questions, while the candidate defends the value of the thesis by suggesting clarifications to possible gaps that were revealed by the examiners.

Linguistically and socially, the defence of a thesis requires of the candidates to employ an array of language skills, drawing mainly on oral fluency, combined with an exhibition of their expertise in their research area, and a high command of socio-linguistic competence. To the FL speaker, the attempts to negotiate these meanings, while keeping an oral interaction with the examiners, involve speaking fluently and spontaneously, while answering questions with no specific prior knowledge about their nature. This may cause anxiety, which, when it is added to the anxiety caused by an exam situation, might affect performance, to the extent of inhibition and inability to respond. A language user who is tense or anxious will screen out input, making it unavailable for acquisition and use. In a doctoral viva, the candidate may request an interpreter that will help overcome the language barrier. However, even though an interpreter may help in negotiating the meanings, there may be the danger of not preserving direct communication with the examiners, and prolonging the exam.

To most doctoral candidates, speaking in a foreign language during a viva voce involves managing an interaction appropriately with native speakers, depending on their level of proficiency. Despite the difficulty it entails, conducting the conversation in the foreign language may afford the candidates with a priority. They can keep up a rapport with the examiners by maintaining eye contact, and they may influence their examiners and convince them regarding the merit of their thesis when the messages come from a first handed source. They can also respond immediately and coherently to their examiners’ questions. Finally, when they speak directly to the examiners, (without the negotiation of the interpreter, if one is available), they raise their prospects to gain control over the conversation.

The viva voce, then, entails speaking fluently while employing oral skills easily and appropriately. It also involves knowing the socio-linguistic rules for speaking in a formal situation. Finally, because a doctoral viva puts the candidates in a test situation, it involves the consideration of emotional processes. More specifically, introductions, procedures, and explanations are conducted in English. This means that the candidates may have to make an introduction of their personal and professional lives in English, exhibiting linguistic and socio-linguistic skill.

Additionally, the viva routine revolves mainly around the questions that are asked by the examiners, and the candidates’ responses. This means that the candidate has to first ensure that the questions are understood, and then plan an appropriate response that will project scholarship and ownership. From a linguistic perspective, this requires a high level of knowledge in the vocabulary, the structure, the pronunciation, and the intonation of English, along with a high level of knowledge of the thesis.

Furthermore, a viva voce is defined as a social event, which involves a discussion around highly intellectual topics. This requires a certain amount of socio-cultural knowledge of the foreign language speakers, who are at an inferior position in relation to their examiners, because of the latters’ formal status.

Finally, a viva voce is an exam situation, which may create a certain level of anxiety, because of the fear of the unknown and the fear of failure. It may also cause stage fright because of the candidate being in the focus of the event. This demands self-awareness, a positive self-image, and a high self-esteem as a foreign language user that will enable the employment of a mechanism that will help regain one’s emotional balance. A mapping of the linguistic and socio-linguistic skills is offered in  

All these skills are included in every mother tongue speaker’s language, and are part of our linguistic knowledge (Fromkin and Rodman, 1988). Furthermore, these skills are acquired naturally and effortlessly in L1 (Fromkin and Rodman, 1988). In a foreign language, though, they have to be learnt through insight into the language, awareness raising, and a certain amount of exposure and practice (Harmer, 1990, Holmes, 2001). However, doctoral candidates vary in their linguistic knowledge, depending on their level of competence. In order to compensate for the gaps in linguistic knowledge, a few steps can be taken in order to raise the competence level in a foreign language as a preparation for the viva exam.

Prior to the viva exam:

1. Preparation Time management


2. Being proactive


3. Thinking about introductions


4. Practice time


5. Logistic preparation:


6. Mock viva:.

During the viva exam:

7. Thinking of icebreakers:


8. Using ‘internal talk’ techniques: