Melbourne Papers in Language Testing 2006 Page 1 On a (re)definition of oral language proficiency for EFL teachers: Perspectives and contributions from current research Douglas Altamiro Consolo UNESP – Universidade Estadual Paulista (SJRP-Brazil) Abstract This paper deals with the issue of oral language proficiency of non-native English as a foreign language (EFL) teachers (OLP-EFLT). It presents a theoretical review and findings from a large ongoing investigation that aims at defining the language domains, the levels of language analysis and the objective criteria to assess OLP-EFLT in such domain and within such levels of language. A (re)definition of OLP-EFLT has been a claim among a number of scholars involved in FL teacher development and researchers in the areas of language assessment. Thus the issue seems to require an investigation which includes the participation of teachers and graduating student-teachers in countries such as Brazil, where a large number of non-native EFL teachers work. I discuss how the concepts of oral competence and proficiency relate to data collected in contexts of English Language and Literature undergraduate courses in Brazil (Letters courses) so as to advance the articulation of conceptual knowledge and existing views of OLP-EFLT in the professional field. The data analysis compares the characteristics of an ‘idealized’ competence and that Address for correspondence: Douglas Altamiro Consolo, Department of Modern Languages, UNESP – Universidade Estadual Paulista, Campus de São José do Rio Preto – Brazil; Email: dconsolo@ibilce.unesp.br Melbourne Papers in Language Testing, 1, 1-28. ISSN 1327-0311 (print) Melbourne Papers in Language Testing 2006 Volume 11.1 pp. 1-27. The Language Testing Research Centre, The University of Melbourne.