From the discipline of literary criticism

The new English elective programs which are mushrooming in high schools all over the country are replete with offerings in oral communication and drama. On the other hand, separate speech and drama courses outside the aegis of English remain relegated almost exclusively to a “catch at catch can” spot in the curriculum.

A natural merger and a workable one is a combination of speech and English into a communication department. The basic goal of this department is to encompass oracy—speaking and listening, and literacy—reading and writing. This provides not only a fresh approach to traditionally bound English offerings and isolated speech offerings, but it appeals to today's student because it is a realistic one.