Effective and high-quality classroom discourse, as a dynamic source of input and a systematic repertoire of communicative and meaningful interaction can provide rich learning opportunities and enhance language learning experiences. The aim of this paper is to present and discuss the relevant criteria and the constituents of optimized classroom discourse. To this end, a review of the related literature was carried out. As reflected in the literature and categorized by the authors, the criteria for effective and optimized classroom discourse are: (1) communicative value and contextual relevance (2) cultural representativeness and relevance (3) linguistic richness and sociolinguistic depth (4) equality and fairness in themes and topics (5) content diversity (6) pedagogic conformity and instructional value, and (7) intelligibility, apprehensibility and clarity. The constituents of optimized classroom discourse are: (1) pedagogic and instructional element (2) content and thematic element (3) cultural and communicative element, and (4) linguistic and metalinguistic element. Discussion and review of each criterion and constituent would be provided.
