ERIC Number: EJ1254886
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2020-Jun
Pages: 42
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0023-8333
EISSN: N/A
To What Extent Are Multiword Sequences Associated with Oral Fluency?
Language Learning, v70 n2 p506-547 Jun 2020
This study examined the relationship between oral fluency and use of multiword sequences (MWSs) across four proficiency levels (Low B1 to C1 of the Common European Framework of Reference). Data came from 56 learners taking the speaking test of the Test of English for Educational Purposes, and our analysis obtained different measures of fluency (speed, breakdown, repair) and MWSs (frequency, proportion, association). Results showed that (a) high-frequency n-grams correlated positively with articulation rate; (b) n-gram proportion correlated negatively with frequency of mid-clause pauses; and (c) n-gram association strength correlated positively with frequency of end-clause pauses and negatively with repair frequency. Qualitative analysis suggested that the test-takers borrowed some task-specific n-grams from the task instructions and used them frequently in their performance. Whereas lower proficiency speakers used these n-grams verbatim, C1 level speakers used them competently in a variety of forms. We discuss significant implications of the findings for phraseology and language testing research.
Descriptors: Oral Language, Language Fluency, Language Proficiency, Correlation, Phrase Structure, Rating Scales, Guidelines, Language Tests, English for Special Purposes, Articulation (Speech), Error Correction, Teaching Methods, Foreign Countries, English (Second Language), Second Language Learning, Second Language Instruction, Word Frequency, Language Usage
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Europe
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A