Relative degrees of fluency: A comparative case study of advanced learners of French

Abstract

This article examines whether, how and why oral fluency develops at different rates amongst undergraduate learners of French. Twelve subjects were asked to undertake two tasks during their course. The results show that some learners attain higher absolute scores on temporal variable measures than others, but that those who begin at a lower point increase their scores the most. A qualitative analysis of the output of two learners reveals that the learner who most increases her score from a low point does so largely by modifying her pausing behaviour. The learner who increases from a medium to the highest level also modifies her pausing behaviour but, in addition, makes her syntax more complex. Individual factors, such as working memory (Baddeley 1986), are seen to be important for fluency, as has been suggested by N. Ellis (to appear) and Dewaele (1998). A certain level of processing ability may also be required before certain aspects of syntax can be acquired, as argued by Pienemann (1998).

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