Features of oral proficiency in task performance by EFL and JFL learners

Abstract

Many foreign language learners study a foreign language wishing to become fluent and accurate, including using a range of sophisticated structures and vocabulary. Yet second language acquisition (SLA) specialists are still unsure of what makes up the myriad factors that contribute to second language (L2) proficiency. To establish a baseline view of the complex interactions amongst traits, the researchers (Iwashita, Brown, McNamara, & O’Hagan, 2008; Norris & Ortega, 2000; Ortega, 2003) focused on four key traits: syntactic complexity, grammatical accuracy, lexical diversity, and fluency. However, measures for these four traits vary from study to study, as do the diverse definitions of traits used by different researchers. An additional problem is that most investigations have concerned the acquisition of English. Because of this, it is not clear to what extent research findings from English may be applicable to languages which are typologically distant from English, such as Japanese. This article presents the results of in-depth analyses of the above four traits of oral proficiency of learners of English and Japanese as a foreign language, and how these traits contribute to oral proficiency.

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