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Chapter 4. Advanced users of Spanish

Relationships among modalities of speaking, reading, and listening

Abstract

This chapter outlines a three-year large-scale project assessing postsecondary Spanish learners’ proficiency in speaking, reading, and listening using instruments from the American Council of Teachers of Foreign Language (ACTFL). Nearly 400 students from the second curricular year on demonstrated proficiency at Advanced Low on the ACTFL scale in at least one modality. This chapter examines the ratings of these students and outlines relationships among the three modalities at curricular stages as well as at each proficiency sub-level. Both cross-sectional and longitudinal data show primacy of reading proficiency at the advanced level, followed by listening and then speaking. Among Advanced learners of Spanish at the university, the Advanced level in the receptive modalities appears to be corequisite with Advanced speaking proficiency.

Abstract

This chapter outlines a three-year large-scale project assessing postsecondary Spanish learners’ proficiency in speaking, reading, and listening using instruments from the American Council of Teachers of Foreign Language (ACTFL). Nearly 400 students from the second curricular year on demonstrated proficiency at Advanced Low on the ACTFL scale in at least one modality. This chapter examines the ratings of these students and outlines relationships among the three modalities at curricular stages as well as at each proficiency sub-level. Both cross-sectional and longitudinal data show primacy of reading proficiency at the advanced level, followed by listening and then speaking. Among Advanced learners of Spanish at the university, the Advanced level in the receptive modalities appears to be corequisite with Advanced speaking proficiency.

Chapters in this book

  1. Prelim pages i
  2. Table of contents v
  3. Acknowledgements ix
  4. Chapter 1. The problematic pursuit of defining advancedness 1
  5. Part I. Advancedness and standardized assessments of proficiency
  6. Chapter 2. The (limited) contributions of proficiency assessments in defining advancedness 17
  7. Chapter 3. ACTFL OPIc question prompt and advanced Spanish fluency 41
  8. Chapter 4. Advanced users of Spanish 65
  9. Part II. Advancedness and late-acquired structures
  10. Chapter 5. The role of late-acquired structures in advanced oral proficiency 95
  11. Chapter 6. Allowable temporal distances for future-time forms 115
  12. Chapter 7. What does advanced L2 pronunciation look like? 143
  13. Chapter 8. An exploration of advanced-level learners’ verb choices in variable mood-distinction contexts 171
  14. Chapter 9. L2 proficiency and L2 dialect processing during study abroad 193
  15. Part III. Advancedness and Sophisticated language use in context
  16. Chapter 10. Sophisticated language use in context 219
  17. Chapter 11. Linguistic markers of stance in advanced second language Spanish academic writing 245
  18. Chapter 12. Using the L2 to express intercultural competence 273
  19. Chapter 13. Spanish-language advancedness 299
  20. Chapter 14. Developing advanced pragmatic competence in Spanish 323
  21. Part IV. Advancedness and individual learner characteristics and advanced-level performance
  22. Chapter 15. Advancing notions of advancedness 351
  23. Chapter 16. Individual characteristics in advanced Spanish proficiency 367
  24. Chapter 17. The effects of study abroad on interlanguage development 397
  25. Chapter 18. The role of individual characteristics in the acquisition of Spanish copula choice 417
  26. Chapter 19. The role of language anxiety and enjoyment in advanced proficiency 441
  27. Chapter 20. Language aptitude and foreign accent in advanced L2 speakers of Spanish 469
  28. Chapter 21. Looking ahead 489
  29. Index 503
Advancedness in Second Language Spanish
This chapter is in the book Advancedness in Second Language Spanish
https://doi.org/10.1075/ihll.31.04son

Chapters in this book

  1. Prelim pages i
  2. Table of contents v
  3. Acknowledgements ix
  4. Chapter 1. The problematic pursuit of defining advancedness 1
  5. Part I. Advancedness and standardized assessments of proficiency
  6. Chapter 2. The (limited) contributions of proficiency assessments in defining advancedness 17
  7. Chapter 3. ACTFL OPIc question prompt and advanced Spanish fluency 41
  8. Chapter 4. Advanced users of Spanish 65
  9. Part II. Advancedness and late-acquired structures
  10. Chapter 5. The role of late-acquired structures in advanced oral proficiency 95
  11. Chapter 6. Allowable temporal distances for future-time forms 115
  12. Chapter 7. What does advanced L2 pronunciation look like? 143
  13. Chapter 8. An exploration of advanced-level learners’ verb choices in variable mood-distinction contexts 171
  14. Chapter 9. L2 proficiency and L2 dialect processing during study abroad 193
  15. Part III. Advancedness and Sophisticated language use in context
  16. Chapter 10. Sophisticated language use in context 219
  17. Chapter 11. Linguistic markers of stance in advanced second language Spanish academic writing 245
  18. Chapter 12. Using the L2 to express intercultural competence 273
  19. Chapter 13. Spanish-language advancedness 299
  20. Chapter 14. Developing advanced pragmatic competence in Spanish 323
  21. Part IV. Advancedness and individual learner characteristics and advanced-level performance
  22. Chapter 15. Advancing notions of advancedness 351
  23. Chapter 16. Individual characteristics in advanced Spanish proficiency 367
  24. Chapter 17. The effects of study abroad on interlanguage development 397
  25. Chapter 18. The role of individual characteristics in the acquisition of Spanish copula choice 417
  26. Chapter 19. The role of language anxiety and enjoyment in advanced proficiency 441
  27. Chapter 20. Language aptitude and foreign accent in advanced L2 speakers of Spanish 469
  28. Chapter 21. Looking ahead 489
  29. Index 503
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