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Chapter 7. Grammatical accuracy and complexity in a speaking proficiency test

  • Anders Agebjörn
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Teachability and Learnability across Languages
This chapter is in the book Teachability and Learnability across Languages

Abstract

The Common European Framework of Reference has stimulated research on the relation between linguistic competence and communicative competence. Such studies have often used linguistic measures from the Complexity-Accuracy-Fluency (CAF) paradigm to objectively tap into the linguistic competence of language learners; others have used Processability Theory. This study contributes to this research by measuring grammatical accuracy and complexity, in terms of both CAF and level of processability, in learners of second language Swedish taking a speaking proficiency test. The results show that a higher level of processability primarily enables learners to use a more complex, rather than a more accurate, language. Nevertheless, assessors focus primarily on accuracy. This raises questions about the reliability of communicative language testing, and the article argues for a more psycholinguistic and experimental approach to language testing.

Abstract

The Common European Framework of Reference has stimulated research on the relation between linguistic competence and communicative competence. Such studies have often used linguistic measures from the Complexity-Accuracy-Fluency (CAF) paradigm to objectively tap into the linguistic competence of language learners; others have used Processability Theory. This study contributes to this research by measuring grammatical accuracy and complexity, in terms of both CAF and level of processability, in learners of second language Swedish taking a speaking proficiency test. The results show that a higher level of processability primarily enables learners to use a more complex, rather than a more accurate, language. Nevertheless, assessors focus primarily on accuracy. This raises questions about the reliability of communicative language testing, and the article argues for a more psycholinguistic and experimental approach to language testing.

Chapters in this book

  1. Prelim pages i
  2. Table of contents v
  3. Introduction 1
  4. Part I. Teachability and learnability
  5. Chapter 1. Research timeline. The role of instruction 9
  6. Chapter 2. How much English do children know before they are exposed to instruction? 27
  7. Chapter 3. Morpho-syntactic development in the input 51
  8. Chapter 4. Are speech and writing teachable? 71
  9. Part II. Methods and assessment
  10. Chapter 5. The elicitation of oral language production data 97
  11. Chapter 6. Elicited imitation as a diagnostic tool of morpho-syntactic processing 119
  12. Chapter 7. Grammatical accuracy and complexity in a speaking proficiency test 137
  13. Part III. Cross-linguistic aspects of SLA
  14. Chapter 8. Acquisition of nominal morphology in Norwegian L2 163
  15. Chapter 9. Interlingual versus intralingual tendencies in second language acquisition 183
  16. Chapter 10. The acquisition of Turkish (genitive-)possessive structures by adult Norwegian learners 205
  17. Closing chapter
  18. Chapter 11. Heritage language development and the promise of Processability Theory 237
  19. Index 261
https://doi.org/10.1075/palart.6.07age

Chapters in this book

  1. Prelim pages i
  2. Table of contents v
  3. Introduction 1
  4. Part I. Teachability and learnability
  5. Chapter 1. Research timeline. The role of instruction 9
  6. Chapter 2. How much English do children know before they are exposed to instruction? 27
  7. Chapter 3. Morpho-syntactic development in the input 51
  8. Chapter 4. Are speech and writing teachable? 71
  9. Part II. Methods and assessment
  10. Chapter 5. The elicitation of oral language production data 97
  11. Chapter 6. Elicited imitation as a diagnostic tool of morpho-syntactic processing 119
  12. Chapter 7. Grammatical accuracy and complexity in a speaking proficiency test 137
  13. Part III. Cross-linguistic aspects of SLA
  14. Chapter 8. Acquisition of nominal morphology in Norwegian L2 163
  15. Chapter 9. Interlingual versus intralingual tendencies in second language acquisition 183
  16. Chapter 10. The acquisition of Turkish (genitive-)possessive structures by adult Norwegian learners 205
  17. Closing chapter
  18. Chapter 11. Heritage language development and the promise of Processability Theory 237
  19. Index 261
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