Skip to main content

Lund University Publications

LUND UNIVERSITY LIBRARIES

Grammatical accuracy and complexity in a speaking proficiency test

Agebjörn, Anders LU (2019) In Processability Approaches to Language Acquisition Research & Teaching 6. p.137-159
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... (More)
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. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
publishing date
type
Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding
publication status
published
subject
host publication
Teachability and Learnability across Languages
series title
Processability Approaches to Language Acquisition Research & Teaching
editor
Arntzen, Ragnar ; Håkansson, Gisela ; Hjelde, Arnstein and Keßler, Jörg-U.
volume
6
pages
137 - 159
publisher
John Benjamins Publishing Company
ISSN
2210-6480
ISBN
9789027203120
9789027262592
DOI
10.1075/palart.6.07age
language
Swedish
LU publication?
no
id
22171320-0c2c-4385-a578-526b1cd00d4d
date added to LUP
2020-10-06 15:51:53
date last changed
2020-10-08 13:39:12
@inproceedings{22171320-0c2c-4385-a578-526b1cd00d4d,
  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.}},
  author       = {{Agebjörn, Anders}},
  booktitle    = {{Teachability and Learnability across Languages}},
  editor       = {{Arntzen, Ragnar and Håkansson, Gisela and Hjelde, Arnstein and Keßler, Jörg-U.}},
  isbn         = {{9789027203120}},
  issn         = {{2210-6480}},
  language     = {{swe}},
  pages        = {{137--159}},
  publisher    = {{John Benjamins Publishing Company}},
  series       = {{Processability Approaches to Language Acquisition Research & Teaching}},
  title        = {{Grammatical accuracy and complexity in a speaking proficiency test}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1075/palart.6.07age}},
  doi          = {{10.1075/palart.6.07age}},
  volume       = {{6}},
  year         = {{2019}},
}