Fluency in second language speaking can be a challenging construct to measure (De Jong & Mora, 2019; Rossiter, 2009). However, it is important to identify the discourse features that may contribute to fluency. The results from this small scale classroom research project suggest positive implications for incorporating recurrent multiword units in second language instruction in order improve fluency on computer-based speaking task production.
Fluency in second language speaking can be a challenging construct to measure (De Jong & Mora, 2019; Rossiter, 2009). However, it is important to identify the discourse features that may contribute to fluency. This study investigates the development of multiword unit knowledge and its effect on fluency based on a corpus of 36 samples of speaking performance tasks collected during routine classroom instruction. The subjects were ELL students in U.S elementary and middle schools in a medium-sized school district. The samples were transcribed and annotated for fluency operationalized as mean length of fluent run using Praat speech analysis software (Boersma &Weenink, 2007; DeJong & Wempe, 2009). The mean length of fluent run measures the fluent syllables spoken between silent pauses in a unit of speech to eliminate the counting of pauses and disfluencies when no actual speech is produced. Drawing on the Michigan Corpus of Academic Spoken English (MICASE), the data in the L2 learner speech production corpus was coded for multiword units (Nattinger & DeCarrico, 1992; Pawley & Syder, 1983) and further analyzed and coded for discourse functions (Biber & Conrad, 1999; Xu, 2018). Teacher-raters using a 4-point holistic rating scale evaluated the speech production samples, and linear regression was applied to explore the relationship between proficiency, fluency, and use of lexical phrases. Results indicate that elementary and middle school English learners who used multiword units more frequently were rated as more proficient and more fluent in their speech production. Qualitative analysis of the discourse functions of multiword units reveal that learners tend to use formulaic lexical units at the beginning of an utterance to transition to a new point or preface an opinion. The results suggest positive implications for incorporating recurrent multiword units in second language instruction in order improve fluency on computer-based speaking task production.
