A cognitive framework for second language fluency is built on the interplay of L2 proficiency and cognitive processing capacity (Segalowitz, 2010). L2 proficiency determines the automaticity of the low-level processes of language use, such as lexical access. This in its turn affects how much cognitive capacity is available for the more controlled aspects of L2 performance, such as monitoring your output (e.g., Schmidt, 1992). Thus, the control of attention has been proposed to be one of the most important skills that distinguish experts from beginners (Segalowitz & Frenkiel-Fishman, 2005), but its role in L2 fluency has been rarely studied (see also, Bialystok et al., 2008).
Therefore, studying the roles of efficient processing and control of attention in L2 use can assist in understanding the relationship between proficiency and fluency further. The current paper explores, with some preliminary data from an ongoing project, the automaticity and inhibition of lexical access from university-level English students' L1 and L2 performance. This data is discussed in relation to the construct of cognitive fluency and individual fluency profiles.
References
Bialystok, E., Craik, F. I. M., & Luk, G. 2008. Lexical access in bilinguals: Effects of vocabulary size and executive control. Journal of Neurolinguistics, 21, 522–538.
Schmidt, R. 1992. Psychological mechanisms underlying second language fluency. Studies in Second Language Acquisition, 14, 357–385.
Segalowitz, N. 2010. Cognitive bases of second language fluency. NY: Routledge.
Segalowitz, N. & Frenkiel-Fishman, S. 2005. Attention control and ability level in a complex cognitive skill: attention-shifting and second language proficiency. Memory & Cognition, 33, 644–653.
