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What Counts in Second Language Oral Communication Ability? The Perspective of Linguistic Laypersons.

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Title: What Counts in Second Language Oral Communication Ability? The Perspective of Linguistic Laypersons.
Authors: Sato, Takanori1 taka-sato@sophia.ac.jp, McNamara, Tim2
Source: Applied Linguistics. Dec2019, Vol. 40 Issue 6, p894-916. 23p.
Subject Terms: *Second language acquisition, *Communicative competence, Oral communication ability testing, Laypersons, Linguistic errors
Abstract: Applied linguists have developed complex theories of the ability to communicate in a second language (L2). However, the perspectives on L2 communication ability of speakers who are not trained language professionals have been incorporated neither into theories of communication ability nor in the criteria for assessing performance on general-purpose oral proficiency tests. This potentially weakens the validity of such tests because the ultimate arbiters of L2 speakers' oral performance are not trained language professionals. This study investigates the perspectives of these linguistic laypersons on L2 communication ability. Twenty-three native and non-native English-speaking linguistic laypersons judged L2 speakers' oral performances and verbalized the reasons for their judgments. The results showed that the participants focus not only on the linguistic aspects of the speaker's output but also on features that applied linguists have less paid attention to. Even where speaker's linguistic errors were acknowledged, message conveyance and comprehensibility of the message contributed to their judgment. The study has implications for language testing and the development of tests reflecting the construct of English as a lingua franca. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
Copyright of Applied Linguistics is the property of Oxford University Press / USA and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
Database: Education Research Complete
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  Data: What Counts in Second Language Oral Communication Ability? The Perspective of Linguistic Laypersons.
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Sato%2C+Takanori%22">Sato, Takanori</searchLink><relatesTo>1</relatesTo><i> taka-sato@sophia.ac.jp</i><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22McNamara%2C+Tim%22">McNamara, Tim</searchLink><relatesTo>2</relatesTo>
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="JN" term="%22Applied+Linguistics%22">Applied Linguistics</searchLink>. Dec2019, Vol. 40 Issue 6, p894-916. 23p.
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  Data: *<searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Second+language+acquisition%22">Second language acquisition</searchLink><br />*<searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Communicative+competence%22">Communicative competence</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Oral+communication+ability+testing%22">Oral communication ability testing</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Laypersons%22">Laypersons</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Linguistic+errors%22">Linguistic errors</searchLink>
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  Data: Applied linguists have developed complex theories of the ability to communicate in a second language (L2). However, the perspectives on L2 communication ability of speakers who are not trained language professionals have been incorporated neither into theories of communication ability nor in the criteria for assessing performance on general-purpose oral proficiency tests. This potentially weakens the validity of such tests because the ultimate arbiters of L2 speakers' oral performance are not trained language professionals. This study investigates the perspectives of these linguistic laypersons on L2 communication ability. Twenty-three native and non-native English-speaking linguistic laypersons judged L2 speakers' oral performances and verbalized the reasons for their judgments. The results showed that the participants focus not only on the linguistic aspects of the speaker's output but also on features that applied linguists have less paid attention to. Even where speaker's linguistic errors were acknowledged, message conveyance and comprehensibility of the message contributed to their judgment. The study has implications for language testing and the development of tests reflecting the construct of English as a lingua franca. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
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  Data: <i>Copyright of Applied Linguistics is the property of Oxford University Press / USA and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract.</i> (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
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        Value: 10.1093/applin/amy032
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        Text: English
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        PageCount: 23
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      – SubjectFull: Second language acquisition
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Communicative competence
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Oral communication ability testing
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Laypersons
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      – SubjectFull: Linguistic errors
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              Text: Dec2019
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