Beyond advanced stages in high-level spoken L2 French

Abstract

The aim of this study is twofold: first, to find evidence for additional advanced stages in L2 French. The continuum of Bartning and Schlyter (2004) is taken as a point of departure. It is hypothesized that a number of linguistic criteria will account for high-level proficiency. It was earlier found that besides morpho-syntax, formulaic sequences and information structure are interesting phenomena for highly proficient learners (Bartning, Forsberg and Hancock, 2009). Three more measures are now added, i.e. perceived nativelikeness, lexical richness and fluency.The second aim of this study is to contribute to the debate on the possibility of nativelike attainment. The study shows that several measures are prone to characterise nativelike performance in highly proficient users among whom some attain nativelikeness.

Factors Affecting Grammatical and Lexical Complexity of Long‐Term L2 Speakers’ Oral Proficiency

“…Very high scores, on the other hand, were obtained by several interviewees with AOs below 12. This qualitative analysis of the grammatical complexity scores supports previous research that has found AO effects, particularly when grammar and other formal aspects of the lexicon are investigated (e.g., Abrahamsson & Hyltenstam, 2009;Forsberg-Lundell et al, 2013). A different picture emerged for lexical complexity.…”

“…The present study applied the Complexity, Accuracy, and Fluency (CAF) approach, most frequently used in the assessment of beginning to advanced stages of L2 acquisition in classroom-based settings (Housen, Kuiken, & Vedder, 2012), to investigate advanced L2 proficiency. It thereby contributes to the small body of existing CAF research targeting productive L2 grammatical and lexical complexity in naturalistic settings beyond the advanced stage of L2 development (e.g., Forsberg Lundell et al, 2013;Forsberg Lundell & Lindqvist, 2012).…”

“…In addition to the studies reviewed thus far, there is also some evidence from investigations of productive grammar (i.e., morphosyntactic characteristics of spontaneous or semi-spontaneous L2 production) that highlight the role of AO. In a series of studies, Bartning and colleagues (Bartning, Forsberg, & Hancock, 2009;Bartning, Forsberg Lundell, & Hancock, 2012;Forsberg Lundell et al, 2013) looked at L1 Swedish adult learners of L2 French with LoRs of 1-3 years (university students), 5-15 years, and 15-30 years. A comparison of these three groups with native speakers matched for AaT showed that all three L2 groups differed from their native counterparts with respect to morphosyntactic performance.…”

“…Some evidence against maturational constraints on lexical L2 acquisition stems from studies on spontaneous speech, suggesting that adult-onset learners can attain nativelike levels in this domain. Bartning and colleagues looked at the collocational knowledge of L2 speakers of French with Swedish as their L1 (Bartning et al, 2009Forsberg, 2010;Forsberg Lundell et al, 2013). No proportional differences in the use of collocations were found between adult onset learners with LoRs of 15 to 30 years and native speakers of French, while there were significant differences between the group with the lowest LoR (university students with 1-3 years of LoR) and all other groups with longer LoRs.…”

Aspects of interrogative use in near-native French

“…Findings from studies such as these suggest that sufficient exposure to and use of the L2 can lead to nativelike acquisition of interface phenomena, although perhaps only at the very highest levels of L2 proficiency. If it is the case that such interfaces are mastered very late in L2, by only those speakers who progress beyond "advanced" levels (see Forsberg Lundell et al, 2014), it further underscores the importance of careful proficiency assessments of purported NNSs.…”