The role of psycholinguistics for language learning in teaching based on formulaic sequence use and oral fluency

Abstract

Psycholinguistics has provided numerous theories that explain how a person acquires a language, produces and perceives both spoken and written language, including theories of proceduralization. Learners of English as a foreign language (hereafter referred to as EFL learners) often find it difficult to achieve oral fluency, a key construct closely related to the mental state or even mental health of learners. According to previous research, this problem could be addressed by the mastery of formulaic sequences, since the employment of formulaic sequences could often promote oral fluency in the long run, reflected in the positive relationship between formulaic sequence use and oral fluency. However, there are also findings contradicting the abovementioned ones, without adequate explanations. This study aims to explore the roles of formulaic sequences in oral fluency, taking into account the relationship between formulaic sequence use and oral fluency. This study investigated 120 pieces of spoken narratives by Chinese EFL learners, using both quantitative and qualitative methods, combined with artificial intelligence techniques. Results of canonical correlation analysis showed that the frequency of formulaic sequences was significantly related to speed fluency (r = 0.563, p = 0.000) and breakdown fluency (r = 0.360, p = 0.001), while the variety of formulaic sequences was significantly related to repair fluency (r = 0.292, p = 0.035). Case studies further demonstrated that formulaic sequences could contribute to oral fluency development by promoting speed and reducing pausing when retrieved holistically, but they sometimes lost processing advantages when retrieved and processed in a word-by-word manner. The inappropriate use of formulaic sequences also neutralized the facilitative effects of formulaic sequences on repair fluency and could mirror speakers’ occasional tendency to sacrifice repair fluency for the improvement of speed and breakdown fluency when using formulaic sequences. Pedagogical implications were provided accordingly to promote sustainable oral fluency development through the use of formulaic sequences.

Propósitos de vida y académicos en estudiantes universitarios chilenos de carreras STEM (Ciencia, Tecnología, Ingeniería, y Matemáticas)

“…Asimismo, se destaca que el estilo de comunicación de estos propósitos, ya sea directo o indirecto, es crucial, ya que refleja enfoque y proyección sobre lo que se quiere lograr. Desde una perspectiva discursiva, el poder de la palabra ejerce una influencia significativa en el comportamiento humano, como lo demuestra la investigación en el campo de la psicolingüística (Yu, 2022).…”

The productive processing of formulaic sequences by second language learners in writing

“…On the other hand, drawing on previous definitions in learner-external approaches of formulaicity (e.g., Qi and Ding, 2011 ; Jeong and Jiang, 2019 ; Yu, 2022 ), this study defines a learner-external FS as: a continuous or discontinuous sequence of words, which has a syntactically and semantically well-formed structure, and can be a conventional way of expressing something.…”

The Influence of Formulaic Sequences on Students’ Oral Proficiency via Collocations and Idioms

“…Otherwise, the expectations and realities can be deceptive once they are exposed to chunks in an incomprehensible format. Likewise, Yu (2022) has stressed that using FS inadvertently in writing can lead to serious errors because learners need to figure out the differences between literal and figurative meanings clearly.…”