Abstract
dc:description.abstractFluency, that is spoken language that flows without interruptions or pauses, is often neglected in favor of other language components such as reading, writing, listening and speaking grammatically correctly in a language classroom. Although fluency falls under speaking skills, it is often not taught in L2 classrooms. Studies suggest a variety of exercises focused on fluency improvement but only a few of them have actually been tested. This thesis examines the effect of classroom-based fluency training on the ability of intermediate-level learners of German to produce more fluent utterances on a Picture Story description task and a monologue task. The results reveal that training did not improve learners’ fluency and that the learners performed better at the monologue than the Picture Story. Speech stream factors such as speech rate, filled non-lexical pauses, filled lexical pauses and repetitions were correlated with fluency ratings assigned by native German speakers. The results have implications for fluency teaching in L2 classrooms.
Degree
thesis:*- Name thesis:degree_name
- Master of Arts (MA)
- Discipline thesis:degree_discipline
- Germanic, Slavic and East Asian Studies
- Grantor dc:publisher.institution
- Graduate Studies
- Year dc:date.issued
- 2016
Author and committee
dc:creator, dc:contributor.*- Author dc:creator
-
- Kopnicka, Simona
- Advisor dc:contributor.advisor
-
- O'Brien, Mary Grantham
- Committee members dc:contributor.committeemember
-
- Roy, Sylvie
- Hoenle, Sandra
Subjects
dc:subject × 2Rights
dc:rights- Statement dc:rights
-
- University of Calgary graduate students retain copyright ownership and moral rights for their thesis. You may use this material in any way that is permitted by the Copyright Act or through licensing that has been assigned to the document. For uses that are not allowable under copyright legislation or licensing, you are required to seek permission.
- Language dc:language.iso
- eng
Identifiers
dc:identifier.*- OAI identifier oai:identifier
- oai:ucalgary.scholaris.ca:11023/2918