Chapter 4
Inter-(dis)fluency in native and non-native discourse
The present chapter deals with the analysis of inter-(dis)fluency and the distribution of fluencemes in native and non-native discourse, based
on the SITAF corpus, thus targeting aspects of L1 versus L2 uses in French and English. While a lot of research in L2 fluency has focused on the relationship between fluency and
proficiency by examining the frequency of temporal variables in L2 versus L1 speech, the present study does not linger on
proficiency measures specifically, but rather pays attention to the interplay of the different prominent features surrounding
the construct of fluency, mainly gesture, gaze, and interactional dynamics. The general aim of this chapter is to introduce
new methods for evaluating the degree of inter-(dis)fluency, with respect to fluenceme rate, visual-gestural behavior, and
interactional dynamics.
This chapter is structured as follows: I first present my research questions and hypotheses, then report on
my corpus-based findings regarding the distribution of fluencemes in native and non-native discourse, by integrating different
levels of analysis (fluenceme, sequence, and gesture/gaze), extracted from my annotations. These findings are then further
exploited with fine-grained qualitative analyses of the data. Lastly, I end this section with a discussion of my findings.
Article outline
- I.Research questions and hypotheses
- II.Quantitative findings
- 2.1Marker level: Rate, form, and duration of individual fluencemes
- 2.2Sequence level: Type, length, position, and patterns of co-occurrence
- 2.3Visuo-gestural level: Gesture production and gaze behavior
- III.Qualitative analyses
- 3.1Communication management: Overview of the data
- 3.2Non-native speakers’ multimodal communication strategies
- Strategy 1.Use of an explicit editing phrase and a combination of visual-gestural activities: Projecting the progressivity of the word search
- Strategy 2.Mutual gaze and concurrent gesture: Visibly requesting help from the interlocutor
- Strategy 3.Gaze towards the piece of paper: Disengaging from the current activity
- IV.Discussion
- 4.1Specificities of L1 and L2 Fluency
- 4.1.1Fluenceme rate, distribution, and patterns of co-occurrence in the American and French groups
- 4.1.2Fluency and language proficiency
- 4.1.3Gestural and gaze behavior
- 4.2How L2 learners deal with language difficulties: Beyond lexical retrieval
- 4.2.1L2 fluency anchored in language use
- 4.2.2The interplay of vocal, verbal, and visual-gestural resources in the multi-level ambivalence of fluencemes
- Conclusion to the chapter
-
Notes