Edited by Mandy R. Menke and Paul A. Malovrh
[Issues in Hispanic and Lusophone Linguistics 31] 2021
► pp. 41–64
Fluency is a key feature used to gauge task complexity in L2 research. In this chapter we explore the relationship between the temporal fluency of Spanish candidates’ (N = 154) speech and their official American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL) rating on the OPIc – a computer-based version of the Oral Proficiency Interview (OPI). We investigated the temporal fluency of speakers at the Intermediate-High, Advanced-Low, and Advanced-Mid (N = 109) levels. The results indicated that, in general, the OPIc question prompts discriminated between the Intermediate and Advanced major levels and the Advanced sub-levels appropriately since the fluency of higher-rated speakers surpassed that of lower-rated speakers on nearly every fluency measure, regardless of prompt.