L2 speaking: Theory and research

Abstract

This chapter unpacks L2 speaking theories through a cognitive approach, where models such as the Blueprint (Levelt, 1989) and the bilingual speech model of Kormos (2006) are used to explain speech production. From the perspective of language testing and assessment, we further discuss fluency and vocabulary as measurable constructs, which reflects their contribution to the utterance-based strand of L2 speaking assessment research. In addition, we review the categorization framework of cognitive fluency, utterance fluency, and perceived fluency proposed by Segalowitz (2010). This framework emphasizes the operational mechanisms underlying speaking performance, meanwhile highlighting participation from both speakers and listeners. From the perspective of language teaching, we summarize different instructional approaches to L2 speaking, as well as the impact of segmental and suprasegmental features on pronunciation proficiency. We also synthesize the operationalization methods for intelligibility, comprehensibility, and accentedness, which are closely connected with both L2 speaking assessment and pronunciation instruction.