Can metalinguistic awareness explain a connection between L1 literacy and L2 proficiency level in literate adults? DOI:10.5007/2175-8026.2011n60p189

Abstract

Recently, Bigelow, Delmas, Hansen, and Tarone (2006) argued that the differences in the oral performance of their L2 speakers (favoring the more literate ones) were probably due to their low level of metalinguistic awareness (which would be a consequence of their limited literacy). So as to contribute with evidence for this hypothesis, we collected data from 11 Brazilians, who performed tests of L1 literacy, L2 proficiency and L1 and L2 metalinguistic awareness (phonological, morphological, and syntactic) and a relationship between their L1 literacy and their L2 proficiency levels was, indeed, found. However, the role metalinguistic awareness (either in the L1 or the L2) plays in this relationship is not clear. While phonological awareness (in the L1 and in the L2) was related to L1 literacy and L2 proficiency, morphological awareness (in the L1, only) and syntactic awareness (in the L2, only) were only related to L2 proficiency. Though these inconclusive results might be the artifact of limitations in some of the instruments used to collect data, this seems to be a fruitful line of research.