影响中国英语学习者口语流利性的语调短语内部停顿研究

Investigation into Fluency-related IP-internal Pauses in Chinese EFL Learners’ Spontaneous Speech

本研究主要考察中国英语学习者自发语流中影响口语流利性的语调短语内部停顿，旨在找出其主要特点及产生原因。研究采用分层随机抽样的方法选取了30名大学生作为研究对象。先采集并分析了他们即席话语中的停顿，以及受试随后对停顿原因的内省辨认。然后，研究者将这两组数据与教师评分进行了比对分析。研究发现：语调短语内部停顿总体频率较高，且频率高低与口语流利性显著相关；停顿位置集中于实词前和首词后；停顿模式主要有：“非流利串”、“无填充停顿”和“非词语填充项”；造成语调短语内部停顿的主要原因是言语计划功能，这种计划功能在类型和作用上呈现多样性。本研究提醒我们在从事口语流利性研究和教学中要关注二语学习者口语产出过程中的心理过程。

The present research aims at investigating the main features and possible causes of fluency-related IP-internal pauses in Chinese EFL learners＇ spontaneous speech. Selected through stratified-random sampling, 30 university students participated the experiment. The IP-intemal pauses which occurred in the subjects＇English speech and their retrospection on possible causes were firstly recorded and analyzed. The data thus obtained were studied in comparison with the holistic scores given by experienced teachers to the learners＇ speech. The results are as follows ： The Chinese EFL learners exhibited a high frequency of IP-internal pauses in their spontaneous speech, which correlated significantly with their oral fluency. The locations of the IP-internal pauses appeared mostly before content words or after the first word. The recurring patterns included the clusters of dysfluency, the unfilled pauses and the non-lexical fillers. The majority of the causes of IP-internal pauses could be attributed to the planning function during the speech production, which, however, varied both in type and function, The study should draw the attention of both researchers and teachers to the psychological processes of L2 learners during language production.