英语学习者口语复杂性、准确性的动态发展研究

A Study of Complexity and Accuracy of Oral Language Development

本研究基于复杂动态系统理论的视角,对非英语专业学生英语口语产出的复杂性、准确性的动态发展轨迹进行分析,并首次尝试使用复杂动态系统理论的变异性分析技术(移动极值图、移动相关性)探究复杂性和准确性之间的关系。研究发现:学习者英语口语产出复杂性和准确性均有所提高。个体学习者发展轨迹不遵循群体的发展趋势,表现出各自的非线性发展特点,且发展轨迹存在较高程度的变异性。复杂性、准确性各子系统之间相互影响,二者之间的动态关系随着时间而不断变化。复杂性和准确性在研究初期呈竞争性关系,后期逐渐转为支持性关系,即二者协同发展,证明了复杂动态系统理论的全面联结性特点。该研究对英语口语教学实践具有一定的指导意义。

The present study aimed to investigate how the complexity,accuracy of oral language develops over time in a group of ten college Chinese-speaking learners of English within the framework of Complex Dynamic System Theory(CDST),and made a first attempt to look into the relationship between complexity and accuracy by adopting CDST-approaches(moving min-max graph,moving correlation,).The result of our analysis shows that,firstly,complexity and accuracy of the oral language of learners indeed increase over time;at the group level the general development trend of complexity and accuracy is fairly linear but at the individual level is non-linear with a high degree of variability;individual learners follow different developmental paths.Secondly,a complex interplay between complexity and accuracy,and the relationship between them changes from a clearly competitive relation during the early stages to a supportive relation at later stages.This changing direction of the relationship shows that the complexity goes hand in hand with accuracy,which corroborates the interconnectness of subsystems as one of the major characteristics of CDST.Research findings may have some implications for oral English teaching in China.