DICTATION AS A MEASURE OF COMMUNICATIVE COMPETENCE IN FRENCH AS A SECOND LANGUAGE1

Abstract

Dictation has been proposed as a relatively simple yet reliable and valid indirect measure of functional language skills and is gaining in popularity as a test of placement and proficiency in L2 programs of all kinds. Yet the continued reliance on exact word scoring of dictation would seem to limit its use as a measure of communicative competence. This paper reports on the development of other than exact word procedures for scoring dictation tests in French. Three separate passages were dictated to college students of French at various levels of proficiency as well as to smaller groups of native speakers and children who had acquired French in “natural” or immersion settings. A scoring procedure was developed which evaluated chunks rather than words on three criteria: exact word, phonetic similarity, and conveyance of meaning. The analysis of results suggests that this procedure offers a reliable and efficient alternative to word for word scoring on an exact word basis and that the distinction between the three criteria is potentially useful in diagnosing functional language skills in classroom programs.