Sentence duration as an index of overall proficiency in an L2

Abstract

Maximum reading rate in the native and second language has often been used to assess bilingual balance. In the present study, the duration of L2 sentences produced at a nonmaximal rate was measured. The subjects were 24 native English (NE) speakers and 240 native Korean (NK) speakers assigned to ten subgroups based on age of arrival in the US (2–22 yrs). The subjects repeated 21 aurally presented English sentences following a delay. The durations of sentences that were produced without pauses or repetitions were measured. The NK subjects who arrived in the US after the age of 9 years produced sentences that were significantly longer than did the NE subjects. Significant correlations were found to exist between the Koreans sentence durations and age of arrival in the US: (1) self-estimated use of both Korean and English; (2) the number of segmental errors produced in English sentences; and (3) knowledge of English morphosyntax (assessed by a 144-item Grammaticality Judgment Test). The correlation with amount of education in the US was nonsignificant. Taken together, these results suggest that sentence duration may serve as a useful index of overall proficiency in an L2. [Work supported by NIH.]