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The effect of dual task demands and proficiency on second language speech production*

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  04 January 2012

MATHIEU DECLERCK  and
JUDIT KORMOS
MATHIEU DECLERCK
Affiliation:
Rheinisch-Westfälische Technische Hochschule Aachen University, Institute of Psychology
JUDIT KORMOS*
Affiliation:
Department of Linguistics and English Language, Lancaster University
*
Address for correspondence: Judit Kormos, Lancaster University, Department of Linguistics and English Language, Bailrigg, County South LA1 5FB, UKj.kormos@lancaster.ac.uk
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Abstract

In this study we examined how the introduction of a parallel finger-tapping task influences second language (L2) speech encoding mechanisms and monitoring processes, and how the level of proficiency impacts the efficiency and accuracy of L2 performance under single and dual task conditions. The results indicate that imposing dual task demands had a negative effect on the accuracy of lexical selection and the efficiency of error-correction processes. We argue that this can be explained with reference to attentional bottleneck effects on lexical selection processes and on monitoring. The findings also reveal that the level of L2 competence influenced both the speed and the accuracy of speech encoding processes and the efficiency of monitoring.

Keywords

second language productiondual taskmonitoringsecond language proficiency
Type
Research Article
Information
Bilingualism: Language and Cognition , Volume 15 , Issue 4 , October 2012 , pp. 782 - 796
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2012

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Footnotes

*

The first author was supported by a grant funded by the Hungarian Scholarship Board (MOB-193-1/2009. We thank the three anonymous reviewers of this paper for their detailed comments and useful suggestions.

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