Course Introduction (Week 1)

ORAL I V(HE281)

Prof. Dr. Ron Martinezdrronmartinez@gmail.com

Today’s agenda

• Discussion of issues around “fluency”• Your homework

Are you fluent?

1. Take poll on website.

DISCUSS IN THREES:2. How did you decide on your answer?3. Did you feel your answer was more complex

than provided for by the voting format? In what way?

What do they mean? Are you fluent in Portuguese?

“Friends” clip

• Would you say that Chandler is "fluent" in the scene? Why (not)?

• What insights into spoken fluency does this clip provide?

3 types of fluency (Segalowitz, 2010)

Cognitive Fluency

Perceived Fluency

Utterance Fluency

• “Cognitive fluency refers to the efficiency of the speaker’s underlying processes responsible for fluency-relevant features of utterances…” (Segalowitz, 2010, p. 50)

• “Utterance fluency refers to the oral features of utterances that reflect the operation of underlying cognitive processes…” (ibid.)

• “Perceived fluency is the fluency that is ascribed by a listener to a speaker, based on impressions drawn from hearing speech samples produced by the speaker” (Segalowitz, 2010, p. 49)

COGNITIVE FLUENCY

UTTERANCEFLUENCY

PERCEIVED FLUENCY

Levelt’s model of speech production

• Conceptualization• Formulation• Articulation• Self-monitoring

• - Levelt, W.J.M. (1989) Speaking: From Intention to Articulation

Part of cognitive fluency

Tarzan (by Gary Larson)

Where did the fluency breakdown occur?

• Conceptualization• Formulation• Articulation• Self-monitoring

• - Levelt, W.J.M. (1989) Speaking: From Intention to Articulation

FORMULATION ARTICULATION

Cognitive Fluency

Utterance Fluency Perceived

Fluency

What causes fluency breakdowns?

• Reflect on both the ‘Friends’ clip and the ‘Tarzan’ comic strip: What inferences about causes of ‘dysfluencies’ in speech can be drawn?

• (Hint: Think about the opposite – situations/occasions in which you are usually quite fluent.)

Do you agree?

Chambers, F. (1997). What do we mean by fluency? System, 25(4), pp. 535-544.

• Main Entry: flu·ent Pronunciation: 'flü-entFunction: adjectiveEtymology: Latin fluent-, fluens, present participle of fluere1 a : capable of flowing : FLUID b : capable of moving with ease and grace <the fluent body of a dancer>2 a : ready or facile in speech <fluent in Spanish> b : effortlessly smooth and rapid : POLISHED <a fluent performance>- flu·ent·ly adverb

• Main Entry: flu·ent Pronunciation: 'flü-&ntFunction: adjectiveEtymology: Latin fluent-, fluens, present participle of fluere1 a : capable of flowing : FLUID b : capable of moving with ease and grace <the fluent body of a dancer>2 a : ready or facile in speech <fluent in Spanish> b : effortlessly smooth and rapid : POLISHED <a fluent performance>- flu·ent·ly adverb

• Main Entry: ready Pronunciation: 're-dEFunction: adjectiveInflected Form(s): read·i·er; -est1 a : prepared mentally or physically for some experience or action b : prepared for immediate use <dinner is ready>2 : immediately available <had ready cash>

Fluency = ‘Readiness’

• Main Entry: ready Pronunciation: 're-dEFunction: adjectiveInflected Form(s): read·i·er; -est1 a : prepared mentally or physically for some experience or action b : prepared for immediate use <dinner is ready>2 : immediately available <had ready cash>

Any deficiency in any of these elements may cause dysfluencies.

Your turn!

• Remember that this can also be a vocabulary-building exercise. Don’t be afraid to ‘stretch’!

Summary for Week 1• It is important to define what ‘fluency’ in spoken language

means.• Fluency is not related to ‘native’-ness.• Fluency is (minimally) broken down into cognitive fluency,

utterance fluency, and perceived fluency. Each of these, in turn, may be influenced by a great number of variables.

• Fluency can be thought of as ‘readiness’, on different levels: mentally/emotionally prepared, knowing what to say and how to say it (‘prepared’ utterances), and having what to say ‘at the ready’ (i.e. automaticity).

HOMEWORK FOR MONDAY (AUG. 15)

Homework

1. TODAY: Complete personal survey on www.drronmartinez.com (“Oral IV: About YOU”) – takes about 10 minutes.

2. Read Radajurai (2007) article on ‘intelligibility’ (online), answer questions about the article (online), and bring your answers to class on Monday.

3. Watch Jackie Chan clip (online), answer questions (online), and bring notes to class.