Oral English proficiency is an essential component of English language learning, as it

allows learners to communicate effectively with native speakers and fellow English
language learners. Oral proficiency is assessed using various criteria, including oral
fluency, accuracy, and complexity. Oral fluency is defined as the ability of a speaker
to use language in real-time with speed and efficiency. Accuracy refers to the
correctness of grammar, pronunciation, and vocabulary use, while complexity refers
to the degree of vocabulary and syntactic development of learners’ mediation systems.

For English language learners, achieving a balance among these components of oral
proficiency is often challenging. (SKEHAN P. 2009) Learners may prioritize one
component over the others, resulting in an uneven development of their oral output.
For instance, some learners may focus on accuracy at the expense of fluency or
complexity, resulting in stilted speech with limited vocabulary and simplistic sentence
structures. (SKEHAN P. 1999) Conversely, some learners may prioritize fluency and
use familiar words and simple sentence structures at the expense of accuracy and
complexity.

To effectively teach and test oral English, it is crucial to understand the

interrelationships among these components. While several studies have examined the
relationship between accuracy and complexity or fluency and accuracy, the
relationship between fluency and complexity is less understood. Therefore,
investigating the correlation and development trend of English fluency and
complexity among learners of different oral levels is necessary.

This research proposal aims to investigate the relationship between fluency and
complexity in spoken English among college-level English language learners in
China. China has one of the largest populations of English language learners in the
world, with over 200 million learners as of 2023. English is taught as a compulsory
subject in Chinese schools from the third grade onwards, and many universities
require English proficiency for admission. As such, improving English language
proficiency has become a national priority in China, and understanding the factors
that influence oral proficiency development is crucial.

This study proposes to use a corpus as a tool and quantitative research methods to
investigate the relationship between fluency and complexity in spoken English among
Chinese college-level English language learners. A corpus is a collection of authentic
language data that can be used to analyze language use patterns. The proposed corpus
for this study will consist of speech samples collected from college-level English
language learners in China. The speech samples will be analyzed using various
measures of fluency and complexity, including speech rate, pausing, error density,
lexical diversity, and syntactic complexity. The study will use statistical analysis to
identify the correlation between fluency and complexity and the developmental trends
of these components among English language learners.
In conclusion, this research proposal seeks to investigate the relationship between
fluency and complexity in spoken English among college-level English language
learners in China. The study aims to identify the extent to which fluency and
complexity are correlated and the developmental trends of these components among
learners of different oral levels. The findings are expected to have practical
implications for the teaching and testing of oral English in Chinese universities,
ultimately leading to the improvement of learners’ oral proficiency in English. Given
the importance of English language proficiency for Chinese learners and the growing
demand for English language education, this study has significant implications for
English language education.

The process by which speech is produced

Speaking is a highly intricate cognitive mental activity in humans. However, while

early research has focused on understanding and acquisition, comparatively little
attention has been given to the process of output. The most influential theory
regarding speech output in second language acquisition is the Blueprint for the
Speaker, proposed by Levelt. This theory explains the information processing process
that supports the speaker's speech output ability and is comprised of three sub-
processes: conceptualizer, formulator, and articulator.

During the conceptualization phase, the speaker identifies the concept and intention
that they wish to express. In the language organization stage, the concepts and
intentions are translated into language structures, and in the vocal stage, the mental
words are expressed in sound through the movement of the vocal organs. The speaker
is also their own listener and is capable of self-monitoring and correcting the three
sub-processes.

Levelt later updated this model, dividing the speech production process into two
systems， the rhetoric/semantic/syntactic system, which forms the surface structure,
and the phonemic/speech system, which produces perceptible speech. The conceptual
preparation is divided into two categories: macro plan, which determines the content
and order of subsequent speech at the discourse level, and micro plan, which selects
specific language forms from the vocabulary level.

流利性、准确性和复杂性相互关系
In previous studies, two main theories on the interrelationship between the three dimensions of
oral output are the finite capacity hypothesis and the systematic development view. Other studies
have used qualitative or quantitative methods to examine one or both of the three dimensions from
different perspectives.

The finite capacity hypothesis, from a cognitive-psychological perspective, suggests that a

learner's attention is a limited resource. In the process of second-language production, there is a
competition for attention resources among the three dimensions. This competition occurs at two
levels: between linguistic meaning and form, i.e., fluency with accuracy and complexity; and
within the language form between accuracy and complexity. Skehan argues that when a speaker
focuses on one dimension, the performance of the others is sacrificed. Therefore, under certain
task conditions and task complexity settings, it is rare for all three dimensions of oral output to be
facilitated. There is often a trade-off, and fluency benefits from both accuracy and complexity [5].

The systematic development view, based on the dynamic system theory and complexity theory,
suggests that the components of the intermediary language system are not isolated but develop
non-linearly and dynamically. At any given time, progress may be regressive, with both gradual
changes and mutations, and a subsystem or dimension of the mediator has no priority. Therefore,
the three dimensions of fluency, accuracy, and complexity cannot exist independently of other
dimensions or be separated from context, and they follow a nonlinear development path as a
subsystem of intermediaries [6-8].

本研究通过分析口语水平不合格、合格、优良 三个层次英语专业大学生的口语语料音频和
文 本，试图找到大学生英语口语流利性和复杂性的 关系及其发展模式，回答以下三个问题 ：
1.大学生英语口语流利性和复杂性随口语水平的提高呈现出怎样的发展趋势？
2. 大学生口语流利性和复杂性之间是否存在显著相关性？
3. 流利性和复杂性之间的相关性随学习者整 体口语水平提升发生怎样的变化？

This paper aims to explore the relationship between fluency and complexity in oral
English proficiency among college students by analyzing both their audio and text
corpora. It seeks to answer the following questions:
1. How does fluency and complexity in spoken English develop among college
students as their oral proficiency improves?
2. Is there a significant correlation between colloquial fluency and complexity
among university students?
3. How does the correlation between fluency and complexity change in relation
to learners' overall speaking skills?
By examining the oral corpus data of college students with varying levels of oral
proficiency - unqualified, qualified, and excellent - this study seeks to shed light on
the developmental trajectory of oral English proficiency in college students, and
provide insights into the relationship between fluency and complexity in spoken
English.

本研究使用的语料库是中国学生英语口笔语语料库 2.0 版（SWECCL 2.0）的口语子库，其

中收集了 2017 年至 2022 年我国英语专业四级口试的考试音频和文本。本研究从 2017 年语
料中依据评分等级不合格、合格和优良三组随机抽取了 81 名学生任务二的音频和文本语料。
任务题型为 small talk，让学生讲述他们曾经做过的最不愉快的一个梦。考试时的准备时间
和发言时间均限制在 3 分钟以内。
Tavakoli & Skehan 将流利性分为速度、停顿 和修正三个子维度[14] ，鉴于速度和停顿两个
子维 度的发展性更敏感 [15] ，本研究也采用速度指标和 停顿指标来表征流利性。速度指
标选用语速和 平均音节长（产出每个音节所使用的净发声时 间），语速反映从听者角度感
知到的流利性，平均音节长反映说话人认知过程的流利性。常用的停顿指标包括停顿时长
和频率[16] 。由于句法边 界和小句内部的停顿能够反映不同的口语产出 认知过程，因此在
计算停顿时长和频率的过程 中，小句间停顿和小句内停顿应加以区分[17] 。停顿时长分界
点采用 Skehan et al.的做法，取 0.4 秒。因此，停顿指标采用小句内停顿长、小句间停顿长、
每分钟句内停顿长和每分钟句间停顿长 四项。 复杂性是指口语产出体现出词汇运用丰富多
样，句法结构复杂多变的特征。根据 Skehan 的看法，复杂性是使用更高级语言的能力，说
话人对这 样的语言可能无法有效控制；这需要说话人有更 大的意愿去冒风险，使用自己控
制水平较低的语 言子系统；它也可能为中介语系统的变化和发展 提供了更大的可能性。复
杂性包括词汇复杂性和 句法复杂性两个子维度。词汇复杂性通常使用 D 值来表示，它是在
传统类符型符比基础上通过数学建模提出的一种新的词汇多样项指标，它克服了类符型符
比指标受文本长度影响的缺点，能够覆盖文本的全部词汇，而且能够使用开发者提供 的计
算机程序自动计算，因此提出以后使用范围 很广[18] 。句法复杂性指标主要有并列句指标、
主 从复合句指标和小句长度指标，主从复合句对于 中等水平的二语学习者的口语句法复杂
度有最 好的预测力。在目前常用的句法复杂性量化指 标中，AS 单位对于口头对话语料更
为适用，T 单位用于中等水平学习者的语料非常理想[19] 。因 此，句法复杂性操作化指标
选择了平均 T 单位长度和平均每个 T 单位所含从句数。[20] 其中 T 单位 指“`包含所有从
句及其附属的或嵌入的非从句结 构的主句”[21] 。

利用语料库工具将语料音频从语料库中提 取出来后，用 Praat 软件进行分析，人工排除考

试 指令、非语言声音和环境噪音等无效部分后，提 取语流和停顿时间数据到 Excel 表格，
标注停顿 类型，然后统计小句间停顿和小句内停顿的平均 时长和频率。词汇复杂性指标 D
值通过 Coh-Metrix 工具在线计算方便地得到，Coh-Metrix 工具能够自动对文本进行描述性
统计、测量文本易读 性、衔接性、词汇和句法复杂性等，并快速给出 106 项具体指标的计
算结果，D 值是其中一项[22] 。 句法复杂性两项指标均通过二语句法复杂性分析工具 L2
Syntactic Complexity Analyzer 获取，将语料文本复制到分析界面进行在线分析后，程序自
动生成复杂性指标数值[23] 。 数据收集完成后，用 SPSS 软件进行独立样本 t 检验和相关性
分析。独 立样本 t 检验用来观察不同水平的小组之间是否 存在显著差异，相关性分析用于
观察不同水平层 次学习者的口语流利性和复杂性及其子维度之 间的相关程度。

通过对三个口语水平层次 77 名英语专业大学生口语流利性和复杂性指标的分析，发现当学
习者总体口语水平较低时，其变化主要体现为句法复杂性的上升，流利性仅有微小变化；
当学习者口 语水平较高时，其变化则体现为流利性和词汇复 杂性的显著提高，表明流利性
和词汇复杂性是学 习者口语水平提高的重要标志。流利性与复杂性 的相关性反面，仅有一
项停顿指标和一项句法复 杂性指标之间存在显著负相关关系。随着口语总 体水平的提高，
两个维度之间存在相关性的子维 度和相关性的性质都发生了变异，这表明二语口 语流利性
和复杂性的发展是非线性、不规则的复 杂过程。 研究结果对于大学英语口语教学和测试实
践 有一定启示意义。一是教师要关注学生口语中的 小句内停顿现象和产出话语长度。教师
可以通过 布置内容结构相对复杂的任务，并在任务前给出 参考词汇和句型，积极引导学生
使用相对陌生的 低频词汇和比较复杂的句法结构，有意识地训练 学生运用固定的词组、搭
配、语块等多词结构，提高熟练度，减少表达过程中意义和形式对于注意 力资源的竞争，
以促进口语产出流利性和复杂性 的均衡发展。二是教师要认识二语口语能力发展过程非线
性、不规则和复杂性的本质，二语口语考 核不应基于某一测试表现来判定学习者的口语能
力水平，应更多关注学习者口语产出表现的纵向发展轨迹。