L1 Use In The L2 Speaking Process Of Chinese University Students

Study of the role of L1 in L2 learning has a long and rocky history. There were various opinions on the significance of L1 in L2 learning. In the 1950s and 1960s it was recognized with the dominance of behaviorism, in the 1970s it was rejected due to the reaction from mentalism against behaviorist views, in the 1980s it was re-recognized and finally it gained a full acceptance in the framework of cognitivism.Today there is a consensus that L1 plays a central role in SLA. Although there are abundant studies on the role of L1, the question of what specific roles L1 plays in L2 learning awaits answers. Moreover, the role of L1 in the L2 speaking process is seldom treated. Therefore, research effort is needed to specify the role of L1 plays in L2 speaking process. How is L1 used in the L2 speaking process? Whether does the speaker's L2 development influence the use of L1 in the L2 speaking process? What functions does L1 have in the L2 speaking process? These questions largely remain unanswered. The present study makes such an effort.The current study measures the amount of L1 use in the L2 speaking process. It makes detailed depictions of occurrence of the speaker's L1 in various speaking activities. It also examines the influence of the speaker's L2 development on L1 use. In addition, it identifies various functions L1 performs in different L2 speaking activities. It is hoped that findings of this study will contribute to a deeper understanding of the L2 speaking process and the role L1 plays in SLA.There were twenty subjects in the study who were Chinese university EFL learners who were grouped according to the year they were in (each group had five subjects). They were nineteen females, and one male, with an average age of twenty.This study employed thinking aloud, observation and retrospective interviews to collect data. Data were student speakers' verbal protocols of their speaking processes. At first, individual training of the think-aloud method was given to these subjects. After that, subjects were asked to speak aloud two tasks, the first was picture speaking and the second was argumentation speaking. The speaking process was recorded. Observation was made during the speakers' speaking processes in order to provide a better understanding of the L2 speaking process. A retrospective interview was given to each subject once he or she had finished each task so as to clarify the researcher's notes about...