Effects of Formal Instruction and a Stay Abroad on the Acquisition of Native-Like Oral Fluency

The study describes the effects of formal instruction (FI) and a stay abroad (SA) on the fluency displayed by 19 bilingual EFL undergraduate non-native speakers (NNSs). It includes data from 10 native speakers (NSs). The relative frequencies of seven dysfluency phenomena at three data-collection points are compared statistically, and a linear regression analysis is performed between NS and NNS data. A strategic change is revealed. After FI, learners adjust their speech to an NS pattern, but disruptions – especially self-repetitions, pauses, and non-lexical fillers – are still frequent. The SA serves to correct this somewhat while maintaining the NS-like tendency. There is a decrease in the number of phenomena that may be perceived as signs of insecurity, producing the impression of more fluent speech. These phenomena are replaced by increases in lexical fillers that may make NNS speech appear lexically richer. Both FI and SA, therefore, are shown to be positive contexts of acquisition.