A Qualitative and Quantitative Description of L2 Skills Development in Japanese Learners of English

This paper describes a variety of observable changes in the language use of Japanese learners of English over the course of a 12-month period which included a period of study abroad in an English-speaking country. The analysis will investigate purely quantitative items such as word count, length of turns, pausing and so on. In addition, the analysis will deal with qualitative items such as turn-taking, recipient design, topic management and other interactional aspects of the learner conversations. The analysis will demonstrate that claims can be made about the development of the learners’ talk over the course of the study, both in terms of purely quantifiable aspects of the L2 and in the interactional competence of the participants. I will conclude by suggesting that the measurement of L2 development, by such means as standardized written tests, only capture a small section of the overall change in L2 knowledge and skills, and that many aspects of L2 development are largely invisible on such standardized testing instruments.