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An Exploratory Study of the Nature of Proficiency in Adult L2 Scottish Gaelic

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An Exploratory Study of the Nature of Proficiency in Adult L2 Scottish Gaelic Carty, Nicola (2015) Slighean gu fileantas: an exploratory study of the nature of proficiency in adult L2 Scottish Gaelic. PhD thesis. http://theses.gla.ac.uk/6376/ Copyright and moral rights for this thesis are retained by the author A copy can be downloaded for personal non-commercial research or study, without prior permission or charge This thesis cannot be reproduced or quoted extensively from without first obtaining permission in writing from the Author The content must not be changed in any way or sold commercially in any format or medium without the formal permission of the Author When referring to this work, full bibliographic details including the author, title, awarding institution and date of the thesis must be given Glasgow Theses Service http://theses.gla.ac.uk/ [email protected] Slighean gu fileantas: An exploratory study of the nature of proficiency in adult L2 Scottish Gaelic Nicola Carty BA (Hons.), MA Submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy April 2015 School of Humanities / Sgoil nan Daonnachdan College of Arts University of Glasgow © Nicola Carty 2015 Abstract This thesis explores the measurement of adult second language (L2) oral proficiency in Scottish Gaelic (henceforth Gaelic). Gaelic is a minority language in Scotland, and is currently the object of a major effort to reverse language shift. Adult L2 users of Gaelic have been identified as key agents in this effort, but some weaknesses in adult Gaelic language-in-education policy are making it difficult for adult L2 users to fulfil this role. One such weakness is the absence of an empirically-derived means of assessing proficiency in Gaelic, through which adult L2 users and their teachers can assess their progress. This project aims to address this weakness. Data from two tasks — an interview and a narrative — performed by adult L2 users of Gaelic are analysed from the perspective of the complexity, accuracy, and fluency framework, as the three main dimensions of proficiency. Data are also analysed for Communicative Adequacy, using raters‘ judgements. These data provide the first examination of Gaelic L2 proficiency from the perspective of second language acquisition (SLA) research. Adult L2 users of Gaelic have a wide range of learning experiences and motivations for learning the language. This study also explores these experiences and motivations, and discusses how these relate to proficiency. Results show that individuals‘ Gaelic language skills interact in complex and unpredictable ways, depending on the nature of the task being performed. There is some evidence that the interview task encourages complexity and fluency, while the narrative task encourages accuracy at the expense of complexity. Results also show that the Communicative Adequacy rating scale developed for this project is valid and reliable, but that assessments of proficiency are subjective, to a large extent. Finally, the results confirm that adult L2 users of Gaelic draw on a vast range of experiences and are motivated in many different ways to learn the language. The outcomes of the project contribute to existing scholarship on the experiences and motivations of adult L2 users of Gaelic, confirming previous findings. The results also confirm previous findings in second language 2 acquisition research that complexity, accuracy, fluency, and Communicative Adequacy in an L2 interact in complex ways, and that these interactions can be mediated by different task conditions. Finally, the outcomes of this exploratory research serve as the basis for future, more large-scale research into the acquisition of Gaelic as a second language by adults. 3 Table of Contents Slighean gu Fileantas: An Exploratory Study of the Nature of Proficiency in Adult L2 Scottish Gaelic .................................................................. 1 Abstract ..................................................................................... 2 List of Tables .............................................................................. 11 List of Figures ............................................................................. 13 Acknowledgements ....................................................................... 14 Author’s Declaration ..................................................................... 17 Abbreviations .............................................................................. 18 Transcription conventions .............................................................. 20 Glossing conventions ..................................................................... 22 1 Introduction .......................................................................... 23 1.1 Gaelic learners and native speakers .......................................... 23 1.2 Research questions and outline of the current study ...................... 24 2 Reversing Gaelic language shift through Language-in-Education policy .. 26 2.1 Chapter overview ................................................................ 26 2.2 A brief social history of the Gaelic language ................................ 26 2.2.1 Gaelic in Glasgow........................................................... 30 2.3 Language policy .................................................................. 31 2.4 Minority languages............................................................... 34 2.4.1 Reversing language shift policy .......................................... 35 2.4.2 Language planning in Catalonia .......................................... 40 2.4.3 Language planning in Wales .............................................. 42 2.4.4 Language planning in Ireland ............................................. 45 2.5 Reversing Gaelic language shift ............................................... 48 2.5.1 The National Plan for Gaelic, 2007-2012 ............................... 50 2.5.2 The National Gaelic Language Plan, 2012-2017 ........................ 51 2.5.3 Have the national plans been successful? .............................. 51 2.6 Language-in-Education policy.................................................. 54 2.6.1 Approaches to the learning and teaching of minority languages for the purposes of language maintenance and RLS ................................ 55 2.6.2 Welsh for Adults ............................................................ 56 2.6.3 Teastas Eorpach na Gaeilge ............................................... 56 2.7 Gaelic adult LEP ................................................................. 57 2.7.1 Feumalachdan Luchd-ionnsachaidh ...................................... 58 2.7.2 MacCaluim (2007) .......................................................... 59 2.7.3 McLeod et al. (2010) ....................................................... 60 2.7.4 Milligan et al. (2011) – Gaelic in Glasgow .............................. 62 4 2.8 Current provision for Gaelic L2 users ......................................... 64 2.9 This study ......................................................................... 66 2.10 Summary........................................................................ 66 3 Differences in adult L2 Gaelic users’ learning experiences: the main variables .................................................................................... 68 3.1 Chapter overview ................................................................ 68 3.1.1 A note on age ............................................................... 70 3.2 Motivation ........................................................................ 70 3.2.1 The process model of motivation and the L2 Motivational Self System 74 3.2.1.1 The process model of motivation: Motivational phases ......... 74 The preactional phase............................................................... 74 The actional phase ................................................................... 75 The postactional phase ............................................................. 75 3.2.2 The process model of motivation: Motivational influences.......... 75 3.2.3 The L2 Motivational Self System ......................................... 76 3.3 Formal learning background ................................................... 81 3.3.1 Amount of exposure to Gaelic ............................................ 81 3.3.2 Methods of language instruction ......................................... 83 3.4 Opportunities for using the target language................................. 88 3.4.1 Language learning as situated social practice ......................... 88 3.4.2 Situated social practice and Gaelic learning ........................... 89 3.5 Beliefs about language learning ............................................... 90 3.6 Use of language learning strategies ........................................... 91 3.7 Confidence ....................................................................... 93 3.7.1 Willingness to take risks ................................................... 94 3.7.2 Self-assessment ............................................................. 95 3.8 Summary .......................................................................... 96 4 The measurement of language proficiency .................................... 97 4.1 Chapter overview ................................................................ 97 4.2 Second language speech production and processing ....................... 98 4.2.1 Automaticity and proceduralisation .................................... 100 4.2.2 The Bilingual Speech Production Model (Kormos
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