CENTRO DE IDIOMAS

TÍTULO:

EFFECT OF GRAMMAR ON SECOND LANGUAGE

CONVERSATION: CASE OF STUDY LANGUAGE CENTER OF THE

ESPAM- MFL

AUTORES:

Lic. Carlos Enrique Alcívar Zambrano

Ing. José Rafael Vera Vera

Ing. Héctor Miguel Zambrano Lucero

Ing. Henry Xavier Mendoza Ponce

PERIODO:

2016 – 2017
 ABSTRACT

Traditionally the grammar usage has been associated with the speech pace
learners may face when developing the ability and fluency to speak and express
their ideas. This research work was aimed at analyzing the relationship between
those two essential aspects (grammar and speech pace) when performing a
conversation in a second language.

For this reason a test focused on assessing the speaking skill of three students
who held the highest grades according to the levels A1, A2, and B1 was carried
out. On the other hand, a survey approached to find out the students’ feelings
towards grammar when having a conversation in a L2.

Several considerations over the teaching-learning process of a second language

were done. In the end, there was an assumption concerning the speech pace,
which indicated that learners might not feel comfortable at all to speak fluently
when being grammatically corrected at the same time, because as they are trying
to accurately organize their ideas when there’s something to say in front of a
listener they tend to get complicated due to the proper use of grammar.

KEYWORDS

Second language, grammar usage, acquisition, speech pace, cognitive level,

fluency.

INTRODUCTION

Not matter what the language is; throughout the years, it has been noticed that
one does not think of any grammatical structures that determine the correct use
of the mother tongue when expressing ideas in a speech. This is due to - among
other things- the daily contact with its usage -also called the implementation-
which allows any language acquirer, to express oneself fluently. Therefore, as
soon as the action of thinking about the right use of its rules in every part of the
communication process decreases, contrastingly the fluency in the speech
increases. So, is it good to learn grammar then? Grammar integrates the means
that holds the pieces of language together; otherwise the transmission of ideas
will be wrongly performed because the message will be unclear and
meaningless. In other words, it is necessary to become familiar with it to ensure
the proper use of language in all its forms.

What is more, it is to realize that during the process of acquiring a second

language - with emphasis in geographical areas where the target language is not
spoken; in the beginning, speakers communicate with difficulty as they try to
organize their ideas in a grammatical mindset, which prevents them from
expressing themselves freely. This occurs until the learner becomes familiar with
its use and enters the stage of fluency, at the time they will not need to
grammatically organize their ideas in mind to express them.

However, some authors refer to grammar as something indispensable for

reaching the speaking fluency on the new language. Nevertheless, there are lots
of people who have gained the skill of a SL by having lived in a society where the
target language is spoken and they therefore have no idea about the use of
grammar when speaking.

This study tried to assay the influence of grammar in a second language

conversation by determining the accurate parameters to the analysis in order to
evaluate the effect of grammar in people’s second language conversation as a
case of study at the Language Center of the ESPAM MFL.

For this reason, it was necessary to conceptualize some of those ideas in

previous researches about grammar on speaking, so that a better understanding
on the relationship with one another may be reached, and consequently, to make
it possible state how grammar interferes in the mental process to perform a good
speaking.

BACKGROUND: Case of Speaking English as a Foreign Language (EFL)

Before starting to speak many factors and components must be formed in a

person’s mind (Kianiparsa & Vali, 2010). Learning to speak also demands a lot of
practice and attention. We learn to speak our mother tongue just by listening and
repeating (Bashir, et. al 2011). On the other hand, Cruz (2011) asserts that
grammar instruction has been partially relegated and new trends have occupied
its place. Students have traditionally a negative attitude towards the English
language and, since they do not need English in daily life, they do not speak or
hear English outside the classroom (Segura, 2012).

Nunan quoted by Nguyen Hoang Tuan (2015), states that speakers need
communicative competence which includes not only linguistic competence but
also a range of other sociolinguistic and conversational skills which help him/ her
know how to say what to whom and when.

Grammar plays a vita role in speaking & writing better. Most of the
undergraduate students are neglecting basic grammar concepts. So it hampers
speaking English effectively. Pavan & Vijay Kumar (2015). In addition, grammar
affects our credibility.

Language is most often described as having three main functions such as

descriptive, expressive and social. The functional use of language can be
determined simply by studying the grammatical structure of a sentence along
with considering the social context in which the utterances take place. So before
starting to learn speaking correctly in a foreign language, learners should bear
the importance of grammar in their mind. Protiva, R. (2015).

FACTORS ON L2 SPEAKING PERFORMANCE

The Frankfurt International School (FIS) (s.f.) based on summaries of research

into learner variables, done by Macaro (2010) & Lightbown, and Spada (2013)
gathers the factors -others than grammar- that influence in the acquisition of a
second language, nonetheless, it does not state the ones which can directly
frame the effects of grammar to perform real conversations. Hence, it is of great
importance to point out the ones which might play a huge role in those situations
and that were taken from that research, as it is shown in the following picture.

There are several factors which can affect the speaking performance. Although
these aspects do not keep any relationship with grammar, they generally
generate difficulties when doing a speech. Tuan & Mai (2015) state that students’
speaking performance can be affected by the factors that come from
performance conditions (time pressure, planning, standard of performance and
amount of support), affective factors (such as motivation, confidence and
anxiety), listening ability and feedback during speaking activities. The affective
factors play a prominent role in the development of learners’ oral performance
(Mazouzi, 2014), for instance, Laguado (2012) states that attitudes and
personality factors greatly affect not only the language learners’ roles in
communicative acts but also their ability to learn. It is therefore to say that the
level at which people perform a conversation or the speed at which a speech can
be categorized as slow or too slow, or perhaps fast or too fast will vary according
to the situation, for instance: Carpenter (2013) says that professional
broadcasters speak at a pace of 150 words per minute. Based on the
aforementioned facts, it is possible to exemplify that it is completely different to
hear someone speaking for an audience, than to hear a friend informally chatting
with you, in the first posed situation, the talker is mainly worried about the way
how to avoid making mistakes, whereas in the second example, the speaker
takes absolutely no care about what he or she is saying, hence the speaking
pace of the first one is generally slower compared to the second, despite they
both may have a good level. That is why, to state any guidelines in this research
might turn out inconsistent.

PROCEDURE

To run this research, the students holding the highest grade in each course
immediately after the levels A1, A2 and B1 provided by the Language Center of
the ESPAM MFL based on the Common European Framework of Reference
were considered as the study object for this research. Those students were
required to speak for a minute on a topic they were familiarized with, which was
given by an examiner. The students’ speech was recorded and then scripted in
order to get the total number of words they spoke within it called word per minute
(wpm); the script was assessed by a writing rubric established by the Language
Center Teachers’ corpus, to ensure the accurate use of grammar in the spoken
language.

On the other hand, it was necessary to obtain the students’ perceptions to

determine the level of congruence between the way they experience the
grammar when speaking and how it really performs in their speaking skill. For
this reason, a survey approached to inquire the factors that influence the
acquisition of a second language was conducted.

Lastly, the results were compared and analyzed among the three assessed
students, and their use of grammar measured by the number of mistakes they
made when speaking, aimed at evaluating and characterizing the effect that
grammar has on speakers when performing a conversation on a SL. It is to say,
by comparing the results of each survey which stated the learners’ perception of
the SL, to the number of words they spoke per minute and the number of
mistakes they made, it was possible to qualitatively categorize the way how
grammar affects a talker when performing a non- native conversation.

RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONS

Prior to state any judgment, which may cause divergences on researchers’

criteria, other than generalizing the results, it has come to the conclusion that
they might vary depending on other external factors such as prior knowledge of
the L2, the ability to internalize the contents taught by the instructor among
others. Furthermore, it is relevant to mention that the reached level by students
on the speaking skill has been partially associated to the teacher’s ability to
perform good teaching. It is therefore to say, that the following analysis only
comprises the aforementioned aspects and variables in this study.

To interpret the results, factors asked through questions in the survey, and the
amount of words spoken by the students in a minute, as well as the number of
mistakes they made while giving their speech, were simplified to be analyzed as
it can be observed in the following table:

FACTORS STUDENT A1 STUDENT A2 STUDENT B1

Age 19-25 18 19-25

Personality (on their own) Reserved Extrovert Reserved

basic structure of basic structure of basic structure of

Ability to explain on L1 grammar grammar grammar

English courses done before LC-

ESPAM MFL no no no

Think of grammar when speaking no no yes

Determined to learn English as a L2 yes yes yes

Experience on talking to a
Foreigner in English no no no

English linked to his/her life

through something at the moment no no no

Pride for the level of English

spoken no no no

WPM 72 85 105

Number of GMs 7 5 3

By the application of the survey, it was possible to find out that students’ ages
are on average between 18 and 25 years old. Also, the learners’ main type of
personality found was considered on their own criterion as reserved and just one
out of three defined herself as extrovert, which denotes that personality does not
affect a learner when acquiring a L2. In contrast, each one of them pointed out
that explanation of basic grammar structures of their L1 can be carried out by
themselves on their mother tongue which shows students’ confidence on their
L1. On the other hand, none of them had had any English training whether formal
or not, before entering to the Language Center at The ESPAM MFL, which
clearly poses the efficiency in the teaching-learning process run at this training
center.

However, the B1 student stated that he thinks of grammar when having a

conversation on L2 other than the A1 & A2 students who stated not to do it so.
They all similarly answered that they are determined to learn English, which
shows that motivation is essential to achieve the expected goals. In the same
way, they pointed out the fact that they had not experienced any direct talk with a
foreigner in English, what is very common on motivated-to-learn students,
additionally, they stated asserted the fact that the learnt to-be L2 is not an active
part of their life through any mean at the moment. Despite this, they are self-
motivated to acquire the new language because of what they think could be their
need nearly in the future. Finally, they all agreed on the opinion of not being
proud of what they know because they all think there is more to be learnt, thus it
is sensible to say that values do not interfere with the new language acquisition.

Students A1, A2 & B1 reached a total of 72, 85 & 105 wpm respectively as
correlated to the aforementioned guidelines they rely under the marked
parameters. In other words, learners at the Language Center must find the way
of speeding their speech pace to reach the rank corresponding to their levels;
their slow pace when speaking might have been caused by the lack of practice
other than deficiencies on the teaching, though.

In the end, it was found 7, 5 & 3 mistakes on the respective A1, A2,& B1 levels
speeches, which clearly shows the correlation that exist between the cognitive
level of the L2 and the grammar used when having succeeded a higher level.
Despite the fact that the B1 learner spoke the greater number of words he
asserts to think of grammar when speaking, by contrast, the other two students
stated not to think of it, and they could speak a great number of words. It is to say
that, the B1 student could improve his speech pace by avoiding thinking of
grammar when speaking, so that he may reach the common number of wpm that
must be spoken at that level.

CONCLUSIONS

Grammar reduces the speaking pace by interfering with the process of producing
ideas quickly instead of strictly correct. Thus it is more effective that teachers
approach their teaching on contents in the four skills in an integrated way more
than trying to get the students ready to perform a conversation in a L2 by the
perfect use of grammar.

On the other hand, the more, second language learners think of grammar when
speaking, the fewer mistakes they make, despite the fact that their fluency goes
down when it occurs.

It was also found that personality does not have anything to deal with the
speaking pace, so there might be learners who are rather extrovert and reserved,
though this aspect tend to vary depending on the situation or circumstance they
are and even the level of language competence they would like to show to
impress other speakers, but when it comes to speaking they might feel the need
to accurately try to express themselves in the best possible way and at the right
pace just to feel confidence and comfort.

REFERENCES

Bashir, M., Azeem, M., & Dogar, A. H. (2011). Factor effecting students’ English
speaking skills. British journal of arts and social sciences, 2(1), 34-50. (UK).
En línea. Consultado 14 de jul. 2016. Formato PDF. Retrieved from:
[Link]

Carpenter, J.P. (2013). Confidence: how to speak so that others will really listen.
COES Graduate Seminar, Louisiana Tech University. US. En línea.
Consultado 17 de oct. 2016. Formato PDF. Retrieved from:
[Link]
presentations/speaking_with_confidence-
how_to_speak_so_others_will_really_listen_grad_seminar_april_2013.pdf

Cruz, C. (2013). Formal Grammar Instruction: Theoretical Aspects to

Contemplate Its Teaching. Redalyc. Profile Issues in Teachers' Professional
Development, vol. 15, núm. 2, pp. 215-224. En línea. Consultado 19 de jul.
2016. Formato PDF. Retrieved from:
[Link]

FIS (The Frankfurt International School. 2016?). The factors that influence the
acquisition of a second language. En línea. Consultado 26 de jul. 2016.
Formato HTM. Retrieved from:
[Link]
Kianiparsa, P. & Vali, S. (2010). The Effect of Grammar Learning on Speaking
Ability of EFL Learners. ELTWEEKLY. Research Paper #53. (En línea).
Consultado 14 de jul. 2016. Formato HTML. Retrieved from:
[Link]
learning-on-speaking-ability-of-efl-learners-by-parnaz-kianiparsa-and-sara-
vali/

Kumar Pavan & Vijay. (2015). Role of grammar in English Language Learning.
International Journal of English Language. Literature and humanities.
Volume III. Issue X. ISSN: 2321-7065. Retrieved from: [Link]
content/uploads/2015/12/20.-B.-[Link]?cec7d6

Laguado, J.C. (2012). Identifying the Factors That Affect the FL Learners’ Oral
Production at a Public University: A Case Study. (CO). En línea. Consultado
17 de oct. 2016. Formato PDF. Retrieved from:
[Link]
fect+the+FL+Learners%E2%80%99+Oral+[Link]

Mazouzi, M. S. (2014). Analysis of Some Factors Affecting Learners’ Oral

performance: A Case Study: 3rd year pupils of Menaa’s middle schools. (DZ).
En línea. Consultado 17 de oct. 2016. Formato PDF. Retrieved from:
[Link]
[Link]/jspui/bitstream/123456789/4772/1/[Link]

Nguyen Hoang Tuan & Tran Ngoc Mai. (2015). Factors Affecting Students’
speaking performance at Le Thanh Hien High School. Asian Journal of
Educational Research. Vol3, No2, 2015. ISSN 2311-6080. Retrieved on.
17/10/2016. Retrieved from: [Link]
content/uploads/2015/03/FACTORS-AFFECTING-STUDENTS%E2%80%99-
[Link]
Protiva, R. (2015). Role of grammar in speaking better. Daily sun. retrieved on.
0ct-2016. Retrieved from: [Link]
in-speaking-better
Segura, R. (2012).The importance of teaching listening and speaking skills.
(ES). En línea. Consultado 14 de jul. 2016. Formato PDF. Retrieved from:
[Link]
[Link]

Tuan, N. & Mai, T. (2015). Factors affecting students’ speaking performance at

Le
Thanh Hien High School. Asian Journal of Educational Research, Vol. 3,
No. 2. (VN). En línea. Consultado 14 de jul. 2016. Formato PDF. Retrieved
from: [Link]
content/uploads/2015/03/FACTORS-AFFECTING-
STUDENTS%E2%80%[Link]