Speaking a L2: Second versus Foreign Language Acquisition

This paper reports on a study carried out on referential communication strategies. It used
the theoretical framework of Levelt’s (1989) model of L1 speech production in its application to L2 (DeBot, 1992). The study investigated the underlying processes of utterances of adult speakers who had to solve a referential communication task in L1 and L2. Two groups of participants were formed; the first group acquired the L2 in a second language environment (SLA) and the second group learned the L2 in a foreign language classroom (FLA). Although the distinction between SLA and FLA is significant in any type of L2 acquisition (Ellis, 1994; Rösler, 1995; Edmondson, 1999; Lightbown, 2000),
it has not yet been considered in the heoretical framework mentioned. Results show that the process of generating a comprehensible message in referential communication by L2 adult speakers is influenced by the L2 environment.