Measuring linguistic complexity in long-term L2 speakers of English and L1 attriters of German

Linguistic complexity is neither easily defined nor measured. The challenge in finding reliable ways to measure linguistic complexity is even more pronounced when the variation of contexts in which complexity is measured is taken into account. This paper therefore aims at finding measures for assessing syntactic and lexical complexity that are sensitive and non-overlapping even in a less frequently studied context: spontaneous speech of L1 attriters and highly proficient L2 English speakers. To evaluate operationalizations of syntactic and lexical complexity, several previously proposed measures are applied to a corpus of spontaneous speech and a principal component analysis is conducted. The results show which of the measures group together as underlying variables of syntactic and lexical complexity and how this can inform future operationalizations of complexity

Communicative adequacy and linguistic complexity in L2 writing

The chapter investigates the relationship between communicative adequacy and linguistic complexity (syntactic complexity, lexical diversity, accuracy) of the written output of L2 writers of Dutch, Italian and Spanish. The main goal of the CALC study (‘Communicative Adequacy and Linguistic Complexity’) discussed in the chapter is to investigate the relationship between the communicative aspects of L2 writing, as defined in the descriptor scales of the Common European Framework of References (CEFR, Council of Europe 2001), and the linguistic complexity of L2 performance. It is argued that the interpretation of syntactic complexity, lexical diversity and accuracy is not possible without also taking into account the communicative dimension of L2 production

Syntactic complexity across proficiency and languages: L2 and L1 writing in Dutch, Italian and Spanish

This study explores to what extent syntactic complexity as assessed by four types of complexity measures may vary in written, argumentative texts of L2 learners (A2‐B1) and native writers of Dutch, Italian and Spanish. All texts were assessed by calculating both overall complexity measures and more fine‐grained measures that focus on the type and number of coordinate and subordinate structures, and the use of post‐modifiers within the NP. The results of the study indicate that there is variation in the process of gradual complexification in written L2 production across proficiency levels, across languages, and between L2 and L1. In line with findings from earlier research, this study shows the importance of employing both general and more specific complexity measures for assessing syntactic growth in L2