Cognitive fluency research : a cognitive dimension in the study of second language fluency

Abstract

Research on fluency is of great theoretical and practical significance in the field of second language acquisition. Cognitive fluency refers to the efficiency of the speaker to mobilize and integrate the underlying cognitive processes responsible for utterance production, which involve the processes of lexical retrieval/access, the control of language-directed attention, the operations in working memory and so on. Cognitive fluency research, which is a new dimension of second language fluency research, promotes the exploration of the cognitive mechanism of second language fluency and sheds light on the theoretical development of the field. This article introduces the development in this field by summarizing the nature, theoretical framework and methods of the operationalization of cognitive fluency. It also gives a critical review of the field by pointing out its future directions, including the optimization of the experimental design, the improvement of research methods as well as fostering cross-fertilization with other related disciplines. 流利性研究在二语习得领域具有重要的理论和实践意义。认知流利性指讲话者调动和整合负责言语产出行为的认知过程的效率，主要涉及词汇提取或通达、语言导向的注意控制和工作记忆的运作等。认知流利性研究是第二语言流利性研究的新维度，推动了对第二语言流利性的认知机制的探索，有利于第二语言流利性理论的发展。本文阐述了认知流利性的内涵、理论框架及其操作化方法，综括了目前第二语言认知流利性研究的主要研究内容和方法，反思该研究领域目前存在的问题，指出未来的相关研究应进一步优化实验设计、完善研究方法和借鉴其他相关学科的研究成果。