Japanese Learners' Repetition in Conversation in Relation to English Proficiency Level

This study of Japanese learners' use of repetition in conversation examined: (1)
the relation between the frequency of repetition and English language proficiency,
and (2) the differential use of three major repetition functions: production, repair,
and interaction. Spoken data from learners at three proficiency levels (N "'18),
collected during regular class activities, were analyzed using a schema of repetition
functions developed on the basis of the data collected. The results showed that:
(1) the frequency of repetition decreased for high proficiency learners, (2) overall,
learners repeated most frequently for the production process, less for repair,
and the least for interaction, and (3) the higher groups repeated for the interaction
process with greater frequency than the lowest group, whereas no significant
differences were found for the other two processes. The results suggest that
repetition is a possible L2 strategy for facilitating production as well as for smooth
conversational interaction.