Daily Excerpt: Achieving Native-Like Second Language Proficiency (Leaver) - Introduction
Today's excerpt comes from Achieving Native-Like Second Language Proficiency (Speaking) by Betty Lou Leaver. INTRODUCTION A Research Study on High-Level Language Achievement The purposes of the research study, described in this volume, were (1) to assess the behavioral aspects of Level 4 language proficiency, (2) to determine the most important factors that contribute to reaching that level, and (3) to examine the nature of Level 4 language from two perspectives: the teachers who teach it and the users who apply it in their daily and professional lives. This volume reports on purpose #2 (determining the important factors that lead to attainment of Level 4 proficiency) specifically for the skill of speaking. In this study, the researchers interviewed in depth foreign-language users who had developed one or more language skills in one or more languages to Level 4 and beyond. They were found in several US government agencies (where individuals with the h