The Impact of Task Repetition on Second Language Oral Development from a Complex Dynamic Systems Perspective: The Co-evolution of Fluency and Syntactic Complexity 
Tang Lulu

School of English Studies，Xi’an International Studies University，Xi’an Shaanxi China，710000；

Abstract: This study applies complex dynamic systems theory to examine how task repetition affects L2 oral fluency and syntactic complexity and their co-evolutionary relationship. An experiment was designed to compare learners’ oral performance under varying task repetition conditions, with measures including speech rate, pause frequency, and grammatical structure diversity. Results indicate that task repetition significantly enhances both fluency and syntactic complexity; however, their co-evolution follows a nonlinear trajectory, mediated by learners’ proficiency and task type. The study underscores the pedagogical value of task repetition in L2 oral instruction and proposes further investigation into its long-term mechanisms across different languages and learner populations.

Keywords: Complex Dynamic System; fluency; syntactic complexity; second language oral development

References

[1] Bygate, M. (2001). Effects of task repetition on the structure and control of oral language. In M. Bygate, P. Skehan, & M. Swain (Eds.), Researching pedagogic tasks: Second language learning, teaching and testing (pp. 23–48). Longman.

[2] Baba, K., & Nitta, R. (2014). Phase transitions in development of writing fluency from a complex dynamic systems perspective. Language Learning, 64 (1), 1–35.

[3] Bao, G. (2009). A study of syntactic complexity in English learner writing. Foreign Language Teaching and Research, 41(4), 291–297.

[4] Bei, X. Y. (2009). The effects of writing practice and teacher feedback on writing quality and fluency of students with different foreign language proficiency levels. Modern Foreign Languages, 32(4), 389–398.

[5] Chan, H., Verspoor, M., & Vahtrick, L. (2015). Dynamic development in speaking versus writing in identical twins. Language Learning, 65(2), 298–325.

[6] de Bot, K., Lowie, W., & Verspoor, M. (2007). A Dynamic Systems Theory approach to second language acquisition. Bilingualism: Language and Cognition, 10(1), 7–21.

[7] de Bot, K., & Larsen-Freeman, D. (2011). Researching SLD from a DST perspective. In Van, Dijk, & others (Eds.), A dynamic approach to second language development: Methods and techniques (pp. 5-24). John Benjamins.

[8] de Bot, K. (2008). Introduction: Second language development as a dynamic process. The Modern Language Journal, 92(2), 166-178.

[9] de Bot, K. (2017). Complexity theory and dynamic systems theory: Same or different? In L. Ortega & Z. H. Han (Eds.), Complexity theory and language development: In celebration of Diane Larsen-Freeman (pp. 51–58). John Benjamins.

[10] Ellis, R. (2003). Task-based language learning and teaching. Oxford University Press.

[11] Ellis, R. (2009). The differential effects of three types of task planning on the fluency, complexity, and accuracy in L2 oral production. Applied Linguistics, 30, 474-509.

[12] Housen, A., & Kuiken, F. (2009). Complexity, accuracy, and fluency in second language acquisition. Applied Linguistics, 30(4), 461–473.

[13] Larsen-Freeman, D. (1997). Chaos/complexity science and second language acquisition. Applied Linguistics, 18(2), 141–165.

[14] Lambert, C., & Zhang, L. (2019). Engagement in the use of English and Chinese as foreign languages: The role of learner-generated content in instructional task design. The Modern Language Journal, 103(2), 391–411.

[15] Lei, P. F., & Xu, J. F. (2018). The impact of task repetition on academic English writing: A dynamic systems theory perspective. Foreign Language World, (5), 46–54.

[16] Nassaji, H. (2012). The relationship between SLA research and language pedagogy: Teachers’ perspectives. Language Teaching Research, 16(3), 337-365.

[17] Ortega, L. (2003). Syntactic complexity measures and their relationship to L2 proficiency: A research synthesis of college-level L2 writing. Applied Linguistics, 24(4), 492–518.

[18] Skehan, P. (2009). Modelling second language performance: Integrating complexity, accuracy, fluency, and lexis. Applied Linguistics, 30(4), 510–532.

[19] Spoelman, M., & Verspoor, M. (2010). Dynamic patterns in development of accuracy and complexity: A longitudinal case study in the acquisition of Finnish. Applied Linguistics, 31(4), 532–553.

[20] Verspoor, M., de Bot, K., & Lowie, W. (Eds.). (2011). A dynamic approach to second language development: Methods and techniques. John Benjamins. 

[21] Van den Branden, K. (2016). Task-based language teaching. In G. Hall (Ed.), The Routledge Handbook of English Language Teaching(pp.167-181). Routledge.

[22] Willis, D., & Willis, J. (2008). Doing task-based teaching. Oxford University Press.

[23] Wang, K. L. (2024). The development and interaction of complexity, accuracy, and fluency in English learner oral proficiency: A complexity theory of dynamic systems perspective [Doctoral dissertation, Soochow University].

[24] Xu, X. Y., Wang, W. M., Xiong, Y. Y., Jiang, J., Pan, X. Y., & Sun, N. H. (2013). A study of syntactic complexity in Chinese EFL students’ argumentative writing. Foreign Language Teaching and Research, 45(3), 264–275.

[25] Zhou, D. D. (2011). The influence of frequency effects on second language writing. Foreign Languages and Their Teaching, (1), 36–39, 44.

[26] Zhao, J. H., & Chen, H. Y. (2012). A study on the measurement of grammatical complexity in written English of Chinese learners. Theory and Practice in Foreign Language Education, (1), 27–33.