Speech fluency, which includes linguistic, psycholinguistic, and sociolinguistic elements, is a complicated phenomenon that interacts with other performance-related factors (Kormos, 2006; Lennon, 2000; Segalowitz, 2000, 2010). Fluency features are reported to be among the best indicators of L2 proficiency development (De Jong, 2018; Révész et al., 2016). That is, some fluency features can likely be reduced during the development of proficiency. The present study aims to find out the extent to which proficiency can affect speech fluency of lower and higher proficiency L2 learners. The data were collected from 66 L2 learners who narrated two picture stories. Proficiency was assessed using elicited imitation test(EIT) which is a testing tool that has been validated in several L2 studies (e.g., Gaillard & Tremblay, 2016; Wu & Ortega, 2013). The data were transcribed and coded for measures of fluency which included speed (syllable per minute), breakdown (frequency and length of filled and silent pauses, repetition, and hesitation) and repair features (self-correction). A series of one-way ANOVA was conducted to find out whether proficiency can affect fluency production. The results indicated that there were differences between lower and higher proficiency learners in certain fluency measures. This suggests that proficiency development may likely be reflected in certain fluency features. The findings have important implications for L2 fluency research and measurement.
