An Assessment of Perceived Fluency German as a Foreign Language: Case Study

Abstract

Speech fluency is an important aspect of foreign language competence that can not only be measured objectively but is also perceived subjectively by listeners. The term perceived fluency therefore refers to the subjective perception of the speaker's language competence. This includes a situationally appropriate speech rate and fluent speech without delays. The main goal of this article is the assessment and analysis of the perceived fluency of Croatian students of German studies in the context of a one-semester seminar. Speech fluency in German as a foreign language was assessed using assessment forms. The evaluation is the subjective assessment of an L1 speaker from Germany who was a participant in the same seminar. The evaluation criteria include speech rate, intonation, intelligibility, and delays of various kinds. This study particularly highlighted which components influence perceived fluency. Speech rate, which is very close to that of a native speaker, has a particularly positive impact on perceived fluency. While it is not a measurable assessment of fluency, it still provides insightful results. These could, for example, serve as a basis for developing targeted training tasks to improve the identified weak points.