Abstract Although linguistic complexity is widely used to assess second language (L2) writing proficiency, the linguistic correlates of L2 Spanish writing proficiency remain relatively underexplored. This study addresses this gap by examining how selected lexical, syntactic, and morphological complexity indices predict L2 Spanish learners’ standardized proficiency scores. We analyzed a corpus of 3,034 essays from L2 Spanish learners, utilizing their standardized placement test scores as a continuous measure of proficiency. A multiple linear regression model identified a concise set of complexity indices that effectively predicted proficiency scores, explaining a significant portion of the variance ( R 2 = .557). Results reveal a clear proficiency-based linguistic profile: advanced writing was significantly predicted by greater phrasal complexity, sustained clausal subordination, and higher lexical sophistication. In contrast, beginners’ writing was characterized by simpler syntactic strategies. These findings provide a robust, empirically derived profile of L2 Spanish writing development, offering valuable implications for pedagogical instruction, assessment rubrics, and automated evaluation tools.
In the age of globalization, English has emerged as the global language of international communication, higher education, business, and technology. As multinational organizations expand and remote work and international education opportunities increase, English proficiency has become a key factor influencing employability in both national and global labor markets. This study examines the relationship between English language proficiency and employability among non-native English speakers using a Systematic Literature Review (SLR) approach. Drawing on existing academic literature, the study explores both the challenges and opportunities associated with English use in professional contexts. The findings indicate that non-native English speakers face barriers such as communication difficulties, low confidence, limited access to quality language education, and workplace bias. At the same time, English proficiency enhances access to global job markets, career mobility, higher earning potential, and professional networking opportunities. The study also highlights the growing influence of digital transformation and artificial intelligence tools, which are reshaping the role of English in workplace communication. Overall, the study concludes that English proficiency remains a significant determinant of employability and professional success, while its function continues to evolve in response to global and technological changes.
Abstract Global Englishes, and within that the field of English as a lingua franca, is a huge and expanding area of research and pedagogy. This paper provides a sample of our beliefs about productive areas of research. The nine tasks presented suggest the importance of research in the areas of intercultural and digital communication, especially through the adoption of trans theories such as translanguaging, transmodality, and transcultural communication. Furthermore, concepts such as communicative competence will need rethinking to match the multilingual, multimodal, and multicultural resources that appear in such communication. The implications for pedagogy are extensive, including a re-evaluation of models and aims such as the (ir)relevance of the native speaker, global citizenship education, translanguaging, and decolonial perspectives, and approaches to both oral and written communication. Accompanying any changes in pedagogic practices must be changes in how we think about teacher education as well as assessment. Pedagogic research is crucial as there is a need to address the persistent gap between “real-world” translingual, transmodal, and transcultural uses of English and monolingual, Anglophone-orientated English language teaching models and approaches.
