Factor Analysis of Gazing Activities in Native and Second Language Conversations

Gazing activities during utterances and silence were analyzed in a face-to-face three party conversation setting in a native language (L1) and in a second language (L2). The function of each utterance was categorized (Traum, 1994) so that gazes during utterances could be analyzed from the viewpoint of grounding in communication (Clark, 1996). The result of a factor analysis suggests that language difference is a dominative factor that affects gazing activities in communication.