Are there any research studies (in psycholinguistics, sociolinguistics, or language complexity) that provide scientific evidence of an approximate range of words within an L2 sentence that can facilitate processing and comprehension for a learner at a certain level (CEFR)? it's possible that an A1 learner may not be able to process a complex sentence: considering that input comprehensibility depends on various factors, are there any studies that determine a number of words per sentence to facilitate comprehension for each CEFR level?
Normally, a sentence structure must have an average number of less than 25 elements to facilitate a correct understanding of the message. Additionally, the use of simple syntactic structures is recommended under the formula Subject+Verb+Predicate. In the same way, it is advisable to reduce incidentals, sentence systems of subordination and retrospective elements (anaphoric and/or cataphoric), since these imply the need for a second reading of contextual and macrosemantic understanding.
We introduce and explain such constructions through prepositional-case relations, expanding and complicating the meaning and always highlight the subject/object, predicate. First, we start with a simple sentence and all its types: interrogative, motivational, narrative. Then we gradually introduce an additional element and an additional meaning with an indication of the case. Models of minimal structures. Noam Chomsky's theory, structuralism - can be useful.
My colleagues (Michaela Nogolová, Radek Čech, Michaela Hanušková, and Miroslav Kubát) are currently investigating the number of words in L2 sentences produced by students at various CEFR levels. As far as I know, the study is now being reviewed for publication in the System journal. If it gets positive reviews (and I am sure it will), you will find it there.
There is no fixed number for a good sentence comprehension. It depends from the context and the contextual situation. Think for instance to the holophrastic answers to yes/no questions: Joe "Did you like the movie you saw yesterday ?" - Mary: "No". One word is enough. Or Joe says "I would like to buy the book we spoke about yesterday. It must be interesting" -- Mary : "Not for me" . Three words are enough.
In fact, it depends on what kind of theory we are talking about. From the TG, (I mean, transformational generative grammar) point of view, a sentence is syntactically, NP + VP, without considering number of words; Or from communication point of view, it depends on the specific context in the written form or specific spoken setting, still considering no number of words. And in some cases, just a question mark is well enough to convey the sense.
The formula "Subject+Verb+Object/Predicative" is traditional grammar in nature.
Dear Luca Clementi, we need to consider that L2 learners transfer all their language-processing abilities from their L1 to the L2 whenever and to whatever L2 item they can. In fact, this is done unconsciously. (I presume that you can read Spanish fluently due to this L1-to-L2-transfer? I myself can read some Dutch without ever having studied it.) As a result, since L2 learners at all CEFR levels can process sentences of any (normal) length in their L1, I don't see why sentence length (i.e., number of words per sentence) should be an issue to them at all. They are entirely used to reading normal-length sentences. Their L2 word knowledge would of course determine whether or not they understand L2 sentences properly. Any L2 word that they don't know will hinder the comprehension of what is being described in a sentence.
In the Philippines, and my university where I teach, we have good students learning English, so this is not much of an issue. But I believe in the construction of sentences, the teacher must not go complex immediately. Learning begins with simple things, and when the learners manifest speedy progress then complex sentences can be utilized. Personally, i make use of context clues to facilitate understanding on the part of the learners. Context clues contain co-occurring words that help shed light to the meanings of unfamiliar words. Besides this, there are other ways to achieve comprehension in structures.
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