Validating the Lunic Language Marathon as a Feasible Measurement for L2 Aptitude

Foreign language (L2) aptitude has been recognized as a cognitive construct that is monumental in aperson’s ability to learn a foreign language. Researching aptitude once held prominence in the field ofsecond language acquisition, but it has received less attention from researchers of late. However, someresearchers have acknowledged its significance in the role L2 acquisition, and the construct of L2aptitude has evolved to better highlight its complex nature. Furthermore, there are a plethora ofinstruments designed to accurately measure a leaner’s L2 aptitude, such as the MLAT and the PLAB.However, such instruments can be taxing on a learner’s cognitive resources. The purpose of this studywas to assess and validate one type of L2 aptitude test, known as the Lunic Language Marathon (LLM),as a more accessible viable option compared to more well-known aptitude tests. In this study, 121university students participated in the validation study by taking the first two subsections of the LLM: theLunic Numbers and Lunic Writing. The results were analyzed using Rasch analysis. The findings revealedthat as a general measurement of L2 aptitude, the LLM is sufficient. Furthermore, a closer inspection ofthe Lunic Numbers subsection indicated that it was a reliable measurement of auditory memory.However, the Lunic Writing subsection suffered from a ceiling effect, affecting the reliability of thissection as a measurement of phonetic coding ability