Perceiving Identity through Accent: Attitudes towards Non-Native Speakers and their Accents in English (Contemporary Studies in Descriptive Linguistics)

Given the increasing use of English worldwide and in intercultural communication, there is a growing interest in attitudes towards non-native speaker accents in English. Research on attitudes towards non-native English accents is therefore important because of concerns about positive and negative discrimination between people who speak with different accents. This book reveals exactly what types of accent variations trigger positive and negative attitudes towards the speaker. The author argues that certain types of variation in the pronunciation of English can have a significant effect on how listeners identify an accent and explores how this variation affects the development of certain attitudes towards the speaker. Specific sounds that are difficult for many learners to acquire (e.g. the initial sounds in ‘this’ or ‘June’) are examined in terms of attitudes towards speakers’ pronunciation, including an original comparison of two different kinds of non-native accents (German and Greek). The results of the study provide a basis for further research in second language acquisition and applied linguistics as well as practical information for language instructors at all levels of English education. Cover Contents Figures Tables Acknowledgements Chapter 1 Introduction Chapter 2 English in a Changing World: Sociolinguistic and Social Psychological Issues Chapter 3 The Structure of Non-Native English Accents: Definitions, Norms and the Myth of the ‘Neu Chapter 4 Learnability in Second Language Acquisition Chapter 5 Hypotheses Chapter 6 Methodology Chapter 7 Solidarity and Status: Attitudes towards Non-Native English Accents Chapter 8 Perceived Variation in Pronunciation Chapter 9 Attitudes towards Variation in Specific Consonants Chapter 10 General Discussion and Conclusion Bibliography Appendixes Index Given the increasing use of English worldwide, attitudes towards non-native speaker accents in English is a growing research area. This author argues that certain types of variation in the pronunciation can have a significant effect on how listeners identify an accent and explores how this variation leads to certain attitudes towards the speaker.