The Most Attractive English Accent
Introduction
Despite differences in languages, there are still a number of differences between the accents of a language. According to the New Oxford American Dictionary, accent, in terms of sociolinguistics, is defined as the unique manner of pronunciation to a specific individual, region or nation. (Oxford University Press, 2005) Lippi, the author of English With an Accent: Language, Ideology, and Discrimination in the United States, believes that accents identify nationalities, socio-economic status, social class and more characteristics of speakers. (Lippi-Green, 1997) This study aims to investigate the most recognizable and attractive accent to English learners (Non-native speakers) among 10 different accents (American, British, Chinese, French, Indian, Irish, Italian, Russian, Scottish and Spanish). It is hypothesized that both male and female non-native speakers are attracted to British accent the most. In addition, Hongkongers score the least in accents recognition while both Russians and Italians distinguished the most among all participants. The third hypothesis states that the American accent is the easiest accent to be identified.
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Method
Attitudes Towards Accented Speech: A Comparative Study Of Native And Non-Native Speakers Of American English by Selim Ben Said, the study which is the basis of my own study, conducted the research using a focus group format. Five different accents, Romanian, Bulgarian, Arabic, Spanish and Mandarin were recorded from five male and female providers respectively. The recordings were, then, played to the participants anonymously in order to let the group rate from 1 – 5 on aspects of pleasant, friendliness, refinement, ease of understanding, confidence and other feelings according to each accent. Furthermore, two qualitative questions, for instance ‘To what extent do you agree that you want to hear a non-native speaker speaks your language without a flaw and accent?’ were asked to participants in order to get
Despite differences in languages, there are still a number of differences between the accents of a language. According to the New Oxford American Dictionary, accent, in terms of sociolinguistics, is defined as the unique manner of pronunciation to a specific individual, region or nation. (Oxford University Press, 2005) Lippi, the author of English With an Accent: Language, Ideology, and Discrimination in the United States, believes that accents identify nationalities, socio-economic status, social class and more characteristics of speakers. (Lippi-Green, 1997) This study aims to investigate the most recognizable and attractive accent to English learners (Non-native speakers) among 10 different accents (American, British, Chinese, French, Indian, Irish, Italian, Russian, Scottish and Spanish). It is hypothesized that both male and female non-native speakers are attracted to British accent the most. In addition, Hongkongers score the least in accents recognition while both Russians and Italians distinguished the most among all participants. The third hypothesis states that the American accent is the easiest accent to be identified.
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Method
Attitudes Towards Accented Speech: A Comparative Study Of Native And Non-Native Speakers Of American English by Selim Ben Said, the study which is the basis of my own study, conducted the research using a focus group format. Five different accents, Romanian, Bulgarian, Arabic, Spanish and Mandarin were recorded from five male and female providers respectively. The recordings were, then, played to the participants anonymously in order to let the group rate from 1 – 5 on aspects of pleasant, friendliness, refinement, ease of understanding, confidence and other feelings according to each accent. Furthermore, two qualitative questions, for instance ‘To what extent do you agree that you want to hear a non-native speaker speaks your language without a flaw and accent?’ were asked to participants in order to get
Bibliography: Lippi-Green, R., 1997. English With an Accent: Language, Ideology, and Discrimination in the United States. New York: Routledge. Said, S.B., 2001 Stevenson, A., Lindberg, C.A., 2005