Native Speaker Response to Non-Native Accent: A Review of Recent Research

Research has generally shown that without early exposure, non-native speakers cannot achieve a native-like accent in a foreign language (Gass & Selinker, 2001, p. 336). Differences in pronunciation, stress, rhythm, and intonation remain. Nevertheless, accent has been shown to affect how native s...

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Main Author: Elizabeth Reddington
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Columbia University Libraries 2008-12-01
Series:Studies in Applied Linguistics & TESOL
Online Access:https://journals.library.columbia.edu/index.php/SALT/article/view/1495
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spelling doaj-b3d4c72621934b85849c3448fa4b79992020-11-25T02:09:23ZengColumbia University LibrariesStudies in Applied Linguistics & TESOL2689-193X2008-12-018210.7916/salt.v8i2.1495Native Speaker Response to Non-Native Accent: A Review of Recent ResearchElizabeth ReddingtonResearch has generally shown that without early exposure, non-native speakers cannot achieve a native-like accent in a foreign language (Gass & Selinker, 2001, p. 336). Differences in pronunciation, stress, rhythm, and intonation remain. Nevertheless, accent has been shown to affect how native speakers (NSs) evaluate non-native speakers (NNSs). This single speech characteristic has been openly cited as justification for much broader judgments about individuals. Lippi-Green (1997), for example, highlights several cases in the U.S. in which NNSs lost jobs due to their accents, such as that of an Indian woman (who had studied English for over 20 years) deemed unfit for a librarian’s position because of her “‘heavy accent’” and “‘speech patterns’” (p. 153). Matsuda (1991) reports on U.S. doctors who lost their malpractice insurance because the company felt accent would prevent them from successfully defending themselves in a lawsuit (p. 1346). https://journals.library.columbia.edu/index.php/SALT/article/view/1495
collection DOAJ
language English
format Article
sources DOAJ
author Elizabeth Reddington
spellingShingle Elizabeth Reddington
Native Speaker Response to Non-Native Accent: A Review of Recent Research
Studies in Applied Linguistics & TESOL
author_facet Elizabeth Reddington
author_sort Elizabeth Reddington
title Native Speaker Response to Non-Native Accent: A Review of Recent Research
title_short Native Speaker Response to Non-Native Accent: A Review of Recent Research
title_full Native Speaker Response to Non-Native Accent: A Review of Recent Research
title_fullStr Native Speaker Response to Non-Native Accent: A Review of Recent Research
title_full_unstemmed Native Speaker Response to Non-Native Accent: A Review of Recent Research
title_sort native speaker response to non-native accent: a review of recent research
publisher Columbia University Libraries
series Studies in Applied Linguistics & TESOL
issn 2689-193X
publishDate 2008-12-01
description Research has generally shown that without early exposure, non-native speakers cannot achieve a native-like accent in a foreign language (Gass & Selinker, 2001, p. 336). Differences in pronunciation, stress, rhythm, and intonation remain. Nevertheless, accent has been shown to affect how native speakers (NSs) evaluate non-native speakers (NNSs). This single speech characteristic has been openly cited as justification for much broader judgments about individuals. Lippi-Green (1997), for example, highlights several cases in the U.S. in which NNSs lost jobs due to their accents, such as that of an Indian woman (who had studied English for over 20 years) deemed unfit for a librarian’s position because of her “‘heavy accent’” and “‘speech patterns’” (p. 153). Matsuda (1991) reports on U.S. doctors who lost their malpractice insurance because the company felt accent would prevent them from successfully defending themselves in a lawsuit (p. 1346).
url https://journals.library.columbia.edu/index.php/SALT/article/view/1495
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