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Article published In: Journal of Second Language Pronunciation
Vol. 8:3 (2022) ► pp.413–443

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Disentangling professional competence and foreign accent

ORCiD logo with link | University of Calgary
ORCiD logo with link | Concordia University
ORCiD logo with link | University of Calgary
Published online: 29 September 2022
DOI logo with link
https://doi.org/10.1075/jslp.22013.tel
Abstract
This study examined listeners’ evaluations of first (L1) and second language (L2) English speech in work-related contexts. Ninety-six English-speaking listeners from Calgary rated audio recordings of 12 English speakers (6 L1 English, 6 L1 Tagalog) along three continua capturing one professional (competence), one experiential (treatment preference), and one linguistic (comprehensibility) dimension. The audio recordings additionally differed in terms of job prestige (high vs. low) and performance level (high vs. low). Compared to English speakers, Tagalog speakers were rated as less competent and comprehensible overall, and listeners wished to be treated more like the clients in scenarios recorded by English than Tagalog speakers, with all effects magnified for speakers with heavier foreign accents. Nonetheless, listeners generally evaluated English and Tagalog speakers similarly in low-prestige and in low-performance scenarios, but rated low performance less negatively in low-prestige positions. Findings demonstrate highly nuanced accent bias in work-related contexts.
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
  • 2.Background literature
  • 3.The current study
  • 4.Method
    • 4.1Recordings
    • 4.2Listeners
    • 4.3Materials and procedure
    • 4.4Data analysis
  • 5.Results
    • 5.1Competence
    • 5.2Treatment preference
    • 5.3Comprehensibility
  • 6.Discussion
    • 6.1Summary of findings
    • 6.2Competence and treatment preference
    • 6.3Comprehensibility
    • 6.4Listener variables as predictors of speaker ratings
  • 7.Limitations and future work
  • 8.Conclusion
  • Notes
  • References
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