Perceptions of foreign-accented lecture-style speech: Contributing to evidence-based language policy

International audienceThe symbolic value of our accent extends beyond its specific acoustic features (Brown & Levinson, 1979). Subconscious language-based discrimination, in the form of latent, intra-individual, perceptual stereotypes and prejudice, is a well-documented phenomenon, despite the fact that most people would subscribe to overt tolerance. Listeners’ perception of foreign-accented speech (FAS) and their ability to understand it have been extensively studied in the fields of social psychology, sociolinguistics and applied linguistics (Miller & Hewgill, 1964; Brenan & Brennan 1982; Bresnahan et al. 2002; Lev-Ari & Kaysar 2010; Kavas & Kavas 2008; Rubin & Smith 1992; Gluszek & Dovidio 2010). Such work has confirmed that socio-psychological factors influence the way our speech is received by listeners, in addition to their perceptual abilities and/or cognitive processing ease. It is reasonable to believe that for the increasing numbers of European university students receiving English-medium instruction (EMI), the ease with which they can process – and accept – accented speech is a key issue in their academic and professional development. This has become especially relevant since 1999’s Bologna Process, when many European universities began a concerted effort to “internationalize” their student body. Concomitantly, EMI has become more and more common, especially at Master’s level and usually in northern Europe.The pilot study described here draws on research in several fields to investigate status ratings of foreign-accented speakers, specifically on the evaluation of lecture-style speech. A two-stage perception test was administered to 21 Czech and 19 French listeners, as well as to 12 native English-speaking listeners (predominantly American). Participants listened to lecture-style passages recorded by both male and female speakers, specifically: 8 native English speakers, 5 native French speakers and 12 native Czech speakers. The lecture-style passages included topics from economics, political science, natural sciences, and linguistics. One underlying assumption about lectures is that listeners expect the teacher or professor to be competent. How does foreign-accented speech affect the perception of a speaker’s status, in relation to competence? Our hypothesis for this pilot experiment was that native speakers will receive higher ratings for competence.The results highlight the complexity of the perception of socio-indexical characteristics, especially when it is based uniquely on acoustic features. Two things are clear. First, in studies which examine the evaluation of speakers’ personality – whether in their native language or when speaking a foreign language – great emphasis must be put on experimental design, specifically on eliminating any undesirable variables. Second, speaker-perception studies offer a concrete means to obtain valuable evidence about the potential impact of foreign-accented speakers teaching in English – or any other non-native language. Therefore, if evidence-based decisions are to become more widespread in higher education language policy, more such studies should be undertaken