Accent, Attitudes, and the Speech-Language Pathologist

This research provides an updated survey about the beliefs held by speech-language pathologists (SLPs) and SLP students concerning SLPs who have non-standard accents. Of specific interest are participant\u27s thoughts about the minimal level of intelligibility an SLP should have to be effective and thoughts about which clinical populations are affected by accents, as well as information about the comments and actions targeted at SLPs who speak with non-standard accents, and an understanding about how the field has improved over time. An online survey collected quantitative and qualitative data from 52 SLPs and 33 students, primarily from NY and VA. The results indicate a need for research that shows how accent affects clinical populations, so beliefs about minimal intelligibility can be justified. Furthermore, they indicate a positive development in the field in terms of comments targeted at SLPs, though suggestions for future study and improvements in policy are discussed