Evaluations of Foreign Accented Speech: Subjective Bias or Speech Signal Characteristics?

It is often reported that native speakers negatively evaluate personality characteristics of second language (L2) speakers on the basis of their accent. Researchers have frequently concluded that such judgements result from implicit bias on the part of listeners, for whom an L2 accent triggers stereotypes about the ethnic or racial origin of the speaker. Within this research paradigm, little attention has been paid to quantifiable features of the speech signal that may also contribute to negative evaluations of accented speakers, independent of their ethnic or racial origins. A more detailed understanding of listener reactions to foreign accented speech, and the underlying linguistic variables that influence those reactions, can reveal complementary contributions of speakers and listeners to personal interactions. In this chapter, we report results from an empirical study in which 24 native-speaking undergraduate students rated monologic speech samples, produced by 36 L2 English speakers (18 Mandarin, 18 Slavic), for perceived fluency, comprehensibility, friendliness, intelligence, and listeners’ comfort interacting with each speaker. Relationships between listener ratings, and quantitative speech measures were examined across speakers, and as a function of speakers’ language background and speaking task. Results indicate that quantifiable features of L2 speech and task type influence reactions to foreign-accented speech