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Research paper Cross-cultural language use English (CLUE)
- Instelling
- Radboud Universiteit Nijmegen (RU)
Research paper Cross-cultural language use English (CLUE)
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In charge of evaluations: controllingaccented prejudice
An examination of the effect of prejudice control measures on the
evaluation of non-native accented speakers in English
16th of June 2023
Research paper
Number of words: 8153
Cross-cultural language use English
Pre-master Communicatie en Beïnvloeding
Radboud University Nijmegen
Teacher: F. van Meurs
,Abstract
Globalization has increased the number of non-native English speakers, leading to more non-
native accents. This study explores accent-based discrimination against non-native English-
speaking lecturers in an EMI context. Previous research shows negative evaluations for non-
native accented speakers, causing prejudice. However, not many studies have researched how
prejudice based on a person's accent can be prevented. The present study examines prejudice
control measures' impact on Dutch participants' evaluations of non-native accented speakers
in an EMI hiring context. Two interventions were conducted giving either no (control group),
implicit or explicit instructions on accent discrimination. Next participants were asked to
listen to audio fragments of a lecturer with either a slight or moderate Dutch accent. Results
showed limited impact of prejudice control measures. Interestingly, the prejudice control
instructions did affect perceived status and likeability. The study found that these measures
reduced discrimination based on accent-based discrimination on status and likeability. The
present study increases knowledge about accent discrimination and the influence of prejudice
control. The results from the study can be considered in developing recruitment practices to
prevent accent prejudice in the future.
2
, 1. Introduction
The world is becoming progressively globalized, meaning that people from all over the world
are interconnected with each other (Buchan et al., 2009). The increasing globalisation has led
to growing numbers of non-native speakers of English and therefore also an increasing
number of speakers with a non-native accent in English (Dewey, 2007; van Meurs et al.,
2013). This non-native accentedness refers to the presence of a foreign accent in an
individual's speech, which may arise due to the influence of their native language or dialect
(Dragojevic et al., 2017).
Next to that, the increase in globalization has led to an increase in the use of the
English language as a lingua franca, meaning that it is a commonly used means of
communication between people with different mother tongues. The English language has
therefore turned into a widely known language that is used for intercultural communication
(Smokotin et al., 2014). With English being the lingua franca in an increasing number of
countries, including the Netherlands, even more information is transmitted in English. An
increasing number of educational institutions are incorporating EMI (English as a Medium of
Instruction) into courses that were formerly taught in native languages (Coleman, 2006;
Dearden, 2015). This has led to an increasing number of lecturers who are required to teach
in English, while they are non-native speakers of English. This new trend has led therefore
led to more lecturers having a non-native accent in English-speaking. This non-nativeness in
English can however lead to difficulties for these non-native English-speaking lecturers in
terms of their language abilities, teaching efficacy and discrimination based on their accent
(Wächter & Maiworm, 2014).
Several studies have investigated the effects of speaking with a non-native accent in
comparison to speaking with a native accent. These studies have shown that speakers with
non-native accents are often evaluated more negatively by listeners, compared to those who
are native speakers of the same language (Fuertes et al., 2012; van Meurs et al., 2013). Non-
native accentedness can therefore result in negative evaluations of the speaker's intelligence,
competence, and social skills, which can lead to prejudice and discrimination towards the
speaker (Giles & Coupland, 1991). Accented speech can thus influence listeners' perceptions
and social judgments of the speakers.
According to Inbar-Louri and Donitsa-Schmidt (2020), accented prejudice also been a
problem in EMI situations. Their study explored whether a lecturer’s native or non-native
3
, background in English is important in the context of EMI. They found that non-native
speakers of English can be downgraded by both native and non-native English-speaking
listeners. This highlights the potential for accent-based discrimination against lecturers in
EMI. In addition, Hendriks et al. (2021) focused on lecturers' non-native accent strength in
English and found that both native and non-native English students evaluated lecturers with
stronger accents less favorably in terms of intelligibility and teaching quality. The fact that
non-native accented speakers are rated more negatively has therefore also been shown in a
teaching context, where EMI lecturers were rated lower when they had a non-native accent
compared to lecturers with a native accent (Hendriks et al., 2021, Roessel et al., 2019). Also,
the strength of the accent might have an effect on the evaluation of the speaker. Hendriks et
al. (2021) found that the strength of the non-native lecturers’ accent had a significant impact
on the speech intelligibility, status and teaching quality for both native and non-native
English-speaking students. Moderately non-native accented lecturers were evaluated more
negatively on these factors than lecturers with slight or native accents (Hendriks et al., 2021).
What is also interesting is that research has found that listeners who have the same first
language as a non-native accented speaker rate them more negatively than listeners who do
not share the same first language with the speaker (Hendriks et al., 2021). This was mostly
found for listeners from the Netherlands. This phenomenon may be due to a sense of
vicarious shame that is felt by Dutch listeners when they hear a Dutch accent when someone
is speaking in a foreign language (Hendriks, van Meurs & Reimer, 2018). These results may
lead to the conclusion that there is more prejudice against lecturers with moderate non-native
accents and that listeners have more prejudice when they have the same first language as the
lecturer. However, it is not always shown to be the case that listeners who share the same first
language with the non-native speaker evaluate them as more negative (van den Doel and
Quené, 2013). This shows the complexity of studying perceptions and evaluations of accents.
In a real-life situation it is not desirable for listeners to be prejudiced against speakers
with a non-native accent. Earlier research has investigated different interventions that can be
made to help reduce prejudice and bias based on accents. Improving listeners' ability to
process non-native accents more easily can for example positively impact their attitudes
towards accented speakers. This suggests that increasing fluency can reduce prejudice
towards non-native accented speakers (Dragojevic, 2020). In the study of Hansen et al.
(2014) an intervention was presented in which participants' own experiences change their
evaluation of others inconspicuously. In the study, participants in the experimental group
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