The Role of Variety Recognition in Japanese University Students' Attitudes towards English Speech Varieties

Autor/in	McKenzie, Robert M.
Titel	The Role of Variety Recognition in Japanese University Students' Attitudes towards English Speech Varieties
Quelle	In: Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development, 29 (2008) 2, S.139-153 (15 Seiten)Infoseite zur Zeitschrift PDF als Volltext Verfügbarkeit
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	gedruckt; online; Zeitschriftenaufsatz
ISSN	0143-4632
Schlagwörter	Student Attitudes; Language Attitudes; Native Speakers; English (Second Language); Second Language Learning; Language Variation; Validity; College Students; North American English; Japanese; Pronunciation; Social Desirability; Foreign Countries; Attitude Measures; Measures (Individuals); United Kingdom + Suchen Sie Ihr Suchwort? Schülerverhalten; Sprachverhalten; Muttersprachler; English as second language; English; Second Language; Englisch als Zweitsprache; Zweitsprachenerwerb; Sprachenvielfalt; Gültigkeit; Collegestudent; Amerikanisches Englisch; Japaner; Japanisch; Aussprache; Soziales Bedürfnis; Ausland; Messdaten; Großbritannien
Abstract	Language attitude studies have tended to assume that informants who listen to and evaluate speech stimuli are able to identify with consistent accuracy the varieties of English in question. However, misidentification could reduce the validity of any results obtained, particularly when it involves the evaluations of non-native English-speaking informants, who are likely to have had less exposure to varieties of English speech. The present study investigated the perceptions of 558 Japanese university students of six varieties of English speech. The results indicated that whilst evaluations of speakers of UK and US English were particularly positive in terms of status, a Japanese speaker of heavily-accented English was rated most favourably in terms of social attractiveness. The findings from an additional dialect recognition question demonstrated that accurate identification had a significant positive effect upon the perceived status of native varieties of English, suggesting a tendency amongst the informants to look to native speakers to provide "notions of correctness". The results also imply that Japanese learners retain representations of varieties of English speech and draw upon this resource, whether consciously or unconsciously, in order to identify and evaluate (speakers of) these speech varieties. (Contains 4 tables.) (As Provided).
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Erfasst von	ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), Washington, DC
Update	2017/4/10