Accent, Identity, and a Fear of Loss? ESL Students’ Perspectives

Abstract

Because many theorists propose a connection between accent and identity, some theorists have justifiably been concerned about the ethical ramifications of L2 pronunciation teaching. However, English-as-a-second-language (ESL) students often state a desire to sound like native speakers. With little research into ESL students’ perceptions of links between their accents and identities, including whether students fear loss of identity from L2-pronunciation learning, it is difficult to understand how these links affect language learning goals. In this mixed-methods study, ESL university students (N = 78) took a survey of 23 Likert-scale questions, with selected individuals participating in a semi-structured interview. Results show that participants desired a native accent, attributing benefits and positive emotions toward developing a native accent. Further, students did not recognize any fear of loss of identity due to their achieving a native accent.