Accent prestige and linguistic hierarchies: comparing regional Philippine English accents to Standard American English

Guided by communication accommodation theory and the fluency principle of language attitudes, this experimental study examined the serial mediation effects of processing fluency and inferred motives on language attitudes toward standard- and non-standard-accented speech. Using the matched guise technique, participants were randomly assigned to listen to an audio recording read in either a Standard American English (SAE) or Indian Tamil English (ITE) accent. Compared to the ITE accent, participants who listened to the SAE accent reported significantly higher processing fluency of the speaker's talk, more positive inferred cognitive motive from the speaker, and attributed higher solidarity to the speaker. However, the experimental conditions yielded no differences in inferred affective motive or status evaluations. Mediation analysis indicated significant indirect effects on status and solidarity through processing fluency and inferred cognitive motives as serial mediators. The indirect effects through inferred affective motive were not significant. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.

Speech-language pathologists who serve people with aphasia must be prepared to evaluate and treat agrammatism. We focus here on fundamental information about this communication disorder, particularly its features in English, dialects of English, and several different languages around the world. It is important to examine agrammatism across dialects and languages, since the disorder is not uncommon, and it is manifested differently, depending on the grammatical structure of the dialect or language in question.

How well L2 English is understood and how L2 English speakers perceive one another within varying communication contexts has been studied relatively rarely, even though most speakers of English in the world are L2 speakers. In this matched-guise experiment (N = 1699) the effects of L1 and L2 English accents and communication context were tested on speech understandability (intelligibility, comprehensibility, interpretability) and speaker evaluations (status, affect, dynamism). German (N = 617), Spanish (N = 540), and Singaporean listeners (N = 542) were asked to evaluate three accents (Dutch-accented English, standard British English, standard American English) in three communication contexts (Lecture, Audio Tour, Job Pitch). The main finding is that the Dutch-accented English accent was understood as well as the two L1 English accents. Furthermore, Dutch-accented English evoked equally positive evaluations to the two L1 English accents in German listeners, and more positive evaluations than the two L1 English accents in Spanish and Singaporean listeners. These results suggest that accent training aimed at achieving an L1 English accent may not always be necessary for (Dutch) English language learners, especially when they are expected to mostly interact with other L2 speakers of English. More generally, our results indicate that L2 English speakers’ understanding and their evaluation of L1 and L2 Englishes would not seem to reflect traditional language norms. Instead, they seem to reflect the socio-cultural embedding of a language norm in a Lingua Franca English speech community that does not view accent varieties as a hindrance to successful communication.

Relation of dialect to phonological processing: African American Vernacular English vs. Standard American English

Difference or Deficit in Speakers of African American English?

Listeners can readily differentiate words spoken in an African American English (AAE) dialect from a Standard American English (SAE) dialect, even in absence of distinctive morphosyntactic features. However, it is still unclear what acoustic-phonetic cues listeners utilize to rapidly distinguish AAE from SAE. This study investigates the informativeness of various acoustic-phonetic cues to the characterization of AAE dialect. V and VC sequences (with C = /n/, /m/, /l/, /r/) from speech of 7 female speakers (4 SAE and 3 AAE), recorded during sociolinguistic interviews, were randomly selected and acoustically analyzed, controlling for coarticulatory context. Acoustic cues of F1, F2, F3, F4 formant trajectories, formant bandwidth, pitch variation, duration, intensity, and voice quality measures (e.g., harmonic-to-noise ratio, jitter, shimmer, and spectral slope) were measured in these segments to identify the extent of their contribution to separating AAE and SAE. The results from machine learning modeling of acoustic cues demonstrate that speech within an AAE dialect entails distinct acoustic characteristics and voice quality compared to SAE speech. These separate acoustic patterns between AAE and SAE dialect indicate the need for including dialect-specific acoustic cues both in automatic speech recognition applications and clinical assessments of speech-language disorders.

English Proficiency of Learners Taught Using Standard English and Philippine English

This study examined the relation between African American preschoolers' use of African American English (AAE) and their language and emergent literacy skills in an effort to better understand the perplexing and persistent difficulties many African American children experience learning to read proficiently. African American preschoolers' (n = 63) vocabulary skills were assessed in the fall and their language and emergent literacy skills were assessed in the spring. The relation between students' AAE use and their vocabulary and emergent literacy skills was examined using hierarchical linear modeling (HLM), controlling for fall vocabulary and other child, family, and school variables. Children's use of AAE was examined across two contexts-sentence imitation and oral narrative using a wordless storybook prompt. There was a significant -shaped relation between the frequency with which preschoolers used AAE features and their language and emergent literacy skills. Students who used AAE features with greater or lesser frequency demonstrated stronger sentence imitation, letter-word recognition, and phonological awareness skills than did preschoolers who used AAE features with moderate frequency, controlling for fall vocabulary skills. Fewer preschoolers used AAE features during the sentence imitation task with explicit expectations for Standard American English (SAE) or School English than they did during an oral narrative elicitation task with implicit expectations for SAE. The nonlinear relation between AAE use and language and emergent literacy skills, coupled with systematic differences in AAE use across contexts, indicates that some preschoolers may be dialect switching between AAE and SAE, suggesting emerging pragmatic/metalinguistic awareness.

There have been numerous debates about African-American Vernacular English (AAVE), the most widely studied American English variety primarily spoken by African-Americans. This paper explores the nature of AAVE, trying to reveal it as a distinct linguistic variety and identity marker, highlighting its sociolinguistic implications and its relation to Standard English (SE). AAVE’s origins are revealed in the study through the dialectologist hypothesis, which traces its features to non-standard British dialects, and the Creole hypothesis, which links it to Creole languages formed during the transatlantic slave trade. Its lexical impact on Standard American English (SAE) is evident through the widespread adoption of AAVE-originated vocabulary in mainstream discourse facilitated by pop culture and digital media. The research analyses the existing literature, comparing AAVE with SAE in terms of phonology and syntax, drawing from the scholarly works of Rickford, Green, and Morgan. The findings of the study indicate that AAVE’s linguistics features, including copula deletion, negative concord, aspectual markers, and subject-auxiliary inversion, illustrate its complexity and rule-governed nature. Furthermore, the study addresses the social implications of AAVE in the framework of public performance by middle-class African-Americans, as well as the widespread linguistic discrimination Africans face together with the educational challenges they encounter. Public performances of political leaders such as Barack Obama, Martin Luther King, and well-known talk show host Oprah Winfrey have been analyzed, emphasizing their sociolinguistic code-switching ability where speakers adjust their pronunciation and shift between different linguistic styles and dialects based on audience and context. Research outcomes prove that AAVE has deep historical and cultural roots; thus, it needs proper recognition and valuation for linguistic equity. The findings underscore the necessity of integrating the contrastive analysis teaching method to bridge the linguistic gap between AAVE and SAE. This will promote linguistic justice and inclusivity, particularly in educational frameworks, where code-switching and contrastive approaches can enhance literacy and academic performance. Աֆրոամերիկյան ժողովրդական անգլերենը (այսուհետ՝ ԱԱԺԱ)՝ ամերիկյան անգլերենի ամենաշատ ուսումնասիրված տարատեսակը, որը հիմնականում օգտագործում են աֆրոամերիկացիները, դարձել է բազմաթիվ քննարկումների առարկա։ Հոդվածում ուսումնասիրվում է ԱԱԺԱ -ի բնույթը՝ բացահայտելով այն որպես առանձին լեզվական տիպ ևինքնության ցուցիչ, ընդգծելով դրա սոցիալ-լեզվաբանական նշանակությունը և կապը ստանդարտ անգլերենի հետ։ Ուսումնասիրության շրջանակներում ԱԱԺԱ-ի ծագումը դիտարկվում է երկու վարկածների միջոցով՝ բարբառագիտական, որը կապում է դրա առանձնահատկությունները ոչ ստանդարտ բրիտանական բարբառների հետ, և կրեոլյան, որը կապում է դրա ծագումը կրեոլյան լեզուների հետ, որոնք ձևավորվել են տրանսատլանտյան ստրկավաճառության շրջանում։ ԱԱԺԱ-ի բառապաշարային ազդեցությունը ստանդարտ ամերիկյան անգլերենի վրա դրսևորվում է հիմնական խոսույթում ԱԱԺԱ-ից փոխառված մի շարք բառերի լայն տարածմամբ, ինչին նպաստում են փոփ մշակույթը և թվային լրատվամիջոցները։ Հոդվածում վերլուծվում է առկա գիտական գրականությունը՝ ԱԱԺԱ-ն համեմատվում է ստանդարտ ամերիկյան անգլերենի հետ հնչյունաբանության և շարահյուսության տեսանկյուններից՝ հիմք ընդունելով Ռիքֆորդի, Գրինի և Մորգանի գիտական աշխատությունները։ Ուսումնասիրության արդյունքները ցույց են տալիս, որ ԱԱԺԱ-ի լեզվական առանձնահատկությունները, այդ թվում՝ օժանդակ բայի բացակայությունը, կրկնակի ժխտումը, կերպիմաստային ցուցիչները ևենթակայի ու օժանդակ բայի շրջադասությունը, վկայում են դրա բարդության և կանոնակարգված բնույթի մասին։ Այնուհետև հոդվածում դիտարկվում են ԱԱԺԱ-ի սոցիալական դրսևորումները միջին խավի աֆրոամերիկացիների հրապարակային խոսքում, ինչպես նաև լայնորեն տարածված լեզվական խտրականության և կրթական դժվարությունների խնդիրները, որոնց բախվում են աֆրոամերիկացիները։ Վերլուծվում են քաղաքական առաջնորդների, ինչպիսիք են Բարաք Օբաման և Մարտին Լյութեր Քինգը, ինչպես նաև հայտնի թոք-շոուի հաղորդավար Օփրա Ուինֆրիի, հրապարակային ելույթները՝ ընդգծելով նրանց սոցիալ-լեզվաբանական կոդափոխման ունակությունը, երբ խոսողը հարմարեցնում է իր արտասանությունը ևանցում կատարում տարբեր լեզվական ոճերի ու բարբառների՝ կախված լսարանից և համատեքստից։ Ուսումնասիրության արդյունքները ապացուցում են, որ ԱԱԺԱ-նունի խորը պատմական և մշակութային արմատներ, ուստի՝ այն պետք է արժանանա պատշաճ ճանաչման և գնահատման՝ լեզվական իրավահավասարության ապահովման նպատակով։ Արդյունքներն ընդգծում են կրթական գործընթացում ԱԱԺԱ-ի և ստանդարտ ամերիկյան անգլերենի միջև լեզվական բացը լրացնելու համար հակադրողական վերլուծության ուսուցման մեթոդի ներմուծման անհրաժեշտությունը։ Դա կնպաստի լեզվական արդարությանը և ներառականությանը, հատկապես կրթական միջավայրում, որտեղ կոդափոխումը և հակադրողական մոտեցումները կարող են բարձրացնել գրագիտության մակարդակը ևակադեմիական առաջադիմությունը։

Using a 2 (speaker accent: standard American, Asian) x 2 (speakers' sex: male, female) between-subjects design, the present study examined the effects of accent and sex on listeners' cognitive and affective reactions towards speakers with standard American English accents and Asian accents. 70 female and 27 male college students (M = 21.8 yr., SD = 4.7) listened to the audio recording of a monologue by one of the speakers in the early 20s who differed in accent and sex. Standard American English was operationalized as nonaccented English, typical of the western part of the USA, and Vietnamese-accented English was used as an exemplar of Asian-accented English. Results showed that relative to standard American-accented English speakers, Asian-accented English speakers were perceived as poorer communicators who were less potent, less threatening, and more concerned about others. These cognitive reactions to Asian-accented English speakers include (a) the general stereotype associated with an accent, status and solidarity, as well as (b) the stereotype unique to Asians as an ethnic group, being concerned for others and poorer communicators. Analysis also showed that speakers with an Asian accent evoked more negative affect and required more attention from listeners than did speakers with a standard American English accent. Implications of the study are discussed.

Notwithstanding a body of research examining the way names are associated with the perception and treatment of individuals across social contexts, scant attention has been paid to the study of names in language attitudes research. This study explores American English listeners’ evaluative reactions to standard American and Spanish-accented English when exposed to a name indexing ethnic affiliation (White or Latinx). Participants listened to recordings and rated them along the dimensions of status and solidarity, and perceived accentedness. Additionally, listeners’ expectations about name–accent pairings were measured, and responses about how they reasoned these expectations were also collected and analysed thematically. The results showed that, overall, standard American English was more positively evaluated for status, but not solidarity, than Spanish-accented English. Relatedly, although names were not associated with solidarity or accentedness, there was an effect in which speakers paired with Latinx names were attributed higher status when compared to a control group (audio only). Furthermore, name–accent pairings were a reliable predictor of the valence of listeners’ expectations, which the thematic analysis revealed were underpinned by ideologies of nativeness, raciolinguistic ideologies and ideologies of goodness-of-fit. These findings underscore the importance of exploring other non-verbal cues such as names to better understand listeners’ language attitudes.

In this paper, I draw attention to the validity of the Oakland School Board's resolution on Ebonics, and to the value of ESL‐based approaches to the teaching of ‘Standard American English’ to speakers of other dialects of American English. I do so by demonstrating the validity of comparisons made between monodialectal speakers of African‐American Language (AAL)/‘Ebonics’ and low‐level ESL students, and by illustrating the bidialectalism‐instilling potential of the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL). Use of this proficiency test puts the spotlight on a much‐neglected area, namely, the bidialectal or dialect‐specific nature of listening comprehension for pre‐college and first‐year students raised in the inner city. The findings of two longitudinal studies are cited to demonstrate that, for many Ebonics‐speakers, SAE is much like a second language. The students' performance on the TOEFL, particularly on the listening comprehension and grammar sections, suggests that both comprehension and production of ‘Standard English’ can be problematic for transitional students whose first language is AAL. The pedagogical implications of this finding are carefully explored.Every time I say something the way I say it, she correct me until I say it some other way. Pretty soon it feel like I can't think. My mind run up on a thought, git confuse, run back and sort of lay down.….Look like to me only a fool would want you to talk in a way that feel peculiar to your mind.(Alice Walker, 1982: 183–4)

The present study examined the perceptions of 35 international students who had learned English as a second language (ESL) and who were enrolled in three state universities in Louisiana. Recorded passages consisting of speech samples of two speakers with a Cajun English (CE) dialect and two speakers with a Standard American English (SAE) dialect were presented to the participants. After listening to each recording, the participants were asked to rate several aspects of the speakers by filling out a short survey questionnaire, which was constructed for the purpose of the present study. The questionnaire contained Likert-type scale items that pertained to the speakers' intelligibility of speech, personality (likability), education, income, and employment status. The results suggested that a bias was present among international students in regards to their perceptions of CE speakers' education, income, and employment status, but SAE and CE speakers were viewed almost similarly in terms of intelligibility and likability.

Parsing Pragmatics

Apart form the word content and identity of a speaker; speech also conveys information about several soft biometric traits such as accent and gender. Accurate classification of these features can have a direct impact on present speech systems. An accent specific dictionary or word models can be used to improve accuracy of speech recognition systems. Gender and accent information can also be used to improve the performance of speaker recognition systems. In this paper, we distinguish between standard American English and Indian Accented English using the second and third formant frequencies of specific accent markers. A GMM classification is used on the feature set for each accent group. The results show that using just the formant frequencies of these accent markers is sufficient to achieve a suitable classification for these two accent groups.