‘British is professional, American is urban’: attitudes towards English reference accents in Spain

Erin Carrie

doi:10.1111/ijal.12139

Abstract

The spread and diversification of English worldwide challenges the use of reference accents in EFL classrooms. Yet, learners often demonstrate greater recognition of, familiarity with and preference for inner‐circle varieties of English speech, especially Received Pronunciation (RP) and General American (GenAm). This paper investigates the attitudes of 71 university students in Spain towards these speech varieties. Using the verbal guise technique, it measures cognitive, affective and conative responses to speech stimuli. Qualitative comments, collected using questionnaires and interviews, help to interpret these evaluative responses. The findings suggest a desire to emulate RP, often associated with status and prestige, though greater solidarity and stronger affiliative feelings towards GenAm speakers. They highlight the complexity and dynamism of the language attitudes of EFL learners in the Spanish context.

Highlights

Since the 1960s, linguists have been investigating attitudes towards language in order to ascertain the ways in which language functions as a carrier of social meaning
This paper investigates the attitudes of Spanish EFL learners towards Received Pronunciation (RP) and General American (GenAm) speech, focusing on the nuances present in their evaluative responses
These are interpreted as competence and social attractiveness

Summary

Introduction

Since the 1960s, linguists have been investigating attitudes towards language in order to ascertain the ways in which language functions as a carrier of social meaning. This area of study has focused primarily on attitudes towards the English language. The global status held by English provides opportunities to investigate the linguistic variation that exists across, and within, its varieties, as well as the social-psychological phenomena underlying how varieties of the language and the speakers, societies and cultures they represent are perceived. Received Pronunciation (RP) and General American (GenAm) have received the most attention, overall. These are often portrayed as uniform and unchanging, when, they are neither. I will refer to them using the least ideologically loaded term: ‘reference accents’

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Conclusion