VIETNAMESE LEARNERS’ ATTITUDES TOWARDS AMERICAN AND BRITISH ACCENTS

Authors

  • Huong Le Thu Phan Department of English Language, Hong Bang International University, Vietnam

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.46827/ejel.v6i2.3498

Keywords:

RP, GA, attitudes, verbal guise, EFL

Abstract

English possesses different varieties due to its worldwide usage which challenges the tendency of favorite accents among EFL classrooms in non-English speaking countries. However, learners show more positive familiarity and preference for General American English (GA) and British English, Received Pronunciation (RP) which are grouped as the inner-circle of English. This study investigated 53 students in a university in southern part of Vietnam. They were asked to complete an online questionnaire which examined their evaluations of two accents on different traits of status and solidarity, their preference and familiarity. A verbal guise technique is employed with two female native speakers. The data was analyzed by SPSS with different T-tests and ANOVA. The study revealed that the respondents showed greater recognition and evaluations for GA which associated with prestige, familiarity and social attractiveness. Nearly two-thirds of participants revealed a preference to the American speaker although more than half of them did not recognize where she was from.

Author Biography

  • Huong Le Thu Phan, Department of English Language, Hong Bang International University, Vietnam
    Huong Phan is a lecturer in American and British literature in the Department of English Language at Hong Bang International University, Vietnam. She earned her MA in TESOL and Applied Linguistics from Manchester Metropolitan University, Manchester, UK. Her main research interests are in the area of second language acquisition (SLA), specifically metacognitive awareness, task-based interaction, collaborative writing and written corrective feedback.

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Published

2020-12-24

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