Ethical Issue: Accent Bias in the L2 Classroom

Transcription

1 Ethical Issue: Accent Bias in the L2 Classroom The following document is a compilation of forum discussions from TESL 525: Teaching English Pronunciation with Professor Stephanie Stanford. I believe a variety of English accents glorify God. As we can see in Bible texts, God has created through the Holy Spirit a diversity of peoples, cultures, languages and systems. If we look to his natural world, the biodiversity is truly amazing. Since God never does anything without a sacred purpose, it becomes clear to those open to seeing, that diversity must have a purpose. The diversity in accents and languages seems just another form of God s greater plan. The interpretation of language between and amongst groups seems to broaden the associational chain of diversity. It leads us to nuance and therefore greater understandings by extrapolation in language. It seems the plan works against having only one neutral language structure by grand design. By respecting this grand design and understanding that we are all part of it, we can as teachers help ELL s to overcome the hurdles that pronunciation often places in learning to speak English intelligibly. What must then ask ourselves what is our role in resisting bias against intelligible but non-prestigious accents (or dialects) and how can we as teachers help learners reach their goals without at the same time reinforcing accent bias? We must keep in mind that we cannot mold a student s accent to sound exactly like that of an English native speaker. As teachers, we must aim for our students to be comprehensible and intelligible and help them deal with areas of pronunciation that may lead to communication breakdowns. Celce-Murcia, Brinton & Goodwin (2010) state that intelligibility does not refer to a complete lack of accent but rather an accent (which we

2 all have no matter which variety of English we speak) that does not distract the listener (p.274). The issue of intelligibility leads us to the question of which accent or model we should be targeting (Celce-Murcia et al, 2010). Cook (1999) argues that we have created an unattainable goal for students by focusing on the native speaker, causing the profession to overlook successful L2 users as a model. Cook proposes incorporating L2 user situations and roles into the classroom and setting language goals based on the L2 users in the outside world. Cook (1999) states the main benefits of recognizing that L2 users are speakers in their own right, however, will come from students and teachers having a positive image of L2 users rather than seeing them as failed native speakers (p.276). I agree that there is no one accent that all students should strive (such as that of a native American or British speaker) to meet but rather intelligibility should be the goal for all speakers of English including both native and nonnative speakers. We should make instructional decisions based on student s needs and desires with the view of language intelligibility in mind. Munro and Derwing (1995 ) found in a study that they conducted on 10 native Mandaran speakers that a strong foreign accent does not necessarily cause L2 speech to be low in comprehensibility or intelligibility. If comprehensibility and intelligibility are accepted as the most important goals for instruction in pronunciation, then the degree to which a particular speaker s speech is accented should be of minor concern and instruction should not focus on global accent reduction, but only on those aspects of the learner s speech that appear to interfere with listener s understanding (p.305).

3 We should see pronunciation instruction as adding a new skill to our ability as an English speaker rather than fixing a problem. Research also shows that apparent lack of intelligibility can be due to the attitude of the speakers, not just the pronunciation accuracy of the speakers. Celce-Murcia et al (2010) states that learners perceive three barriers to pronunciation improvement: physiological ( I can t change ), psychological ( I don t need to change ) and sociocultural ( I don t think it s good to change ) (p.35). As instructors, we need to be aware of these affective factors that impede or strengthen change so that we can help students to see how their native language has a place in their pronunciation and how their own motivation and personality also play a role. For learners wishing to attain nativelike pronunciation in the target language in order to avoid a stigma attached to their foreign accent, we must point out the beauty in the variety of their own accents. We must point out that accents and dialects are forms of differentiating people into groups within which there exist stereotypes, both positive and negative. I can do this by giving an example of various regional American accents and how they are used to tell things about Americans such as where we are from. Our role as teachers is to recognize the challenges of ELLs and help them to reach their goals with pronunciation practice. It is essential that we resist bias against intelligible but non-prestigious accents and focus attention on helping all ELLs to communicate effectively. Pronunciation practice can help reduce or soften an accent, which many ELLs desire, but tolerance, encouragement and patience are essential on the part of the teacher to help in the process. We must work to understand the nuances of the ELL s native language and recognize that certain English sounds may not exist within

4 their native tongue. I believe we must allow our learners to hear and evaluate a variety of accents. As Celce-Murcia et al (2010) states, such an approach would address both intelligibility and listening comprehension, increasing communicative flexibility and respect for accent diversity (p276).

5 References Celce-Murcia, M., Brinton, D. M., & Goodwin, J. M. (2010) Teaching pronunciation: A course book and reference guide. Location: Cambridge University Press. Cook, V. (1999). Going beyond the native speaker in language teaching. TESOL Quarterly, 33(2), Munro, M. J. and Derwing, T. M. (1995), Foreign accent, comprehensibility, and intelligibility in the speech of second language learners. Language Learning, 45,