Asian varieties of English: Attitudes towards pronunciation

Abstract

According to previous studies, Japanese EFL learners who wish to acquire American or British English pronunciation are reluctant to speak their L1-accented English. In view of this tendency, the present study examined the attitudes of Asian learners toward their L1-accented English. University students from Japan, South Korea, and Malaysia evaluated their English pronunciation by responding to a questionnaire. The results of the survey revealed the extent to which their acceptance of their English accents differs: the Malaysian students highly valued their accented English, while the Japanese and Koreans disapproved of their own varieties of English and indicated their preference for native English pronunciation. In particular, the Japanese participants' negative attitude toward their Japanese-accented English was found to be the greatest among the three groups. The distinct trend among the groups will be discussed with consideration of the historical and political backgrounds in the societies which might have impacted on the process of constructing L2 learners' language identity. These backgrounds should have a substantial influence on current educational policy and social actions in each country. Finally, pedagogical implications for English education in Japan will be argued discussed.

Japanese Learner Preferences for Varieties of English and Oral Assessment

“…Iimura and Kimizuka (2011) reported in their study of 16 Japanese international students that these participants did not show negative attitudes toward Japanese English. However, the findings from these two studies are at odds with the fındings of previous studies (Fraser, 2006;Matsuda, 2003;Tokumoto & Shibata, 2011) which all suggested that Japanese learners of English view Japanese English negatively as a language variety.…”

The competence and warmth of Thai students’ attitudes towards varieties of English: the effect of gender and perceptions of L1 diversity

“…This finding is perhaps surprising given the results of equivalent studies undertaken in Japan (McKenzie, 2008a(McKenzie, , 2010Tokumoto and Shibata, 2011), China (Xu et al, 2010), South Korea (Yook and Lindemann, 2013) and Oman (Buckingham, 2015) where university students were repeatedly found to rate the status of their own forms of English significantly less positively than L1 English speech, though in some cases again significantly more favourably than Chinese and Indian English (McKenzie and Gilmore, 2015 early view). Table 2, again demonstrated comparatively favourable warmth ratings for the Thai English speaker, and significantly higher than the Indian, Japanese, Mid-West US and Chinese speakers.…”

How non-native English-speaking staff are evaluated in linguistically diverse organizations: A sociolinguistic perspective

“…Jenkins, 2007;Kachru, 1982;McKenzie, 2008;Tokumoto & Shibata, 2011). Judgments about spoken varieties of English, as Tokumoto and Shibata (2011) explain, are connected to the often made categorization of English users into 'native speakers' (whose accent is described as 'standard) and 'non-native speakers' (considered to speak with a 'non-standard' accent). Notwithstanding the global spread of English and the diversity of its users, 'proper' English is still seen as the prerogative of the UK and US (Jenkins, 2007).…”

“…In the context of different varieties of English, language attitudes have been studied especially by scholars interested in 'world Englishes' (e.g. Jenkins, 2007;Kachru, 1982;McKenzie, 2008;Tokumoto & Shibata, 2011). Judgments about spoken varieties of English, as Tokumoto and Shibata (2011) explain, are connected to the often made categorization of English users into 'native speakers' (whose accent is described as 'standard) and 'non-native speakers' (considered to speak with a 'non-standard' accent).…”