Discrimination in Evaluative Judgments against Foreign-Accented Job Candidates

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of the ethnicity of speakers, as suggested in accents, on judgments of suitability for a job, and to establish the relationship between listeners' attitudes and the evaluation of accented speech. 203 subjects acted as personnel consultants and evaluated 10 job applicants for four jobs varying in social status. Five candidates spoke with an English-Canadian and five with a foreign accent. Data showed discrimination in favour of English-Canadian and against foreign-accented speakers, foreign-accented applicants were rated lower for the higher status jobs, but higher for lower status jobs. Measures of listeners' attitudes (authoritarianism and ethnocentrism) showed low but significant correlations with discrimination.

A Primer on Accent Discrimination in the Canadian Context

“…And Davila, Bohara, and Sanz (1993) reported that stronger accents were associated with lower incomes among Mexican Americans. In a Canadian study by Kalin and Rayko (1978), listeners judged speakers with a general Canadian accent as more suited than non-native speakers to highstatus jobs. Sato's (1998) examination of attitudes toward L2 accent in Alberta revealed effects of location (rural vs. urban) and education level (high school vs. university) of the listeners.…”

Credibility of native and non-native speakers of English revisited: Do non-native listeners feel the same?

“…The selective survey of research presented by Kalin and Rayko (1978) shows that a foreign accent plays an important role in communication -not only may it hinder mutual intelligibility, but it has also been shown to influence listeners' attitudes towards non-native speakers and may lead to discrimination. We consider it important to investigate what kind of judgements (e.g., intelligence, friendliness, reliability etc.)…”

“…Another study addressing discrimination against foreign-accented speakers was conducted by Kalin and Rayko (1978) who investigated the effects of the speakers' ethnicity on judgements of suitability for a job. The participants in their study, who were English-Canadian speakers, acted as personnel consultants and evaluated ten job applicants (five with a Canadian accent, five with a foreign accent) for four jobs varying in social status.…”

Perspective Taking as a Means of Reducing Negative Stereotyping of Individuals Who Speak English as a Second Language1

“…In these studies, status was a composite measure that, in addition to perceptions of factors such as wealth and success, included ratings of perceived intelligence and education. In addition, evidence has indicated that individuals with a foreign accent may be discriminated against when they apply for high-status jobs (Kalin & Rayko, 1978).…”