Interrogating Structural Bias in Language Technology: Focusing on the Case of Voice Chatbots in South Korea

Abstract

The increasing use of language technology applications requires a more critical evaluation of the current state of language technology and its application than simply viewing it as an ideal and effective language learning aid. While an increased number of scholars have examined the issue of potential biases and hidden ideologies in language technology such as racism and gender discrimination, little attention has been paid to how the newly emerging language technology can contribute to reproduce the native speaker fallacy. This paper, focusing on the case of voice chatbots in Korea, critically examines how learning technology, in particular language technology applications, can potentially reproduce and reinforce the essentialist discourse of native speakerism, which posits native speaker accents as an ideal form of English and marginalizes nonnative English teachers and students.