An Investigation into Non-English Major Students’ Attitudes towards English Native Speakers’ and Non-Native Speakers’ Accents: An Example at Spark English Center

VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES DEPARTMENT OF POST GRADUATE STUDIES -*** - NGUYỄN THỊ QUỲNH TRANG AN INVESTIGATION INTO NON-ENGLISH MAJOR STUDENTS’ ATTITUDES TOWARDS ENGLISH NATIVE SPEAKERS’ AND NON-NATIVE SPEAKERS’ ACCENTS: AN EXAMPLE AT SPARK ENGLISH CENTER NGHIÊN CỨU THÁI ĐỘ CỦA SINH VIÊN KHÔNG CHUYÊN TIẾNG ANH VỚI GIỌNG BẢN NGỮ VÀ PHI BẢN NGỮ: MỘT VÍ DỤ CỤ THỂ TẠI TRUNG TÂM ANH NGỮ SPARK M.A MINOR PROGRAMME THESIS Field: English Teaching Methodology Code: 60140111 HANOI – 2015 VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES DEPARTMENT OF POST GRADUATE STUDIES -*** - NGUYỄN THỊ QUỲNH TRANG AN INVESTIGATION INTO NON-ENGLISH MAJOR STUDENTS’ ATTITUDES TOWARDS ENGLISH NATIVE SPEAKERS’ AND NON-NATIVE SPEAKERS’ ACCENTS: AN EXAMPLE AT SPARK ENGLISH CENTER NGHIÊN CỨU THÁI ĐỘ CỦA SINH VIÊN KHÔNG CHUYÊN TIẾNG ANH VỚI GIỌNG BẢN NGỮ VÀ PHI BẢN NGỮ: MỘT VÍ DỤ CỤ THỂ TẠI TRUNG TÂM ANH NGỮ SPARK M.A MINOR PROGRAMME THESIS Field: English Teaching Methodology Code: 60140111 Supervisor: Prof Dr Nguyễn Quang HANOI – 2015 DECLARATIONS I - Nguyễn Thị Quỳnh Trang - hereby declare that the thesis entitled “An investigation into non-English major students’ attitudes towards English native speakers’ and non-native speakers’ accents: An example at Spark English Center” is the result of my own research in the fulfillment of the requirement for the Degree of Master of Arts at Faculty of Post Graduate Studies - University of Languages and International Studies, VNU, Hanoi and this thesis has not been submitted for any degree at any other university or institution Nguyễn Thị Quỳnh Trang Hanoi, September 2015 i ABSTRACT This study investigates the attitudes of non-English major students towards English native speakers’ and non-native speakers’ accents The participants are 60 Vietnamese non-English major students who are studying English at Spark English Center, Hanoi The results reveal that: (1) students are mostly able to identify the native and non-native accents However, they are not very good at recognize each variety of English; (2) the students generally rate the native accents higher than non-native ones The British English seems to be the most favourite among all the accents Remarkably, Philippine English is also highly valued; and (3) the students have positive attitudes to both native and non-native models of English ii ABBREVIATIONS AmE: American English BrE: British English GA: General American InE: Indian English JaE: Japanese-accented English NS: Native speaker NNS: Non-native speaker PhE: Philippine English SEC: Spark English Center RP: Received Pronunciation ViE: Vietnamese-accented English iii LIST OF TABLES Page Table Distinguishing native and non-native speakers 22 Table Guessing the nationality of the speakers 23 Table Mean ratings (and standard deviations) of six speakers on five traits 24 Table Mean ratings of all five traits 25 Table Statistics of Native speakers and Non-native speakers on five traits 25 Table Independent samples t-test: Comparison between Native speakers and Non-native speakers for five traits 26 Table Mean ratings and standard deviations of six speakers as models of English 27 Table Statistics of Native speakers and Non-native speakers as models of English 27 Table Independent samples t-test: Comparison between Native speakers and Non-native speakers for a model of English 28 Table 10 Mean ratings for Statements on the NS model of English 28 Table 11 Mean ratings for Statements on the NNS model of English 28 iv LIST OF FIGURES Page Figure Kachru’s categorization of countries in which English is used (from Crystal, 1997: 54) Figure Participants’ agreement with statement 29 Figure Participants’ agreement with statement 30 Figure Participants’ agreement with statement 31 Figure Participants’ agreement with statement 31 v TABLE OF CONTENTS Page DECLARATIONS i ABSTRACT ii ABBREVIATIONS iii LIST OF TABLES iv LIST OF FIGURES v TABLE OF CONTENTS vi PART A INTRODUCTION 1 Rationale Aims and objectives of the study 3 Research questions Scope of the study Method of the study Significance of the study Design of the study PART B DEVELOPMENT CHAPTER LITERATURE REVIEW 1.1 What is accent? 1.2 Varieties of English accent 1.2.1 English native speakers’ accents 1.2.2 English non-native speakers’ accents 1.3 Attitudes towards accents of English 10 1.3.1 Language attitudes 10 1.3.2 Studies on attitudes towards accents of English 12 CHAPTER METHODOLOGY 16 2.1 Restatement of research questions 16 2.2 Research approach 16 2.3 Context of the study 16 vi 2.3.1 Setting of the study 16 2.3.2 Participants 17 2.4 Research materials 18 2.5 Data collection procedure 20 2.6 Methods of data analysis 20 3.1 Results 22 3.1.1 Part A: The verbal guise test 22 3.1.2 Part B: Statements with a five-point Likert scale 28 3.2 Discussion 32 3.2.1 Research question 1: How is the ability of the SEC non-English major students to identify the speakers’ accents? 32 3.2.2 Research question 2: How the SEC non-English major students rate the varieties of native and non-native accents? 33 3.2.3 Research question 3: How the SEC non- English major students think about NS and NNS models? 35 PART C CONCLUSION 36 Overall findings 36 Limitations of the study 37 Suggestions for further studies 37 REFERENCES 38 APPENDIX A – QUESTIONNAIRE I vii PART A INTRODUCTION Rationale Nowadays, numerous studies and journals have found the paramount importance of students’ attitudes in foreign language learning and their learning achievement Students’ attitudes is considered as one of the key factors in motivating the learners to learn the language Positive attitude could facilitate language learning while negative attitude may hinder it Consequently, it is worth doing research on students’ attitudes and factors affecting such attitudes in order to enhance their learning success and achievement when teaching a foreign language Moreover, it is undoubtful to find the importance of pronunciation in learning English When people communicate, they can use simple words, simple grammar structures, but there is no such a thing as “simple pronunciation” Good pronunciation is one of the first things that someone learns in English However, that is also one of the most difficult problems facing non-native speakers of English In relation to teaching and learning English pronunciation, questions about models for pronunciation have been raised Many non-native speakers worry about their accents when they speak English According to Anastasia Koltai (2013), many people feel that having a pronounced mother tongue accent may mark them out as being a non-native speaker, or “they worry that their natural accented English speech is unintelligible to others” Thus, they try to learn the accents that help them sound more native In Vietnam, people seem to take it for granted that they only learn American or British English In students’ minds, American or British English have been considered to be authentic and these accents help to sound native as well as best aid them in English learning There is a story in the researcher’s pronunciation class When she asked her students which REFERENCES Abercrombie, D (1956) Problems and principles: Studies in the Teaching of English as a Second Language Longman, London Alford, R L., & Strother, J B (1990) Attitudes of native and nonnative speakers toward selected regional accents of U.S English TESOL Quarterly, 24(3), 479-495 Anastasia, K (2013) English Accent: Tips to Sound Like a Native English Speaker Retrieved March, 20th, 2015, from http://www.myenglishteacher.eu/blog/english-accent-how-to-soundlike-a-native-english-speaker/ Bachman, L F (1990) Fundamental considerations in language testing Oxford: Oxford University Press Ballard, L (2013) Student attitudes toward accentedness of native and nonnative speaking English teachers MSU Working Papers in SLS, Vol Becker, P (1995) The etiology of foreign accent: Towards a phonological component of identity Unpublished master’s thesis, Southern Illinois University, Carbondale Berns, M (2006) World Englishes and communicative competence In B B Kachru, Y Kachru, & C L Nelson (Eds.), The Handbook of World Englishes, 718-730 Oxford: Blackwell Crismore, A (1996) Attitudes toward English in Malaysia World Englishes, 15(3), 319-335 38 Crystal, D (1992) A dictionary of linguistics and phonetics 3rd edition Cambridge, MA: Blackwell Crystal, D (1997) A dictionary of linguistics and phonetics 4th edition Cambridge, MA: Blackwell Dalton-Puffer, C., Kaltenboeck, G & Smit, U (1997) Learner attitudes and L2 pronunciation in Austria World Englishes, 16(1), 115-128 Daniel, S (2000) The Spread of English and its appropriation Retrieved June, 8th, 2014, from http://spichtinger.net/Uni/sp-dipl3.pdf Dauer, R M (2005) The lingua franca core: A new model for pronunciation instruction? 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Attitudes to accents in English: A pacific study Te Reo, 45, 65-89 Pilus, Z (2013) Exploring ESL Learners’ Attitudes Towards English Accents World Applied Sciences Journal 21 (Special Issue of Studies in Language Teaching and Learning), 143-152 Said, S B (2001) Attitudes towards accented speech: A comparative study of native and non-native speakers of American English Retrieved June, 8th, 2014, from http://www.academia.edu/1012441/Attitudes_towards_Accented_Spee ch_A _Comparative_Study_of_Native_and_NonNative_Speakers_of_American_English 41 Scales, J., Wennerstrom, A., Richard, D., & Wu, S H (2006) Language learners' perceptions of accent TESOL Quarterly, 40(4), 715-738 Steward, M A., Ryan, E B and Giles, H (1985) Accent, social class effects on status and solidarity evaluations Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 11(1), 98-105 The Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English (2001) Pearson Educational Limited, Edinburgh Gate, Harlow Essex CM 20 JE, UK Ton, N N H & Pham, H H (2010) Vietnamese teachers’ and students’ perceptions of global English Language Education in Asia, 1(1), 4861 Wakelin, M F (1977) English dialects: An introduction London: Athlone Press Webster, W G & Kramer, E 1968 Attitudes and evaluational reactions to accented English speech Journal of Social Psychology, 75, 231-240 Weinberger, S (2007) The speech accent archive Retrieved May 28th, 2014, from http://accent.gmu.edu/ Yang, L (2011) Non-native attitudes toward varieties of English A language attitude survey on Chinese postgraduate students in the University of Edinburgh Retrieved June, 8th, 2014 from http://hdl.handle.net/1842/6042 Zhang, W., Ding, L (2011) A preliminary study on Chinese EFL learners’ attitude towards their accent Retrieved June, 8th, 2014, from 42 http://www.icphs2011.hk/resources/OnlineProceedings/RegularSession /Zhang,%20Wei/Zhang,%20Wei.pdf 43 APPENDIX A – QUESTIONNAIRE Part A You will hear recordings performed by different speakers After listening to each speaker, please tick on your choices Recording #1 I think that this speaker is: □ English native speaker □ English non-native speaker I think that this speaker’s nationality is: □ American □ British □ Philippine □ Indian □ Japanese □ Vietnamese I find this speaker’s way of speaking: (please choose one number) Pleasant Not pleasant Fluent Not fluent Familiar Not familiar Clear Not clear Easy to Difficult to understand understand I think that this speaker is a: (please choose one number) Good model of English Bad model of English I Recording #2 I think that this speaker is: □ English native speaker □ English non-native speaker I think that this speaker’s nationality is: □ American □ British □ Philippine □ Indian □ Japanese □ Vietnamese I find this speaker’s way of speaking: (please choose one number) Pleasant Not pleasant Fluent Not fluent Familiar Not familiar Clear Not clear Easy to Difficult to understand understand I think that this speaker is a: (please choose one number) Good model of English Bad model of English Recording #3 I think that this speaker is: □ English native speaker □ English non-native speaker II I think that this speaker’s nationality is: □ American □ British □ Philippine □ Indian □ Japanese □ Vietnamese I find this speaker’s way of speaking: (please choose one number) Pleasant Not pleasant Fluent Not fluent Familiar Not familiar Clear Not clear Easy to Difficult to understand understand I think that this speaker is a: (please choose one number) Good model of English Bad model of English Recording #4 I think that this speaker is: □ English native speaker □ English non-native speaker I think that this speaker’s nationality is: □ American □ British □ Philippine □ Indian □ Japanese □ Vietnamese I find this speaker’s way of speaking: (please choose one number) Pleasant III Not pleasant Fluent Not fluent Familiar Not familiar Clear Not clear Easy to Difficult to understand understand I think that this speaker is a: (please choose one number) Good model of English Bad model of English Recording #5 I think that this speaker is: □ English native speaker □ English non-native speaker I think that this speaker’s nationality is: □ American □ British □ Philippine □ Indian □ Japanese □ Vietnamese I find this speaker’s way of speaking: (please choose one number) Pleasant Not pleasant Fluent Not fluent Familiar Not familiar Clear Not clear IV Easy to understand Difficult to understand I think that this speaker is a: (please choose one number) Good model of English Bad model of English Recording #6 I think that this speaker is: □ English native speaker □ English non-native speaker I think that this speaker’s nationality is: □ American □ British □ Philippine □ Indian □ Japanese □ Vietnamese I find this speaker’s way of speaking: (please choose one number) Pleasant Not pleasant Fluent Not fluent Familiar Not familiar Clear Not clear Easy to Difficult to understand understand I think that this speaker is a: (please choose one number) Good model of English Bad model of English V Part B Circle the number to indicate how much you agree or disagree with each statement It is important to have a native-like pronunciation Strongly agree Strongly disagree English should be learned from native speakers of English Strongly agree Strongly disagree Vietnamese teachers of English can effectively teach not only grammar but also speaking English Strongly agree Strongly disagree I am interested in studying English in Asian countries such as Singapore, Philippines and Malaysia Strongly agree Strongly disagree Thank you for your participation, your help was very much appreciated! VI APPENDIX B – BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION OF THE SPEAKERS Recording #1  Birth place: Troy, New York, USA  Native language: English  Other language(s): Italian, Spanish  Age, sex: 50, male  Age of English onset:  English learning method: naturalistic  English residence: USA  Length of English residence: 50 years Recording #2  Birth place: Pasay, Philippines  Native language: Filipino  Other language(s): German, Spanish  Age, sex: 21, female  Age of English onset:  English learning method: naturalistic  English residence: USA  Length of English residence: 0.5 years Recording #3  Birth place: Nara, Japan  Native language: Japanese VII  Other language(s): none  Age, sex: 44, female  Age of English onset: 13  English learning method: academic  English residence: USA  Length of English residence: 19 years Recording #4  Birth place: Jamshedpur, Jharkhand, India  Native language: Bengali  Other language(s): Hindi  Age, sex: 29, male  Age of English onset:  English learning method: naturalistic  English residence: UK  Length of English residence: years Recording #5  Birth place: Henley on Thames, Oxfordshire, UK  Native language: English  Other language(s): none  Age, sex: 69, male  Age of English onset:  English learning method: naturalistic  English residence: UK  Length of English residence: 69 years VIII Recording #6  Birth place: Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam  Native language: Vietnamese  Other language(s): none  Age, sex: 33, female  Age of English onset: 11  English learning method: academic  English residence: USA  Length of English residence: 12 years IX