Where Are You From? An Investigation Into the Intersectionality of Accent Strength and Nationality Status on Perceptions of Nonnative Speakers in Britain

Publikation: Bidrag til tidsskriftTidsskriftartikelForskningfagfællebedømt

We explore how interpersonal and intergroup perceptions are affected by a nonnative speaker’s accent strength and the status of their home country. When nationality information was absent (Study 1), natives who heard a strong (vs. weak) accent rated the speaker as warmer but immigrants as a group as more threatening. This result was replicated when the speaker’s nationality was familiar (Study 2) but in this study, country status further shaped accent-based perceptions: the strong (vs. weak) accented speaker evoked more positive interpersonal perceptions when her country status was low, but more negative intergroup perceptions when her country status was high. When the status of the speaker’s nationality was manipulated (Study 3), we replicated the interpersonal perceptions found in Study 1 and the intergroup perceptions found in Study 2. Findings support a holistic approach to investigating perceptions of nonnative speakers: one that considers nationality as well as accent strength.

OriginalsprogEngelsk
TidsskriftJournal of Language and Social Psychology
Vol/bind39
Udgave nummer4
Sider (fra-til)495-515
Antal sider21
ISSN0261-927X
DOI
StatusUdgivet - 1 sep. 2020

ID: 255315359