Accent Bias
June 2021
Linguistically there is no ideal accent OR ideal form of English. In fact, there are more non-native speakers of English than there are native speakers and there are numerous varities of English throughout the world. However, that does not stop us from having opinions on what constitutes "good" English and a "good" accent. These opinions influence how we treat and interact with people and this can be negative. According to Wikipedia, "Linguistic discrimination (linguicism) is unfair treatment which is based on use of language and characteristics of speech, including first language, accent, perceived size of vocabulary". Our opinions of accents and varities of English happen quickly and these opinions often occur without us critically examining them. We are able to linguistically profile someone in less than 30 seconds AND we are more likely to be biased against people who have accents differerent than ours or have accents we associate with undesirable characteristics. As volunteers, it is important to be aware of your own biases towards accents and to think about how you can help learners improve intelligibility without perpetuating accent discrimination.
There are 4 videos below that deal with accents and accent biases. As you watch the videos, consider the questions below and how it relates to volunteering and teaching. You can also find additional information on accent bias in the workplace and how to combat it.
Linguistically there is no ideal accent OR ideal form of English. In fact, there are more non-native speakers of English than there are native speakers and there are numerous varities of English throughout the world. However, that does not stop us from having opinions on what constitutes "good" English and a "good" accent. These opinions influence how we treat and interact with people and this can be negative. According to Wikipedia, "Linguistic discrimination (linguicism) is unfair treatment which is based on use of language and characteristics of speech, including first language, accent, perceived size of vocabulary". Our opinions of accents and varities of English happen quickly and these opinions often occur without us critically examining them. We are able to linguistically profile someone in less than 30 seconds AND we are more likely to be biased against people who have accents differerent than ours or have accents we associate with undesirable characteristics. As volunteers, it is important to be aware of your own biases towards accents and to think about how you can help learners improve intelligibility without perpetuating accent discrimination.
There are 4 videos below that deal with accents and accent biases. As you watch the videos, consider the questions below and how it relates to volunteering and teaching. You can also find additional information on accent bias in the workplace and how to combat it.
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- What are your own biases towards accents (language)?
- What does linguistic discrimation look like in school (even ABE) and work?
- How can we (teachers/volunteers) help?
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Classroom ApplicationJune 2021
1. Focus on intelligibility, NOT accent reduction 2. Reflect on own biases towards accents 3. Improve listening skills (communication is a 50/50 split) 4. Don't forbid native language in classroom (it can help develop English) |
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