Projecting Identities Through L2: Pronunciation and Attitudes Towards Varieties of English Among Thai Learners of English in a Public Speaking Classroom Context
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Abstract
This paper explores the pronunciation and attitudes of fifteen Thai learners of English towards American English, British English, and Thai-accented English in a public speaking classroom context by using auditory evaluations of students’ actual production, a questionnaire, and group discussions. The study found that the majority of students (73.33%) aimed for American English, while a smaller number (26.67%) aimed for British English. Results from an auditory impression show that 46.67% of the participants were successful at producing the particular variety they were aiming for. Group discussions gave further insights about the complex and contesting attitudes Thai learners have regarding different English varieties. On the whole, Thai learners of English are positive towards Thai-accented English but also questioned its comprehensibility and wondered what kind of identity they may be projecting in the eyes of foreigners when using this variety.
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Bayard, D., Gallois C., Weatherall A., & Pittam, J. (2001). Pax Americana? Accent attitudinal evaluations in New Zealand, Australia and America. Journal of Sociolinguistics 5, 22–49. doi: 10.1111/1467-9481.00136
Bell, A. (2001). Back in style: re-working Audience Design. In P. Eckert & J. R. Rickford (Eds.), Style and sociolinguistic variation (pp.139-169). New York: Cambridge University Press.
Breshanan, M. J., Ohashi R., Nebashi R., Liu W.Y., & Shearman, S.M. (2002). Attitudinal and affective response toward accented English. Language and communication, 22(2), 171-185. doi:10.1016/S0271-5309(01)00025-8
Bucholtz, M. (1999). “Why be normal?”: language and identity practices in a community of nerd girls, Language in Society, 28, 203-23.
Bucholtz, M. & Hall, K. (2004). Language and identity. In A. Duranti (Ed.), The Blackwell Companion to Linguistic Anthropology (pp. 369-94). Oxford: Blackwell
Butler, J. (1990). Gender trouble: Feminism and the subversion of identity. New York: Routledge.
Cargile, A. C., & Giles, H. (1997). Understanding attitudes: Exploring listener affect and identity. Language and Communication, 7, 195-217. doi: 10.1016/S0271-5309(97)00016-5
Chen, H. C. (2011). Judgement of intelligibility and foreign accents by listeners of different language backgrounds. The Journal of AsiaTEFL, 8(4), 61-83.
Coupland, N. (2007). Style: Language Variation and identity. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Cutler, C. A. (1999). Yorkville crossing: White teens, hip hop, and African American English. Journal of Sociolinguistics, 3(4), 534-555.
Eckert, P. (2000). Linguistic Variation as Social Practice. Oxford: Blackwell.
Erin, C., & McKenzie, R.M. (2018). American or British? L2 speakers’ recognition and evaluations of accent features in English. Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development, 39(4), 313-328, doi: 10.1080/01434632.2017.1389946
Galloway, N. & Rose, H. (2014). Using listening journals to raise awareness of global Englishes in ELT. ELT Journal, 68(4), 386-96.
Galloway, N. & Rose, H. (2018). Incorporating Global Englishes into the ELT classroom. ELT Journal, 72(1), 3-14. doi: 10.1093/elt/ccx010
Garrett, P. (2007). Language attitude. In Llamas, C., Mullany L., & P. Stockwell (Eds.), The Routledge companion in sociolingusitics (pp.116-121). New York: Routledge.
Garrett, P., Coupland N. , & Wiliam, A. (2003). Investigating language attitudes. Cardiff: University of Wales Press.
Giles H., & Powesland, P. (1997). Accommodation Theory. In N. Coupland & A. Jaworski (Eds.), Sociolinguistics: A reader and coursebook (pp.232-239). New York: Palgrave.
Giles, H. & Sassoon, C. (1983). The effect of Speakers accents, social class background and message style on British Listeners’ social judgment, Language and communication, 3, 305-313. doi: 10.1016/0271-5309(83)90006-X
Hiraka, Y. (2005) British attitudes towards six varieties of English in the USA and Britain. World Englishes, 24(3), 289-308. doi: 10.1111/j.0883-2919.2005.00411.x
Holmes, J. (1997).Women, language and identity. Journal of Sociolinguistics, 1(2), 195-223.
Holmes, J., Stubbe, M. & Vine, B. (1999). Constructing Professional Identity: “Doing Power” in policy units. In S. Sarangi and C. Roberts (Eds.), Talk, work, and institutional order. Berlin: Mouton de Gruyter.
Jenkins, J. (2007). English as a Lingua Franca: Attitude and identity. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Jindapitak, N., & Teo, A. (2013). Accent priority in a Thai University Context: A common sense revisited. English Language Teaching 6(9), 193-203. doi: 10.5539/elt.v6n9p193
Jindapitak, N. (2015). English as a Lingua Franca: Learners’ views on pronunciation. Electronic Journal of Foreign Language Teaching, 12(2), 260-275.
Johnstone, B. (1999). Uses of Southern sounding speech by contemporary Texas women. Journal of Sociolinguistics, 3(4), 505-522.
Kachru, B. (1985). “Standards, Codification and Sociolinguistic Realism: The English Language in the outer circle”. In R. Quirk and H. Widdowson (Eds.), English in the World. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press.
Kachru, B. B. (1990). World Englishes and applied linguistics. World Englishes, 9(1), 3-20.
Labov, W. (1996). The social stratification of English in New York City. Washington DC: Center for Applied Linguistics.
Ladegaard, H. J. (2000). Language attitudes and sociolinguistic behavior: Exploring attitude behavior relations in language. Journal of Sociolinguistics 4(2), 214-233. doi: 10.1111/1467-9481.00112
Ladegaard, H. J. & Sachdev, I (2006). ‘I like the Americans…but I certainly don’t aim for an American accent. Language attitudes, vitality and foreign language learning in Denmark. Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development, 27(2), 91-108. Doi: 10.1080/01434630608668542
Lippi-Green, R. (1997). English with an Accent: Language, Ideology, and discrimination in the United States, London and New York: Routledge.
McKenzie, R.M., Kitikanan, P. & Boriboon, P. (2016). The competence and warmth of Thai students’ attitudes towards varieties of English: the effect of gender and perceptions of L1 diversity, Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development, 37(6), 536-550, doi: 10.1080/01434632.2015.1083573
Ochs, E. (1993). Constructing social identity. A language socialization perspective. Research on Language and social interaction, 26, 287-306.
Prakaianurat, P. & Kangkun P. (2018). Language attitudes of Thai Working Adults toward Native and Non-Native English Varieties. Manusaya, 21(2), 92-110.
Prakaiborisuth, P. & Trakulkasemsuk, W. (2015). Attitudes of Thai University Students towards ASEAN Englishes. Paper presented at the 7th International Conference on Humanities and Social Sciences “ASEAN2015: Challenges and Opportunities”, 5-6 June, 2015, Songkla.
Reed, G. G. (2001). Fastening, and unfastening identities: Negotiating identity in Hawai’i. Discourse: Studies in the cultural politics of education, 22, 327-339. doi: 10.1080/01596300120094361
Rindal, U. (2010). Constructing Identity with L2: Pronunciation and attitudes among Norwegian learners of English. Journal of Sociolinguistics, 14(2), 240-261. doi: 10.1111/j.1467-9841.2010.00442.x
Ryan, E. B. & Giles, H. (Eds.). (1982). Attitudes towards language variation: Social and Applied contexts (Social Psychology of Language, I) London: Edward Arnold.
Sato, C. J. (1991). Sociolinguistic variation and language attitudes in Hawaii. In J. Cheshire (Ed.), English around the world (pp.647-663). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Snodin, N. S. & Young, T.J. (2015).‘Native-speaker’ varieties of English: Thai perceptions and attitudes. Asian Englishes, 17(3), 248-260, doi: 10.1080/13488678.2015.1083354
Tajfel, H. &Turner, J. C. (1986). The social identity theory of intergroup relations. In S. Worchel & W.G. Austin (Eds.), Psychology and Intergroup Relations. Monterey, CA: Brooks/Cole.
Taylor, J. (2000). ‘I wanna speak perfect English.’ EFL students’ attitudes to accents of English. MA thesis, School of Languages, Linguistics and Culture, Birkbeck College, University of London.
Trakulkasemsuk. W. (2007). A comparative analysis of English feature articles in magazines published in Thailand and Britain : linguistic aspects. (Doctoral dissertation). Retrieved from http://cuir.car.chula.ac.th/handle/123456789/53522
Trudgill, P. (1974). The Social Differentiation of English in Norwich, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Young, T.J., & Walsh S. (2010). Which English? Whose English? An investigation of ‘non-native’ teachers' beliefs about target varieties. Language, Culture and Curriculum, 23(2), 123-137. doi: 10.1080/07908311003797627
Bayard, D., Gallois C., Weatherall A., & Pittam, J. (2001). Pax Americana? Accent attitudinal evaluations in New Zealand, Australia and America. Journal of Sociolinguistics 5, 22–49. doi: 10.1111/1467-9481.00136
Bell, A. (2001). Back in style: re-working Audience Design. In P. Eckert & J. R. Rickford (Eds.), Style and sociolinguistic variation (pp.139-169). New York: Cambridge University Press.
Breshanan, M. J., Ohashi R., Nebashi R., Liu W.Y., & Shearman, S.M. (2002). Attitudinal and affective response toward accented English. Language and communication, 22(2), 171-185. doi:10.1016/S0271-5309(01)00025-8
Bucholtz, M. (1999). “Why be normal?”: language and identity practices in a community of nerd girls, Language in Society, 28, 203-23.
Bucholtz, M. & Hall, K. (2004). Language and identity. In A. Duranti (Ed.), The Blackwell Companion to Linguistic Anthropology (pp. 369-94). Oxford: Blackwell
Butler, J. (1990). Gender trouble: Feminism and the subversion of identity. New York: Routledge.
Cargile, A. C., & Giles, H. (1997). Understanding attitudes: Exploring listener affect and identity. Language and Communication, 7, 195-217. doi: 10.1016/S0271-5309(97)00016-5
Chen, H. C. (2011). Judgement of intelligibility and foreign accents by listeners of different language backgrounds. The Journal of AsiaTEFL, 8(4), 61-83.
Coupland, N. (2007). Style: Language Variation and identity. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Cutler, C. A. (1999). Yorkville crossing: White teens, hip hop, and African American English. Journal of Sociolinguistics, 3(4), 534-555.
Eckert, P. (2000). Linguistic Variation as Social Practice. Oxford: Blackwell.
Erin, C., & McKenzie, R.M. (2018). American or British? L2 speakers’ recognition and evaluations of accent features in English. Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development, 39(4), 313-328, doi: 10.1080/01434632.2017.1389946
Galloway, N. & Rose, H. (2014). Using listening journals to raise awareness of global Englishes in ELT. ELT Journal, 68(4), 386-96.
Galloway, N. & Rose, H. (2018). Incorporating Global Englishes into the ELT classroom. ELT Journal, 72(1), 3-14. doi: 10.1093/elt/ccx010
Garrett, P. (2007). Language attitude. In Llamas, C., Mullany L., & P. Stockwell (Eds.), The Routledge companion in sociolingusitics (pp.116-121). New York: Routledge.
Garrett, P., Coupland N. , & Wiliam, A. (2003). Investigating language attitudes. Cardiff: University of Wales Press.
Giles H., & Powesland, P. (1997). Accommodation Theory. In N. Coupland & A. Jaworski (Eds.), Sociolinguistics: A reader and coursebook (pp.232-239). New York: Palgrave.
Giles, H. & Sassoon, C. (1983). The effect of Speakers accents, social class background and message style on British Listeners’ social judgment, Language and communication, 3, 305-313. doi: 10.1016/0271-5309(83)90006-X
Hiraka, Y. (2005) British attitudes towards six varieties of English in the USA and Britain. World Englishes, 24(3), 289-308. doi: 10.1111/j.0883-2919.2005.00411.x
Holmes, J. (1997).Women, language and identity. Journal of Sociolinguistics, 1(2), 195-223.
Holmes, J., Stubbe, M. & Vine, B. (1999). Constructing Professional Identity: “Doing Power” in policy units. In S. Sarangi and C. Roberts (Eds.), Talk, work, and institutional order. Berlin: Mouton de Gruyter.
Jenkins, J. (2007). English as a Lingua Franca: Attitude and identity. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Jindapitak, N., & Teo, A. (2013). Accent priority in a Thai University Context: A common sense revisited. English Language Teaching 6(9), 193-203. doi: 10.5539/elt.v6n9p193
Jindapitak, N. (2015). English as a Lingua Franca: Learners’ views on pronunciation. Electronic Journal of Foreign Language Teaching, 12(2), 260-275.
Johnstone, B. (1999). Uses of Southern sounding speech by contemporary Texas women. Journal of Sociolinguistics, 3(4), 505-522.
Kachru, B. (1985). “Standards, Codification and Sociolinguistic Realism: The English Language in the outer circle”. In R. Quirk and H. Widdowson (Eds.), English in the World. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press.
Kachru, B. B. (1990). World Englishes and applied linguistics. World Englishes, 9(1), 3-20.
Labov, W. (1996). The social stratification of English in New York City. Washington DC: Center for Applied Linguistics.
Ladegaard, H. J. (2000). Language attitudes and sociolinguistic behavior: Exploring attitude behavior relations in language. Journal of Sociolinguistics 4(2), 214-233. doi: 10.1111/1467-9481.00112
Ladegaard, H. J. & Sachdev, I (2006). ‘I like the Americans…but I certainly don’t aim for an American accent. Language attitudes, vitality and foreign language learning in Denmark. Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development, 27(2), 91-108. Doi: 10.1080/01434630608668542
Lippi-Green, R. (1997). English with an Accent: Language, Ideology, and discrimination in the United States, London and New York: Routledge.
McKenzie, R.M., Kitikanan, P. & Boriboon, P. (2016). The competence and warmth of Thai students’ attitudes towards varieties of English: the effect of gender and perceptions of L1 diversity, Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development, 37(6), 536-550, doi: 10.1080/01434632.2015.1083573
Ochs, E. (1993). Constructing social identity. A language socialization perspective. Research on Language and social interaction, 26, 287-306.
Prakaianurat, P. & Kangkun P. (2018). Language attitudes of Thai Working Adults toward Native and Non-Native English Varieties. Manusaya, 21(2), 92-110.
Prakaiborisuth, P. & Trakulkasemsuk, W. (2015). Attitudes of Thai University Students towards ASEAN Englishes. Paper presented at the 7th International Conference on Humanities and Social Sciences “ASEAN2015: Challenges and Opportunities”, 5-6 June, 2015, Songkla.
Reed, G. G. (2001). Fastening, and unfastening identities: Negotiating identity in Hawai’i. Discourse: Studies in the cultural politics of education, 22, 327-339. doi: 10.1080/01596300120094361
Rindal, U. (2010). Constructing Identity with L2: Pronunciation and attitudes among Norwegian learners of English. Journal of Sociolinguistics, 14(2), 240-261. doi: 10.1111/j.1467-9841.2010.00442.x
Ryan, E. B. & Giles, H. (Eds.). (1982). Attitudes towards language variation: Social and Applied contexts (Social Psychology of Language, I) London: Edward Arnold.
Sato, C. J. (1991). Sociolinguistic variation and language attitudes in Hawaii. In J. Cheshire (Ed.), English around the world (pp.647-663). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Snodin, N. S. & Young, T.J. (2015).‘Native-speaker’ varieties of English: Thai perceptions and attitudes. Asian Englishes, 17(3), 248-260, doi: 10.1080/13488678.2015.1083354
Tajfel, H. &Turner, J. C. (1986). The social identity theory of intergroup relations. In S. Worchel & W.G. Austin (Eds.), Psychology and Intergroup Relations. Monterey, CA: Brooks/Cole.
Taylor, J. (2000). ‘I wanna speak perfect English.’ EFL students’ attitudes to accents of English. MA thesis, School of Languages, Linguistics and Culture, Birkbeck College, University of London.
Trakulkasemsuk. W. (2007). A comparative analysis of English feature articles in magazines published in Thailand and Britain : linguistic aspects. (Doctoral dissertation). Retrieved from http://cuir.car.chula.ac.th/handle/123456789/53522
Trudgill, P. (1974). The Social Differentiation of English in Norwich, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Young, T.J., & Walsh S. (2010). Which English? Whose English? An investigation of ‘non-native’ teachers' beliefs about target varieties. Language, Culture and Curriculum, 23(2), 123-137. doi: 10.1080/07908311003797627