ACCENT PERCEPTION

Abstract

Accents are important cues for listeners to socially categorize and form impressions of speakers. Previous studies have largely examined the perceptions of native-accented speakers about non-native accented individuals. The current study explored the experiences and perceptions of accented and non-accented individuals towards accents. Using six different scales measuring accent perception, seventeen non-accented and accented participants evaluated their perceptions about other accented individuals as well as their own accent. Results showed that accented individuals perceived other accented individuals to be more socially attractive in comparison to those without accents. The implications of this work suggest that accented individuals may take into consideration judgements from non-accented individuals towards their own accent when evaluating accented individuals.