Unequal English accents, covert accentism and EAL migrants in Australia
Accentism refers to the ways that "unequal English accents"become re-allocated in particular English-speaking dominant contexts, creating different presumptions, ideologies and attitudes towards the English accent and pronunciation of English speakers. Using data derived from two larger et...
| Main Authors: | , |
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| Format: | Journal Article |
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2022
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| Online Access: | http://purl.org/au-research/grants/arc/DE180100118 http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/92021 |
| _version_ | 1848765613379420160 |
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| author | Dovchin, Sender Dryden, Stephanie |
| author_facet | Dovchin, Sender Dryden, Stephanie |
| author_sort | Dovchin, Sender |
| building | Curtin Institutional Repository |
| collection | Online Access |
| description | Accentism refers to the ways that "unequal English accents"become re-allocated in particular English-speaking dominant contexts, creating different presumptions, ideologies and attitudes towards the English accent and pronunciation of English speakers. Using data derived from two larger ethnographic studies, this article aims to explore the ways that English as an Additional Language (EAL) migrants experience covert accentism - the social exclusion caused covertly when the dominant members of society misunderstand the accents of EAL users. Our study shows that EAL users express their worry of being stereotyped for their English accents, which interferes with their social and daily life. In particular, the participants noted forms of social exclusion such as a lack of interest in them or their experiences, and deficit perspectives surrounding their overall English practices including their accents. We conclude that such instances of covert accentism can lead to more serious implications, such as having difficulty fostering relationships with members of the dominant society, accent bullying, and psychological damage. |
| first_indexed | 2025-11-14T11:38:02Z |
| format | Journal Article |
| id | curtin-20.500.11937-92021 |
| institution | Curtin University Malaysia |
| institution_category | Local University |
| last_indexed | 2025-11-14T11:38:02Z |
| publishDate | 2022 |
| recordtype | eprints |
| repository_type | Digital Repository |
| spelling | curtin-20.500.11937-920212023-06-12T01:40:30Z Unequal English accents, covert accentism and EAL migrants in Australia Dovchin, Sender Dryden, Stephanie Accentism refers to the ways that "unequal English accents"become re-allocated in particular English-speaking dominant contexts, creating different presumptions, ideologies and attitudes towards the English accent and pronunciation of English speakers. Using data derived from two larger ethnographic studies, this article aims to explore the ways that English as an Additional Language (EAL) migrants experience covert accentism - the social exclusion caused covertly when the dominant members of society misunderstand the accents of EAL users. Our study shows that EAL users express their worry of being stereotyped for their English accents, which interferes with their social and daily life. In particular, the participants noted forms of social exclusion such as a lack of interest in them or their experiences, and deficit perspectives surrounding their overall English practices including their accents. We conclude that such instances of covert accentism can lead to more serious implications, such as having difficulty fostering relationships with members of the dominant society, accent bullying, and psychological damage. 2022 Journal Article http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/92021 10.1515/ijsl-2021-0079 http://purl.org/au-research/grants/arc/DE180100118 restricted |
| spellingShingle | Dovchin, Sender Dryden, Stephanie Unequal English accents, covert accentism and EAL migrants in Australia |
| title | Unequal English accents, covert accentism and EAL migrants in Australia |
| title_full | Unequal English accents, covert accentism and EAL migrants in Australia |
| title_fullStr | Unequal English accents, covert accentism and EAL migrants in Australia |
| title_full_unstemmed | Unequal English accents, covert accentism and EAL migrants in Australia |
| title_short | Unequal English accents, covert accentism and EAL migrants in Australia |
| title_sort | unequal english accents, covert accentism and eal migrants in australia |
| url | http://purl.org/au-research/grants/arc/DE180100118 http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/92021 |