An investigation of Filipino ESL learners’ language stereotypes toward Philippine lectal speakers using a Matched Guise Test

Asian Journal of English Language Studies (AJELS)

Henelsie B. Mendoza¹ 

[1] Philippine Normal University, Manila, the Philippines;

关键词: esl learners;    language stereotypes;    lectal speakers;    speaker evaluation;   

DOI  :  

来源: DOAJ

【 摘 要 】

With the widespread use of English all over the world, more language varieties have been observed and documented (Smith & Nelson, 2006) yielding to differing preferences, perceptions, and attitudes toward varieties and subvarieties. While some varieties have homogenizing effects where speakers make the language their own, others who seek to follow the prescribed sound may want to neutralize the accent of other speakers, especially in highly stratified societies where interlocutors attach different attitudes toward language varieties. Although these effects may be seen in most social interactions, more evidence are needed to determine if people’s attitude toward different lectal groups influence ESL (English as a second language) learners. Attitudes toward a language can be partly captured in stereotypes. Thus, language stereotypes about different lectal groups further warrant investigation as these may have consequences on how students learn their second language. This study explores the language stereotypes attached by Filipino ESL learners to different Philippine lectal groups through the use of a Matched Guise Test (MGT) and follow-up interviews. The study shows that the language stereotype and the lectal group in which the speaker belongs have a significant relationship. This means that specific language stereotypes are strongly associated with different lectal groups. Social status, which is often attached to accent, has somehow skewed the ESL learners’ perceptions based on the three lectal varieties (i.e., basilect, mesolect, and acrolect) of English spoken in the Philippines. These language stereotypes largely influence those students who still consider the acrolect variety as the prescribed accent in evaluating other lectal speakers of English.

【 授权许可】

Unknown