Accent services: Considering the perspectives of non-native speakers of English for a culturally affirming practice

<p>Accent “modification” is a type of service offered by speech-language pathologists (SLPs) that is intended to, among other things, help speakers improve their intelligibility in a target second language. This area of practice has been, and continues to be, a controversial topic amongst scholars and practitioners. To explore and understand the perspectives of non-native speakers of English regarding their participation in accent services, the present study employed a qualitative research design using individual, semi-structured interviews. Ten adult non-native speakers of English (female: <em>n</em> = 7; male: <em>n</em> = 3), with ages between 28 and 47 years old (<em>M</em> = 35 years), participated in this research. Seven common themes emerged using a hybrid approach to datadriven, inductive thematic analysis. Overall, the participants described their experiences with learning English and accent services as beneficial while recognizing potential drawbacks, such as pressure to sound more “natural” or “less foreign.” To foster the provision of culturally affirming practice, SLPs need to be aware of deficit framing/thinking and biases toward accents. A focus on clients’ empowerment and confidence should be considered, with accent services centered on clients’ cultural values, identity, experiences, individual needs, and goals.</p>

Name thesis:degree_name

Master of Arts (MA)

Level thesis:degree_level

Open Access Thesis

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Special Education and Communication Sciences and Disorders

Year dc:date.available

2023

Author dc:creator

• Kilgallon, Kristopher

Contributors dc:contributor

• Ana Claudia Harten, Ph.D., CCC-SLP
• Eric Acton, Ph.D.
• Kennetha S. Thompson, ClinScD, CCC-SLP

• Accent
• Accent Modification
• Cultural and Linguistic Diversity
• Culturally-Affirming Practice
• Qualitative
• World Languages
• Communication Sciences and Disorders

Repository record dc:identifier

https://commons.emich.edu/theses/1191

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:commons.emich.edu:theses-2559