A qualitative investigation of the experience of accent stigmatisation among native and non-native French speakers in Canada
Issue: Vol 2 No. 1 (2018)
Journal: Journal of Language and Discrimination
Subject Areas:
DOI: 10.1558/jld.32226
Abstract:
Decades of research on language attitudes has documented that general negative affect towards nonstandard accents translates into negative evaluations of nonstandard speakers who are considered to be less competent, intelligent or attractive (see Dragojevic, Giles, & Watson, 2013; Gluszek & Dovidio, 2010a). However, fewer studies have investigated the experience of stigmatization from the perspective of the nonstandard speaker. It is this dimension of intergroup interaction that this study addresses. Specifically, this study offers a descriptive analysis of the prevalence of stigmatization among nonstandard French speakers in Canada, the perceived nature of accent discrimination, and the ways in which stigmatized speakers respond to these events. The inclusion of native and non-native speakers (N = 36) from across Canada is done with the objective of capturing the ways in which ethnolinguistic vitality and type of accent nuance the experience of accent stigmatization. Practical and theoretical implications for future studies are discussed.
Author: Nathalie Freynet, Richard Clément, John Sylvestre
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