Second Language Learners' Attitudes Towards English Varieties

Abstract

This pilot project investigates second language (L2) learners' attitudes towards three varieties of English: American (AmE), British (BrE) and Australian (AuE). A 69-word passage spoken by a female speaker of each variety was used. Participants were 30 Chinese students pursuing Masters or Doctoral degrees in the United States, who listened to each of the three recordings and evaluated six language-related qualities and 12 person-related qualities about the three varieties of English on seven-point Likert scales. They also evaluated each speaker's teaching suitability. The results suggest that L2 learners have more positive attitudes towards the varieties of English they have been exposed to, i.e. AmE and BrE. However, their attitudes do not seem to be related to the understandability of the passage delivered by the speakers of the three varieties.

Keywords:

• English varieties
• language attitudes
• ESL learners
• American English
• British English
• Australian English