International Students' Perceptions of Speakers With a Cajun English Dialect¹

Abstract

The present study examined the perceptions of 35 international students who had learned English as a second language (ESL) and who were enrolled in three state universities in Louisiana. Recorded passages consisting of speech samples of two speakers with a Cajun English (CE) dialect and two speakers with a Standard American English (SAE) dialect were presented to the participants. After listening to each recording, the participants were asked to rate several aspects of the speakers by filling out a short survey questionnaire, which was constructed for the purpose of the present study. The questionnaire contained Likert-type scale items that pertained to the speakers' intelligibility of speech, personality (likability), education, income, and employment status. The results suggested that a bias was present among international students in regards to their perceptions of CE speakers' education, income, and employment status, but SAE and CE speakers were viewed almost similarly in terms of intelligibility and likability.