English as an International Language at United World College East Africa.

Attitudes to native and outgroup accents

Abstract

This paper reports on a small-scale project on English as an International Language (EIL) conducted at United World College East Africa (UWCEA), Tanzania, Moshi campus – a highly diversified multicultural community, which offers a microcosm of EIL in action.

The study examines the respondents’ preference for either nativeness or intelligibility principle (cf. Levis 2005, 2020), and their attitudes to native and outgroup accents with respect to comprehension, familiarity, and recognition (cf. Tajfel/Turner 1979).[1] It also sketches an accent profile of a United World College (UWC) student to formulate general characteristics of an EIL user. The study is based on the responses of 40 students to 32 Likert scale items.

The findings prove that firstly intelligibility is valued over nativeness and speaking English with a foreign accent does not imply unintelligibility and incomprehensibility. Secondly, immersion in a multi-accent community is alleged to positively affect the respondents’, recognition, and familiarity with English accents. Contrary to Smith/Nelson’s (2006) finding, native English accents are reported to be easier to understand than outgroup ones. It is also confirmed that familiarity with accents enhances their comprehension, as well as that immersion among East African English users improves the ability to recognise this accent.

The examined users of EIL share some accent attitudes. They believe their English has features of many Englishes (82.5%), aim at being understood (65%), do not deliberately use their L1 accents in English (62.5%) and some overtly admit to neutralizing their L1 accents in English (42.5%). In addition, half of the informants strive for a native English accent (50%) and nearly the same number of them prefer one variety of English over others (47.5%).

[1] In this paper the term outgroup, a concept introduced in Tajfel/Turner’s (1979) social identity theory, is used as a substitute for non-native in contrast with native. However, in the questionnaire, to avoid misunderstanding among the respondents, the term non-native was applied.