VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES DEPARTMENT OF POST GRADUATE STUDIES NGUYEN THI QUYNH TRANG AN INVESTIGATION INTO SON-ENGLISH MAJOR STUDENTS’ ATTITUDES TOWARDS ENGLISH NATIVE SPEAKERS’ AND NON-NATIVE SPEAKERS’ ACCENTS: AN EXAMPLE AT SPARK ENGLISH CENTER NGHIÊN CỨU THÁT ĐỘ CỦA SINH VIÊN KHÔNG CHUYÊN TIANG ANH VỚI GIỌNG BẢN NGỮ VÀ PHI BẢN NGỮ MỘT VÍ DỤ CỤ THÊ TẠI TRUNG TÂM ANH NGỮ SPARK M. MINOR PROGRAMME THESIS Field: English Teaching Methodology Code: 6010111 TIANOI— 2015 VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES DEPARTMENT OF POST GRADUATE STUDIES NGUYEN THI QUYNH TRANG AN INVESTIGATION INTO SON-ENGLISH MAJOR STUDENTS’ ATTITUDES TOWARDS ENGLISH NATIVE SPEAKERS’ AND NON-NATIVE SPEAKERS’ ACCENTS: AN EXAMPLE AT SPARK ENGLISH CENTER NGHIÊN CỨU THÁT ĐỘ CỦA SINH VIÊN KHÔNG CHUYÊN TIANG ANH VỚI GIỌNG BẢN NGỮ VÀ PHI BẢN NGỮ MOT VÍ DỤ CỤ THÊ TẠI TRUNG TÂM ANH NGỮ SPARK M. MINOR PROGRAMME THESIS Ficld: English Teaching Methodology Code: 60140111 Supervisor: Prof. Nguyễn Quang HANOI— 215 DECLARATIONS I - Kguyễn Thị Quỳnh Trang - hereby declare that the thesis entitled “An investigation info non-English major students’ attitudes towards English native speakers’ and non-native speakers’ accents: An example at Spark English Center” is the result of my own research in the fulfillment of the requirement, for the Degree of Masler of Arts al Faculty of Post Graduate Studies - Universily of Languages and International Studies, VNU, Hanoi and this thesis has not been submitted for any degree at any other university or institution.
Nguyễn Thị Quỳnh Trang Tlanoi, September 2015 ABSTRACT This study investigates the attitudes of non-Fnglish major students towards English native spcakers’ and non-native speakers’ accents. The participants are 6) Vietnamese non-English major students who are studying English at Spark English Center, Ianoi. The results reveal that: (1) students are mostly able to identify the native and non-native accents. However, they ure uot very good at recognize each variety of English, (2) the students generally rate the nalive accents Iigher than non-native ones.
The Bntsh English seems to be the most favourite among all the accents. Remarkably, Philippine English is also highly valued: and (3) the students have positive altitudes ta both native and nonnative models of Engkish. 1 ABSTRACT This study investigates the attitudes of non-Fnglish major students towards English native spcakers’ and non-native speakers’ accents. The participants are 6) Vietnamese non-English major students who are studying English at Spark English Center, Ianoi.
The results reveal that: (1) students are mostly able to identify the native and non-native accents. However, they ure uot very good at recognize each variety of English, (2) the students generally rate the nalive accents Iigher than non-native ones. The Bntsh English seems to be the most favourite among all the accents. Remarkably, Philippine English is also highly valued: and (3) the students have positive altitudes ta both native and nonnative models of Engkish.
Selting af the study cesses 16 2. Data collecfion procedirc. Methods of đafa analysfs. Part A: The verbal guise Lest eect 2 3.2 Part B: Statements with a five-point Likert scale 28 3.
Research question 1: How is the ability of the SEC non-English major students to identify the speakers’ accents? .2, Rescarch question 2: How do the SEC non-English major students rate the varieties of native and non-native accents? 33 3.3, Rescarch question 3: How do the SEC non- English major students think about NS and NNS models? eect 35 PART ©. Limitations of the study. Suggestions for further gtudies. 3g APPENDIX 4— QUESTIONNAIRE eect a1 vii LIST OF TABLES Page Table 1, Distinguishing native and non-native speakeFs.
Guessing the nationality of the spzakera. Mean ratings (and standard deviations) of six speakers om five traits.24 Table4, Mean ratings ofall five Iraibs coset 28 Talile 3. Statistics of Nutive speakers und Nomnuative speakers on ive traits. Independent samples t-test: Comparison between Native spcakers and Non-native speakers for five traits.
Table 7, Mean ratings and standard deviations of six speakers as models of English BF able 8, Statistics of Native speakers and Non-native speakers as models of English 37 Table 9. Independent samples t-test: Comparison between Native speakers and Non-native spcakers for a model of English - 28 Table 10. Mean ratings for Statements on the NS model of English 28 Table 11. Mean:atings for Statemenfs on the NN6 model of English.
28 LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1. Kachru’s categorization of countrics in which English is used (from Crystal, 1997: 54). Participants’ agreement with statement 1. Participants’ agreement with statement 2.
Participants’ agreement with statement 3. Particivants’ agreement with statement 4. Rationale Nowadays, numerous studies and journals have found the paramount importance of students’ attitudes m foreign language leammg and their leaming achievement. Students’ attitudes is considered as one of the key factors mi inotivating the learners to learn the language.
Positive altitude could facihtate language leammg while negative altitude may hinder it Consequently, it is worth doing research on students’ attitudes and factors affecting such attitudes in order to enhance their leaming success and achievement when teaching a foreign language Moreover, it is undoubiful to find the importance of pronuneiation in learning English, When people communicate, they can use simple words, simple grammar structures, but there 1s no stich a thing as “simple provuncialion”. Good protmineiation is one of the first things that. someone learns m English However, that is also one of the most difficult, problenrs facing, non-native speakers of English. In relation to teaching, and leaming English pronunciation, questions about models for pronunciation have been raised.
Many non-native speakers worry about their accents when they speak English According to Anastasia Koltai (2013), many people fee! that having 4 pronpunced mother tongue avcent nay mek them oul as being a noumative speaker, or “they worry that thew natwal accented English specch is unintelligible to others”. Thus, they try to leam the accents that help them sound more native. In Vietnam, people seem to take it for granted that they only leam Amenenn or British English. Tn students’ minds, American or British Enghsh have been considered Lo be authentic and these accents help to sound native as well as best aid them in English learning.
There is a story in the researcher’s pronunciation class. When she asked her students which LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1. Kachru’s categorization of countrics in which English is used (from Crystal, 1997: 54). Participants’ agreement with statement 1.
Participants’ agreement with statement 2. Participants’ agreement with statement 3. Particivants’ agreement with statement 4. Rationale Nowadays, numerous studies and journals have found the paramount importance of students’ attitudes m foreign language leammg and their leaming achievement.
Students’ attitudes is considered as one of the key factors mi inotivating the learners to learn the language. Positive altitude could facihtate language leammg while negative altitude may hinder it Consequently, it is worth doing research on students’ attitudes and factors affecting such attitudes in order to enhance their leaming success and achievement when teaching a foreign language Moreover, it is undoubiful to find the importance of pronuneiation in learning English, When people communicate, they can use simple words, simple grammar structures, but there 1s no stich a thing as “simple provuncialion”. Good protmineiation is one of the first things that. someone learns m English However, that is also one of the most difficult, problenrs facing, non-native speakers of English.
In relation to teaching, and leaming English pronunciation, questions about models for pronunciation have been raised. Many non-native speakers worry about their accents when they speak English According to Anastasia Koltai (2013), many people fee! that having 4 pronpunced mother tongue avcent nay mek them oul as being a noumative speaker, or “they worry that thew natwal accented English specch is unintelligible to others”. Thus, they try to leam the accents that help them sound more native. In Vietnam, people seem to take it for granted that they only leam Amenenn or British English.
Tn students’ minds, American or British Enghsh have been considered Lo be authentic and these accents help to sound native as well as best aid them in English learning. There is a story in the researcher’s pronunciation class. When she asked her students which LIST OF TABLES Page Table 1, Distinguishing native and non-native speakeFs. Guessing the nationality of the spzakera.
Mean ratings (and standard deviations) of six speakers om five traits.24 Table4, Mean ratings ofall five Iraibs coset 28 Talile 3. Statistics of Nutive speakers und Nomnuative speakers on ive traits. Independent samples t-test: Comparison between Native spcakers and Non-native speakers for five traits. Table 7, Mean ratings and standard deviations of six speakers as models of English BF able 8, Statistics of Native speakers and Non-native speakers as models of English 37 Table 9.
Independent samples t-test: Comparison between Native speakers and Non-native spcakers for a model of English - 28 Table 10. Mean ratings for Statements on the NS model of English 28 Table 11. Mean:atings for Statemenfs on the NN6 model of English. 28 LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1.
Kachru’s categorization of countrics in which English is used (from Crystal, 1997: 54). Participants’ agreement with statement 1. Participants’ agreement with statement 2. Participants’ agreement with statement 3.
Particivants’ agreement with statement 4. ABBREVIATIONS AmE: American English BrB: British English GA; General American Tn: Indian English JaR: Japanese-accented English NS. Native speaker INNS: Non-native speaker PhE: Philippine English SEC: Spark English Center RP: Received Pronunciation ViE: Vietnamese-accented English i ABSTRACT This study investigates the attitudes of non-Fnglish major students towards English native spcakers’ and non-native speakers’ accents. The participants are 6) Vietnamese non-English major students who are studying English at Spark English Center, Ianoi.
The results reveal that: (1) students are mostly able to identify the native and non-native accents. However, they ure uot very good at recognize each variety of English, (2) the students generally rate the nalive accents Iigher than non-native ones. The Bntsh English seems to be the most favourite among all the accents. Remarkably, Philippine English is also highly valued: and (3) the students have positive altitudes ta both native and nonnative models of Engkish.
1 TABLE OF CONTENTS Page DECLARATIONS ABSTRACT ABBREVIATIONS LIST OF TARLES LIST OF FIGURES. TABLE OF CONTENTS. Aims and objectives of ths study. Scope of the study uo 5.
Method of the study 6. Significance of the sturdy Re 7, Design of the study.1, What is accent’? 1. Varieties of English accent “a 1. English native speakers’ accents 1.
English non-native speakers’ accents 1. Atticudes towards accents of English. Studies on attitudes towards accents of English.1, Restatement pf research questions 16 2. Cantext of the study 16 vi PART A.
Rationale Nowadays, numerous studies and journals have found the paramount importance of students’ attitudes m foreign language leammg and their leaming achievement. Students’ attitudes is considered as one of the key factors mi inotivating the learners to learn the language. Positive altitude could facihtate language leammg while negative altitude may hinder it Consequently, it is worth doing research on students’ attitudes and factors affecting such attitudes in order to enhance their leaming success and achievement when teaching a foreign language Moreover, it is undoubiful to find the importance of pronuneiation in learning English, When people communicate, they can use simple words, simple grammar structures, but there 1s no stich a thing as “simple provuncialion”. Good protmineiation is one of the first things that.
someone learns m English However, that is also one of the most difficult, problenrs facing, non-native speakers of English. In relation to teaching, and leaming English pronunciation, questions about models for pronunciation have been raised. Many non-native speakers worry about their accents when they speak English According to Anastasia Koltai (2013), many people fee! that having 4 pronpunced mother tongue avcent nay mek them oul as being a noumative speaker, or “they worry that thew natwal accented English specch is unintelligible to others”. Thus, they try to leam the accents that help them sound more native.