How Accent and Identity Influence Each Other

204 Pages·2017·2 MB·English

by  Kazuaki Kumagai

Indiana University of Pennsylvania
Knowledge Repository @ IUP
Theses and Dissertations (All)
5-2013
How Accent and Identity Influence Each Other:
An Investigation of L2 English Speakers'
Perceptions of Their Own Accents and Their
Perceived Social Identities
Kazuaki Kumagai
Indiana University of Pennsylvania
Follow this and additional works at:http://knowledge.library.iup.edu/etd
Recommended Citation
Kumagai, Kazuaki, "How Accent and Identity Influence Each Other: An Investigation of L2 English Speakers' Perceptions of Their
Own Accents and Their Perceived Social Identities" (2013).Theses and Dissertations (All). 1195.
http://knowledge.library.iup.edu/etd/1195
This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by Knowledge Repository @ IUP. It has been accepted for inclusion in Theses and Dissertations
(All) by an authorized administrator of Knowledge Repository @ IUP. For more information, please [email protected], [email protected].
HOW ACCENT AND IDENTITY INFLUENCE EACH OTHER:
AN INVESTIGATION OF L2 ENGLISH SPEAKERS’ PERCEPTIONS OF THEIR OWN
ACCENTS AND THEIR PERCEIVED SOCIAL IDENTITIES

A Thesis
Submitted to the School of Graduate Studies and Research
in Partial Fulfillment of the
Requirements for the Degree
Master of Arts

Kazuaki Kumagai
Indiana University of Pennsylvania
May 2013
© 2013 Kazuaki Kumagai
All Rights Reserved

  ii
Indiana University of Pennsylvania
School of Graduate Studies and Research
Department of English

We hereby approve the thesis of

Kazuaki Kumagai

Candidate for the degree of Master of Arts

_____________________ ____________________________________
Sharon K. Deckert, Ph. D
Associate Professor of English, Advisor

_____________________ ____________________________________
David I. Hanauer, Ph. D
Professor of English

_____________________ ____________________________________
Gloria Park, Ph. D
Assistant Professor of English

ACCEPTED

_______________________________ _____________________
Timothy P. Mack, Ph.D.
Dean
School of Graduate Studies and Research

  iii
Title: How Accent and Identity Influence Each Other: An Investigation of L2 English Speakers’
Perceptions of Their Own Accents And Their Perceived Social Identities
Author: Kazuaki Kumagai
Thesis Chair: Dr. Sharon K. Deckert
Thesis Committee Members: Dr. David I. Hanauer
Dr. Gloria Park
This qualitative study aims to attain a practical understanding of L2 English speakers’
perceptions and understandings of their own English accents and to explore the relationship
between their perceptions/understandings of accents and their perceived social identities.
Data were collected through interviews with 14 participants. The results of the individual
analysis on each participant were reported as a form of narrative. The group analysis across all
the participants’ narratives demonstrated the complexity of their perceptions and understandings
of accents, and the complex and context-dependent nature of the relationship between accents
and social identities. Five themes that respond to the research questions emerged from the
results. From the discussion of the themes, a heuristic model of identity construction was
developed. The model explains the four cases of the participants as an explanatory tool for
identity construction.
The study provides pedagogical implications for language teachers, and provides some
suggestions for future research.

  iv
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
I sincerely believe that every step I took for this study was supported by many people
who stood around and behind me.
First, my sincere appreciation goes to my thesis advisor, Dr. Sharon K. Deckert, whose
professional advice, support, and continuous care encouraged me and helped me to develop my
thesis at the level of which I am most capable. Every piece of advice of hers provided me with
insights on the topic, and helped me improve the quality of the contents. I sincerely appreciate all
her advice and support, as well as the time she spared for my thesis.
I am truly grateful for my program advisor, Dr. Gloria Park, who supported me writing
this thesis from the very beginning stage to the end. Without her continuous care and support, as
well as her academic advice and encouragement, I would have not been able to manage to
conclude this thesis writing project. I deeply appreciate all her support and care. Also, I would
like to express my gratitude to Dr. David I. Hanauer and Dr. Sedef U. Smith for their academic
support. Their support both inside and outside the class helped me to organize and structure the
ideas to write this thesis.
I would like to express my great gratitude to my dear cohorts in the M.A. TESOL
program, as well as my other friends in the program. Specifically, I would like to thank Mr.
Rajwan Al-Shareefy for his constant academic, psychological and spiritual support throughout
the thesis writing process. Also, I would like to thank Mrs. Tomoko Nuske-Oda for the
considerable amount of her academic advice. All of my friends’ support, care, and advice from
academic to spiritual level helped me and inspired me to dedicate myself to this thesis and
develop it in every step I had. I cannot fully appreciate all their support and advice they gave me.

  v
This thesis would not have existed without the participants’ collaboration. I would like to
express my great appreciation for their interests in my study, their will to share their experiences
so honestly, and their hope for the success in my thesis. I hope that their participation in this
study helped them to reflect on their experiences and to learn something meaningful back from
their past.
I am grateful for my grandparents, parents and my sister for their wishes for my
successful thesis writing. Their selfless support despite the geographic distance helped me a lot
to continue my work on my thesis. I am also thankful for my friends in Japan, who sent me their
care and wishes for my thesis. Their words supported me and encouraged me to put more effort
into my thesis in every stage.
Lastly, I am thankful for all the people who directly and indirectly supported my thesis in
various levels, such as the people in the graduate office and my coworkers at my work. I would
like to express my appreciation for their support and understanding even though I may not have
met them personally. Again, I truly appreciate all the people who are involved in my thesis
directly and indirectly.

  vi
TABLE OF CONTENTS

Chapter Page
I INTRODUCTION ..............................................................................1

Researcher’s Journey over Different Accent Perceptions ..................1
Paradigm Shift in English ...................................................................4
Identity Studies ...................................................................................6
Studies of Accent and Identity ............................................................7
Study Purposes and Justifications .......................................................8

II LITERATURE REVIEW .................................................................10

Introduction .......................................................................................10
English Accents ................................................................................11
Definition of An Accent ..........................................................11
An Overview of English Accents ...........................................12
Hierarchical power distribution ....................................12
Definition of terminology:
L2 English speakers ............................................14
Native-nonnative distinction
and native speaker norm ...............................................15
Intelligibility of accents ................................................17
World Englishes and
the rising issue of identity .............................................20
Identity ..............................................................................................21
Theoretical Positioning of Identity ...............................21
Essential Elements in Identity .......................................21
Interaction as an essential element
in identity construction .......................................22
Desire as an essential element
in identity construction .......................................22
Different Approaches to Identity ..................................23
Different Categories of Identity ....................................24
Individual-level identities ...................................24
Group-level identities ..........................................25
Focal Identity of The Present Study ..............................27
Social identity theory ..........................................27
Social theories of identity construction
in relation to language .........................................29
Empirical Studies of Identity and Language .....................................31
An Overview of Identity and Language Studies ...........31
Language and Identity in SLA ......................................32
Language Accent and Identity ......................................33

  vii
Identity construction and
negative perceptions of accents ..........................33
Identity construction and
positive perceptions of accents ...........................35
Longitudinal shift of identity
and accent perceptions ........................................36
Chapter Summary: Introducing The Present Study ..........................38

III METHODOLOGY ...........................................................................40

Introduction .......................................................................................40
Research Paradigm ............................................................................41
Research Design ................................................................................42
Qualitative Research ...................................................................43
Semi-structured Qualitative Interviewing ...................................44
Focal Participants ........................................................................46
Potential Drawbacks and Countermeasures ................................47
Data Collection .................................................................................47
Recruitment of Participants .........................................................47
Demographic Information of the Participants .............................48
Procedure of the Interviews ........................................................49
Transcription ...............................................................................50
Ethical Considerations ................................................................53
Data Analysis ....................................................................................54
Codification of the Data ..............................................................56
Process of Analyzing The Codes ................................................60
Chapter Summary: Introduction to The Results and Findings ..........61

IV RESULTS AND FINDINGS ............................................................63

Introduction .......................................................................................63
Individual Analysis: Participants’ Narratives ...................................64
Participant 1: Donovan ...............................................................64
Language background .............................................64
Participant’s accent descriptions .............................65
Participant’s perceptions and
understandings of own accent(s) .............................66
Relationship between participant’s
perceptions and understandings of accent,
and perceived social identities ................................67
Participant 2: Hibiscus ................................................................68
Language background .............................................68
Participant’s accent descriptions .............................69

  viii
Participant’s perceptions and
understandings of own accent(s) .............................69
Relationship between participant’s
perceptions and understandings of accent,
and perceived social identities ................................71
Participant 3: Joey .......................................................................73
Language background .............................................73
Participant’s accent descriptions .............................73
Participant’s perceptions and
Understandings of own accent(s) .............................74
Relationship between participant’s
perceptions and understandings of accent,
and perceived social identities ................................75
Participant 4: Kemal ...................................................................77
Language background .............................................77
Participant’s accent descriptions .............................78
Participant’s perceptions and
understandings of own accent(s) .............................78
Relationship between participant’s
perceptions and understandings of accent,
and perceived social identities ................................80
Participant 5: Komla ...................................................................82
Language background .............................................82
Participant’s accent descriptions .............................83
Participant’s perceptions and
understandings of own accent(s) .............................83
Relationship between participant’s
perceptions and understandings of accent,
and perceived social identities ................................86
Participant 6: May .......................................................................88
Language background .............................................88
Participant’s accent descriptions .............................88
Participant’s perceptions and
understandings of own accent(s) .............................89
Relationship between participant’s
perceptions and understandings of accent,
and perceived social identities ................................90
Participant 7: Minjun ..................................................................91
Language background .............................................92
Participant’s accent descriptions .............................92
Participant’s perceptions and
understandings of own accent(s) .............................93
Relationship between participant’s
perceptions and understandings of accent,
and perceived social identities ................................94

  ix