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Article published In:
Journal of Second Language Pronunciation
Vol. 8:1 (2022) ► pp.13–39

Phonological features that predict accentedness, comprehensibility, and perceived teaching suitability in Arizona K-12 teachers

ORCID logo | Northern Arizona University

Motivated by a proposed administrative practice that would have discriminated against non-native English speaking (NNES) teachers, this study described an extensive phonological analysis on speech samples from ten certified Arizona teachers to investigate linguistic features that differentiate native English speaking (NES) teachers from NNES teachers. In addition, educational stakeholders (n = 141) impressionistically evaluated the speech samples for comprehensibility, accentedness, and perceived teaching suitability. Phonological features were used to predict listeners’ ratings on these three constructs. Multiple phonological features were found to predict comprehensibility, accentedness, and perceived teaching suitability, but each construct was predicted by a unique set of features. Lastly, stakeholders’ evaluations of NES and NNES teachers were analyzed. Despite individual variability in many of the features of NNES and NES teachers’ speech, educational stakeholders rated NNES teachers as more accented, less comprehensible, and less suited to teach.

Keywords: non-native English speaking teachers, accentedness, comprehensibility, educational stakeholders’ perceptions, speech evaluations
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
    • 1.1Education policy context in Arizona
    • 1.2Relationships between phonological features and listener evaluations of comprehensibility and accent
    • 1.3Relationships between phonological features and listener evaluations of (perceived) teaching suitability
    • 1.4The study
  • 2.Methods
    • 2.1Participants
      • 2.1.1Speakers
      • 2.1.2Listeners
    • 2.2Speech elicitation task
    • 2.3Phonological analysis
    • 2.4Data collection procedures
    • 2.5Data analysis
  • 3.Results
    • 3.1Phonological differences between NESTs and NNESTs
      • 3.1.1Segmental features
      • 3.1.2Suprasegmental features
    • 3.2Relationships between phonological features and listener ratings
      • 3.2.1Comprehensibility
      • 3.2.2Accentedness
      • 3.2.3Perceived teaching suitability
    • 3.3Listener evaluations of NES teachers and NNES teachers
  • 4.Discussion
    • 4.1Phonological differences between NES teachers and NNES teachers
    • 4.2Prediction of phonological features on ratings of accentedness, comprehensibility, and perceived teaching suitability
    • 4.3Reconciling listener evaluations with objective phonological analyses
  • 5.Conclusion
  • References
Published online: 23 November 2021
DOI logo
https://doi.org/10.1075/jslp.18005.mor
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