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Part of
New Englishes, New Methods
Edited by Guyanne Wilson and Michael Westphal
[Varieties of English Around the World G68] 2023
► pp. 178–200

Mixed methods in the mapping of accent perceptions in Indian varieties of English

| University of Regensburg

This paper discusses the benefits of a mixed-methods approach designed for the investigation of language attitudes towards accent variation in Indian English. The study was carried out in a transient community of Indian university students in Heidelberg, Germany in 2018. Methods from language attitude research were combined with those from perceptual dialectology with the aim of eliciting both overt and covert attitudes. The paper critically assesses the current methods used in language attitude research in New Englishes, which often neglect the mapping of perceptual landscapes and mostly rely on Verbal Guise Tests and direct questions. The results show that a mixed-methods approach helps to depict the perceptual heterogeneity of language users in New Englishes contexts.

Keywords: Indian Englishes, language attitudes, mixed methods, New Englishes, perceptual dialectology
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
  • 2.Theoretical foundations
    • 2.1Indian English(es)
    • 2.2Transient speech communities
    • 2.3Perceptual dialectology and language attitude research in New Englishes
  • 3.Research area, data, and methodology
    • 3.1The Heidelberg Indian student community
    • 3.2Data
    • 3.3Methodology
    • 3.4Data analysis
  • 4.Results of the map task
  • 5.Results of the VGT
  • 6.Discussion: Overt and covert attitudes towards Indian Englishes in the Heidelberg community
  • 7.Methodological implications
  • Notes
  • References
Published online: 14 April 2023
DOI logo
https://doi.org/10.1075/veaw.g68.09reg
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