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Publication detail

Czech Students’ Perceptions of their English Accent

Authors: Černá Monika | Sheorey Ravi

Year: 2012

Type of publication: ostatní - přednáška nebo poster

Page from-to: nestránkováno

Titles:

Language	Name	Abstract	Keywords
eng	Czech Students’ Perceptions of their English Accent	In this new century of World Englishes and the global spread of English, when teachers of EFL make their decisions concerning the role of and target for pronunciation instruction, they have to take into account a number of factors. Although there has been a growing body of research in the pronunciation teaching of EFL, we know little about what learners themselves think about their own accents, the kind of accent they desire to emulate, their accent-related experiences, and the role these factors play in determining their preferences in pronunciation instruction. This presentation is based on the results of a survey which was designed to obtain the perceptions of a group of college students in the Czech Republic (N=191) of their own English accents and pronunciation learning goals. The purpose of the presentation is to demonstrate the conflicting tendencies in Czech students’ accent perceptions such as a desire to signal (or not) their foreignness, ethnic identity, and a need to become socialized in and out of the EFL classroom context. The talk includes an analysis of the data and a discussion of the self-perceptions of accent which may help English teachers in general and Czech EFL teachers in particular to tailor pronunciation instruction to the needs and desires of their students. The presenters will suggest, partly based on their own experiences, that the goals and priorities in EFL pronunciation teaching should not be wholly pre-determined but rather co-constructed collaboratively and negotiated with the learners.	learner of English, pronunciation, accent, survey