The Role of Reverse Linguistic Stereotyping in Thai English Learners’ Language Attitudes toward English Speakers
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Abstract
This study explores how reverse linguistic stereotyping (RLS) affects Thai English learners’ evaluations of English speakers and their choices of pronunciation models. Ninety-five first-year Thai English majors were divided into an uninformed group, unaware of speakers’ nationalities, and an informed group, knowledgeable of the same. Participants listened to six speakers both native and non-native and rated them using a modified verbal guise technique before choosing the speaker(s) they think exemplify good pronunciation models. Knowledge of the speakers’ nationalities was found to influence the participants’ social ratings and their selection of speakers as pronunciation models. This study contributes to understanding how listeners’ language perception may be shaped by expectations about a speaker’s social identity rather than the speaker’s actual linguistic abilities. This study advocates the importance of English language teaching (ELT) in addressing the issue of RLS and its impact on language perception, calling educators to raise students’ understanding of stereotypical judgments of language variation and promote unbiased communication.
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