Abstract:
According to Fuertes et al. (2002), the Accent Prestige Theory suggests that
listeners use a speaker’s accent as a cue to judge their intelligence, fluency, and
social status. This explains the common misconception in Bangladesh that a
speaker’s English accent determines their intelligence and social standing,
especially prevalent throughout the 20th century. Such notions have been
facing growing opposition in recent times among the younger generations
with a growing acceptance of speaking English influenced by Bangladeshi
dialects. By combining quantitative (questionnaires) and qualitative (focus
group discussions) methodologies, this paper explores tertiary-level students’
perspectives on whether accent serves as a marker of intelligence and social
status among their peers and how they see the Accent Prestige Theory through
a reflective lens of the colonized part of the subcontinent. The researchers
also highlight the viewpoint of tertiary-level students regarding accent bias
and the normalization of the usage of English in their own accent as a form
of decolonization. The findings indicate that participants prioritize fluency
over accent when speaking English as a foreign language. Moreover, students
recognize the association between intelligence and accent as a colonial
byproduct. Finally, the study discusses how the increasing acceptance of
speaking English with a Bangladeshi accent reflects a broader movement
toward linguistic decolonization. The researchers believe that the findings of
this study will reshape the approaches to teaching English speaking skills in
tertiary-level classrooms.
