Little attention has been paid to the potential influence of accents in the language learning literature. The study’s aim was to examine Saudi female university students’ attitudes towards British and American accents and whether students face difficulties when listening to speakers of those languages. The study was conducted with seventy-two female Saudi students. Two data collection instruments were used: a sixteen-statement questionnaire and a comprehension test spoken in either a British or an American accent. Participants were observed to: a) be familiar with both accents; b) have been more frequently exposed to the American accent; c) find the American accent easier to understand; d) prefer the British accent in learning settings; and e) perform more accurately in the comprehension test when it was spoken in the American accent. These results highlight the crucial role of learners’ perception and comprehension of English accents and the need to incorporate accents as influential variables when learning English.
Jwahir Alzamil (Wed,) studied this question.