Speaking the 'right' English: Attitudes and beliefs of Italian students towards 'native sounding' and foreign-accented English

This study examines the language attitudes and beliefs of Italians towards ‘native’ and ‘non-native’ varieties of spoken English, with particular attention to the evaluation of their Italian accent. Semi-structured interviews were carried out while the participants (19 students in higher education) were studying abroad. These revealed a deep-seated belief that a ‘native-sounding’ accent is required in order to become truly proficient in the language and to be taken seriously, which caused a strong sense of anxiety and inadequacy in the respondents. The interviews touched upon multiple topics, including their interactions with others while abroad, their fear of being discriminated against, and their struggles with identity and self-positioning. However, the longitudinal nature of this study revealed that the time spent abroad ultimately contributed to changing their attitudes, making them more open towards their multilingualism and their own Italian-sounding accent, although they remained aware of the possible advantages that ‘sounding native’ provides.