Effects of Accent Strength Expectancy Violations on Language Attitudes

This study examined how violations of listeners’ expectancies of the strength of speakers’ foreign accents influence evaluations of foreign-accented speakers. Participants (N = 275) listened to a male or female speaker reading a short passage in Spanish-accented English. Compared to participants whose expectancies about the strength of speakers’ foreign accents were confirmed, listeners whose expectancies were negatively violated reported a more negative affective reaction and attributed less status to the speaker. Affect partially mediated the effect of negative expectancy violations on ratings of status. Participants whose expectancies were positively violated did not differ from those whose expectancies were confirmed on any dependent measures.