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Abstract

Although attitudes toward non-U.S. accented speakers have been widely studied, less is known about how accent and race intersect in the United States. This study examined the reported thoughts and feelings U.S. nationals expressed when they encounter Black, non-U.S.-accented speakers. Using a qualitative open-ended questionnaire, a purposive sample of monolingual English-speaking U.S. nationals (N = 500) was assembled. Thematic analysis revealed that U.S. nationals’ thoughts about Black, non-U.S. accented speakers included (a) admiration, (b) curiosity, (c) profiling, (d) accommodation, and (e) processing fluency, with primary attention directed toward accent. Findings also indicated positive, negative, and neutral affect, centering on the intersection of accent, race, and immigrant identity. Overall, findings highlight the complexity and ambiguity of U.S. nationals’ cognitive and affective attitudes, demonstrating how multiple markers of social identity simultaneously implicated participants’ evaluations.

Keywords

affective attitudes black cognitive attitudes immigrant identity intersectionality non-U.S. accent

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Hearing and Seeing Difference. U.S. Nationals’ Attitudes Toward Black Non-U.S. Accented Speakers

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