English pronunciation features: intelligibility, credibility and identi…English Pronunciation in a Global World - Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam 2021-08-02 7:31 PM

English pronunciation features: intelligibility, credibility and identity

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Our course has three tenets: your accent should be intelligible (understandable), credible and personal. In this
article we will discuss these three notions further. We will also explain how they can be turned into concrete
goals for pronunciation.

Intelligibility Professors Tracey Derwing and Murray Munro state that speech is intelligible when ‘listeners
can understand the speaker’s intended message’ (2015: 2). Speech intelligibility is therefore essential to
successful communication. However, it has been demonstrated that actually, many accents do not interfere
with intelligibility (e.g. Munro & Derwing 1995). Thus, we should figure out precisely which pronunciation
features(1) lead to communication problems for listeners (as Abercrombie 1949 previously argued) . These
should be distinguished from those features that are not detrimental to intelligibility. In this way, we will be
able to identify pronunciation features that should be prioritized.

Credibililty Derwing & Munro (2015: 2) have also pointed that while accented speech may not be
unintelligible, it may be negatively evaluated by listeners. A negative evaluation of your accent will affect the
way that you are perceived (for example, as less believable/credible). It can even give rise to discriminatory
behaviour. Derwing & Munro (2015) refer to work by Dr Rosina Lippi-Green 2012 on this topic.
Unfortunately, society has been socialised into believing that some accents are ‘better’ than others, especially
standard accents. It is a mainstream idea that linguists have vehemently opposed. However, it has proven very
resilient. We would, therefore, agree that ‘oral communication is such a fundamental part of everyday life that
if pronunciations patterns get in the way, action is essential’ (Derwing & Munro 2015: 2). Namely, we need to
ascertain which pronunciation features cause credibility to be undermined.

Identity You may have good reasons to aspire to a British- or an American-type English accent. There can
also be situations in which it is useful to have a Standard English accent. Please note, however, that it is very
difficult to acquire a native English accent. It might not even be appropriate. On some occasions, it can be
important to show our native identity. As Derwing & Munro (2015: 132) have put it: ‘It is through language
that we express our own selves’. We therefore welcome local accent features as long as your intelligibility
and credibility aren’t affected. Of course, some people intentionally try to adopt another accent to construct a
different personality!

Pronunciation goals Our accents can have an extraordinary impact on our personal and professional lives.
For this reason we wish to foster your awareness of what might happen should you have particular accent
features. We want you to become the agent of your own English accent. Specifically, we will help you
develop particular pronunciation skills as well as strategies for preventing communication breakdowns and
dealing with inequality.

A caveat Derwing & Munro (2015: 56-57, 74-75) discuss a number of factors which make it a little
complicated to decide on features that influence intelligibility and credibility. One such factor is ‘context’.
Suppose that two words are distinguished by just one sound. Not pronouncing that sound will cause
intelligibility problems only if the two words can occur in the same context. For example, substituting the
sound /f/ for /θ/ (‘th’) is more likely to cause communication to break down (free or three beers?) than /t/
does (?tree beers). Further, whether communication is impeded depends to some degree on the listener. If a
listener has the same native language/the same non-native accent, you are more likely to understand each
other. Perhaps most importantly, the study of the relationship between pronunciation features and
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English pronunciation features: intelligibility, credibility and identi…English Pronunciation in a Global World - Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam 2021-08-02 7:31 PM

intelligibility/credibility is still in its infancy. There is a need for more evidence-based research that includes
a wide range of listeners.

Pronunciation features Research has not yet fully established which aspects of pronunciation impact on
intelligibility and credibility. Still, some findings are suggestive of pronunciation features that compromise
listener understanding and speakers’ credibility. Drawing on work by Jennifer Jenkins (2000), Rias van den
Doel (2006), Bettina Beinhoff (2009), and David Deterding (2013), we have come to a list of pronunciation
features that appear to matter when intelligibility and credibility are the concern. These lists will be presented
in Week 2 (Vowels), Week 3 (Consonants) and Week 4 (Suprasegmental features) of the course. Depending
on your accent and your individual needs, you can select a number of these features in your pronunciation
goals as we proceed.

Notes (1) For instance, think of call centres, which have been found to select employees on the basis of their
accent. There is a great film on this subject: Outsourced (2007). The film shows an executive of an American
call centre who goes to India to teach prospective staff “proper” English. In the end, he falls in love there
(naturally) and ends up speaking English with a beautiful Indian English accent himself! See the trailer:

OUTSOURCED movie trailer

This is an additional video, hosted on YouTube.

© Derwing, Tracy M. & Murray J. Munro. (2015). Pronunciation fundamentals: evidence-based perspectives
for L2 teaching and research. Amsterdam: John Benjamins.

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Introduction to week 1video
Sharing our English accentsexercise

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