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Accent investment for non-native English speakers : between linguacultural identity and capital
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Date
2025-12
Abstract
Recent studies continue to highlight the dramatic global rise in English speakers and the persistent desire for standard native English accents within the globalised neoliberal order (see e.g. Schaffer and Tod 2025; Sahrai and Tantiniranat 2024; Kim 2021; McCrocklin and Link 2016). Indeed, this reported never-ending pursuit of native-speaker (NS) accents appears to contradict claims within the Global Englishes (GE) paradigms, which argue that non-native English speakers (NNESs) choose to invest in their linguacultural identities and desire to retain their L1-influenced accents in English as markers of identity and pride (Jenkins 2007; Kirkpatrick 2007). Some scholars have gone further, questioning the ethical implications of accent reduction and pronunciation instruction for NNESs (e.g. Ramjattan 2025, Porter and Garvin 1989). Rather than adopting one or other of these stances, this study seeks to explore the intersection of accent and identity, examining ideologies in relation to accent and identity among NNESs. Through in-depth semi-structured interviews with seven NNESs from outer and expanding Kachruvian circles (Kachru 1985), the study applies Darvin and Norton’s (2015) model of investment, informed by Bourdieu’s (1991) notion of linguistic capital, and situated within the Unequal Englishes paradigm (Tupas 2024). The analysis uncovers complex underlying tensions and nuanced dynamics. While most participants acknowledge the role of an L1-influenced accent in English as a potential identity statement, dominant language and neoliberal ideologies drive their investment in a standard native speaker accent. Their accent investments reflect their desire to be recognised as legitimate speakers (Bourdieu 1991), to negotiate or ‘perform’ different identities, or acquire a type of capital that can be converted into socioeconomic gain or symbolic status. Therefore, the findings suggest that approximating a standard native English speaker accent is perceived less as a pragmatic choice for intelligibility (see e.g. McCrocklin 2025; Sung 2014) and more as a necessary, strategic investment that is shaped at the nexus of identity, ideology, and capital (e.g. Rabbidge and Zaheeb 2025).
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University of Limerick
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Djebbar_2025_Accent.pdf
Adobe PDF, 2.65 MB
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Sustainable Development Goals
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Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International