An Investigation Of Chinese EFL Students' Attitudes Towards General British And General American English Pronunciation

Language attitude studies have shown with some regularity that different language varieties evoke different perceptions (e.g. Bourhis & Giles, 1976; Giles & Farrar, 1979). Irrespective of the prevailing attitudes, an evaluation of a language or variety cannot be said to be a result of linguistic superiority or inferiority (Edwards, 1982). Evaluations of language are expressions of social convention and preference, reflecting an awareness of the status and prestige granted to the speakers of the varieties (Giles, Bourhis, Trudgill & Lewis, 1974; Giles, Bourhis & Davis, 1979). The model chosen for learning or teaching naturally reflects the attitudes towards it (Starks & Paltridge, 1996).At present, English is used practically all over the world. According to Kachru (1992), users of English around the world total roughly 750 million, among whom 350 million are native speakers of English and 400 million are non-native speakers. British English (BE) and American English (AE) constitute the two main poles in the vast English-using community. In China, English is the main obligatory foreign language in schools, ranging from primary school to university, even in kindergarten. The recommended English learning model in China is either general AE or general BE. One can find teachers at all levels who follow general BE and AE.The purpose of the present study is to reveal the Chinese EFL students' attitudes towards general British and general American English pronunciation, and the underlying reasons behind these attitudes as well as the relevant implications on English learning and teaching. Research instruments used in this study include an adaptation of matched guise technique, a questionnaire and a small-scale interview. The sample students were taken from GDUFS. There is something specific to GDUFS, such as the teaching tradition, circumstance andgeographic location. So I may not dare to say the results represent the whole situation in China. However, at least, some conclusions can be drawn through the study.Results of resent study indicate that in China, BE is associated with "high English", a standard educated variety; AE is associated with dialect, a non-standard, less prestigious variety, and slang.Most Chinese EFL students prefer to learn BE as a leaner goal and pronunciation model, since BE is the most prestigious and its speakers are believed to speak best English.Nonetheless, AE is also an attractive choice. And AE speakers were found socially attractive.