Perceptions and Language Attitudes of Native Korean Speakers toward Foreign Accents

doi:10.18627/jslg.41.4.202602.471

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2026 Vol.41, Issue 4 Preview Page Next Page

Research Article

Perceptions and Language Attitudes of Native Korean Speakers toward Foreign Accents 외국인 화자의 한국어 어투에 대한 원어민의 인식과 언어태도: 박재희^1*
Park, Jaehee^1*; ¹목포가톨릭대학교

¹Mokpo Catholic University

28 February 2026. pp. 471-488

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Abstract

This study examines the attitudes and perceptions of native Korean speakers toward foreign accents, and sheds light on the factors that influence them. It also examines whether nationality or mother tongue influences their attitudes. To this end, the survey responses of 251 Koreans to the utterances of six foreigners were analyzed. The results showed that the order of preference was favorability > foreignness ≒ superiority > social competence, and the Koreans’ attitudes toward foreign accents were not influenced by the nationality or mother tongue. The results suggest that Koreans’ attitudes toward foreign accent are more intertwined with benevolent discrimination, combining favorability and an inherent hierarchy stemming from social identity, than with linguistic proficiency per se. This study also implies the educational necessity of fostering a culture that recognizes foreign accents as a linguistic variation rather than an incorrect language, and that focuses on meaning rather than accent.

Keywords

language attitudes

multilingual society

verbal fluency

foreign accent

Korean native speaker

References

김나래, 최지선. 2025. 외국인 어투에 대한 한국어 모어 화자의 언어 태도 연구. 한국어교육, 36.2, 35-62.
김주성. 2014. 북한이탈주민의 언어 태도에 대한 연구. 석사학위 논문, 연세대학교 대학원.
박재희. 2024. 한국어 학습자의 언어태도에 영향을 미치는 요인 분석 연구. 언어연구, 40.3, 269-288.
백승주. 2020. 외국인 어투에 대한 한국인 여자 대학생의 언어 태도 연구. 언어와 문화, 16.3, 115-150.
유승무, 이태정. 2006. 한국인의 사회적 인정 척도와 외국인에 대한 이중적 태도. 담론, 9.2, 275-311.
이향. 2016. 외국인 어투에 대한 한국어 원어민 화자의 언어 태도 연구. 한국언어문화학, 13.3, 219-238.
이향, 김혜림. 2017. 한국어 학습자들의 발음에 대한 언어 태도 연구. 언어와 문화, 13.3, 219-238. 10.18842/klaces.2017.13.3.10
정현, 박서연, 전희정. 2017. 외국인의 차별 경험에 미치는 영향 요인에 관한 연구: 구조적･문화적･환경적 관점을 중심으로. 행정총론, 55.4, 307-336. 10.24145/KJPA.55.4.11
황동진, 김혜영. 2021. 신인종주의적 관점으로 분석한 유학생 생활 만족도에 영향을 미치는 요인. 한국콘텐츠학회논문지, 21.5, 707-715.
Acheme, D. E. and Cionea, I. A. 2022. “Oh, I like Your Accent”: Perceptions and Evaluations of Standard and Non-standard Accented English Speakers. Communication Reports 35.2, 92-105.10.1080/08934215.2022.2037679
Cargile, A. C., Maeda, E., Rodriguez, J., and Rich, M. 2010. “Oh, you speak English so well!” U.S. American Listeners’ Perceptions of “Foreignness” among Nonnative Speakers. Journal of Asian American Studies 13, 59-79.10.1353/jaas.0.0062
Derwing, T. M. and Munro, M. J. 2015. Pronunciation Fundamentals: Evidence-based Perspectives for L2. Teaching and Research 42, Amsterdam: John Benjamins Publishing Company.10.1075/lllt.42
Dewaele, J. M. and McCloskey, J. 2015. Attitudes towards Foreign Accents among Adult Multilingual Language Users. Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development 36.3, 221-238.10.1080/01434632.2014.909445
Dragojevic, M,. Giles, H., Beck, A. C., and Tatum, N. T. 2017. The Fluency Principle: Why Foreign Accent Strength Negatively Biases Language Attitudes. Communication monographs 84.3, 385-405.10.1080/03637751.2017.1322213
Dragojevic, M. and Goatley-Soan, S. 2022. Americans’ Attitudes toward Foreign Accents: Evaluative Hierarchies and Underlying Processes. Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development 43.2, 167-181.10.1080/01434632.2020.1735402
Effendi, F. E., Rangkuti, R., and Rosa, R. N. 2025. Exploring Students’ Attitudes towards Their Own English Accent: Insights from SMA Negeri 1 Stabat. Journal of Applied Linguistics and Literature 10.1, 115-135. 10.33369/joall.v10i1.37329
Fasold, R. 1984. The Sociolinguistics of Society. Oxford: Blackwell.
Fuertes, J. N., Gottdiener, W., Martin, H., Gilbert, T. C., and Giles, H. 2012. A Meta-analysis of The Effects of Speakers’ Accents on Interpersonal Evaluations. European Journal of Social Psychology 42, 120-133.10.1002/ejsp.862
Garrett, P. 2010. Attitudes to Language. New York: Cambridge University Press.10.17936/PKELT.2010.22.4.002
Jenkins, J. 2007. English as A Lingua Franca: Attitude and Identity. 190-226, Oxford, GB. Oxford University Press.
Krieger, N. 1999. Embodying Inequality: A Review of Concepts, Measures, and Methods for Studying Health Consequences of Discrimination. International Journal of Health Services 29.2, 295-352.10.2190/M11W-VWXE-KQM9-G97Q
Labov, W. 1966. The Social Stratification of English in New York city, Washington, D. C., Center for Applied Linguistics.
Lambert, W. E. 1967. A Social Psychology of Bilingualism. Journal of Social Issues 23.2, 91-109.10.1111/j.1540-4560.1967.tb00578.x
Lambert, W. E., Hodgson, R. C., Gardner, R. C., and Fillenbaum, S. 1960. Evaluational Reactions to Spoken Language. Journal of Abnormal and Social Psychology 60, 44-51.10.1037/h0044430
Laruelle, A., Navarro, N., and Escobedo, R. 2019. Proficiency, Attitude, and Conventions in Minority Languages. Sociological Methods and Research 48.2, 350-368.10.1177/0049124116672679
Lee, S. and Kim, D. S. 2014. Acculturation and Self-rated Health among Foreign Women in Korea. Health and Social Welfare Review 34.2, 453-483.10.15709/hswr.2014.34.2.453
Lev-Ari, S. and Keysar, B. 2010. Why Don’t We Believe Non-native Speakers? The Influence of Accent on Credibility. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology 46, 1093-1096.10.1016/j.jesp.2010.05.025
Moyer, A. 2013. Foreign Accent: The Phenomenon of Non-native Speech. Cambridge University Press.10.1017/CBO9780511794407
Ryan, E. B., Giles, H., and Sebastian, R. J. 1982. An Integrative Perspective for The Study of Attitudes toward Language Variation. In E. B. Ryan and H. Giles (eds.), Attitudes towards Language Variation: Social and Applied Contexts. London: Edward Arnold.
Tajfel, H. and Turner, J. C. 1979. An Integrative Theory of Intergroup Conflict. In W. G. Austin, and S. Worchel (eds.), The Social Psychology of Intergroup Relations. Monterey, CA: Brooks/Cole. 33-37.
Trudgill, P. 1974. The Social Differentiation of English in Norwich. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Ura, M., Preston, K. S., and Mearns, J. 2015. A Measure of Prejudice Against Accented English (MPAAE) Scale Development and Validation. Journal of Language and Social Psychology 34.5, 539-563.10.1177/0261927X15571537
Weber, M. 1968. On Charisma and Institution Building. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.

Information

Publisher :The Modern Linguistic Society of Korea
Publisher(Ko) :한국현대언어학회
Journal Title :The Journal of Studies in Language
Journal Title(Ko) :언어연구
Volume : 41
No :4
Pages :471-488
DOI :https://doi.org/10.18627/jslg.41.4.202602.471

[1] 김나래, 최지선. 2025. 외국인 어투에 대한 한국어 모어 화자의 언어 태도 연구. 한국어교육, 36.2, 35-62.

[2] 김주성. 2014. 북한이탈주민의 언어 태도에 대한 연구. 석사학위 논문, 연세대학교 대학원.

[3] 박재희. 2024. 한국어 학습자의 언어태도에 영향을 미치는 요인 분석 연구. 언어연구, 40.3, 269-288.

[4] 백승주. 2020. 외국인 어투에 대한 한국인 여자 대학생의 언어 태도 연구. 언어와 문화, 16.3, 115-150.

[5] 유승무, 이태정. 2006. 한국인의 사회적 인정 척도와 외국인에 대한 이중적 태도. 담론, 9.2, 275-311.

[6] 이향. 2016. 외국인 어투에 대한 한국어 원어민 화자의 언어 태도 연구. 한국언어문화학, 13.3, 219-238.

[7] 이향, 김혜림. 2017. 한국어 학습자들의 발음에 대한 언어 태도 연구. 언어와 문화, 13.3, 219-238. 10.18842/klaces.2017.13.3.10

[8] 정현, 박서연, 전희정. 2017. 외국인의 차별 경험에 미치는 영향 요인에 관한 연구: 구조적･문화적･환경적 관점을 중심으로. 행정총론, 55.4, 307-336. 10.24145/KJPA.55.4.11

[9] 황동진, 김혜영. 2021. 신인종주의적 관점으로 분석한 유학생 생활 만족도에 영향을 미치는 요인. 한국콘텐츠학회논문지, 21.5, 707-715.

[10] Acheme, D. E. and Cionea, I. A. 2022. “Oh, I like Your Accent”: Perceptions and Evaluations of Standard and Non-standard Accented English Speakers. Communication Reports 35.2, 92-105.10.1080/08934215.2022.2037679

[11] Cargile, A. C., Maeda, E., Rodriguez, J., and Rich, M. 2010. “Oh, you speak English so well!” U.S. American Listeners’ Perceptions of “Foreignness” among Nonnative Speakers. Journal of Asian American Studies 13, 59-79.10.1353/jaas.0.0062

[12] Derwing, T. M. and Munro, M. J. 2015. Pronunciation Fundamentals: Evidence-based Perspectives for L2. Teaching and Research 42, Amsterdam: John Benjamins Publishing Company.10.1075/lllt.42

[13] Dewaele, J. M. and McCloskey, J. 2015. Attitudes towards Foreign Accents among Adult Multilingual Language Users. Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development 36.3, 221-238.10.1080/01434632.2014.909445

[14] Dragojevic, M,. Giles, H., Beck, A. C., and Tatum, N. T. 2017. The Fluency Principle: Why Foreign Accent Strength Negatively Biases Language Attitudes. Communication monographs 84.3, 385-405.10.1080/03637751.2017.1322213

[15] Dragojevic, M. and Goatley-Soan, S. 2022. Americans’ Attitudes toward Foreign Accents: Evaluative Hierarchies and Underlying Processes. Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development 43.2, 167-181.10.1080/01434632.2020.1735402

[16] Effendi, F. E., Rangkuti, R., and Rosa, R. N. 2025. Exploring Students’ Attitudes towards Their Own English Accent: Insights from SMA Negeri 1 Stabat. Journal of Applied Linguistics and Literature 10.1, 115-135. 10.33369/joall.v10i1.37329

[17] Fasold, R. 1984. The Sociolinguistics of Society. Oxford: Blackwell.

[18] Fuertes, J. N., Gottdiener, W., Martin, H., Gilbert, T. C., and Giles, H. 2012. A Meta-analysis of The Effects of Speakers’ Accents on Interpersonal Evaluations. European Journal of Social Psychology 42, 120-133.10.1002/ejsp.862

[19] Garrett, P. 2010. Attitudes to Language. New York: Cambridge University Press.10.17936/PKELT.2010.22.4.002

[20] Jenkins, J. 2007. English as A Lingua Franca: Attitude and Identity. 190-226, Oxford, GB. Oxford University Press.

[21] Krieger, N. 1999. Embodying Inequality: A Review of Concepts, Measures, and Methods for Studying Health Consequences of Discrimination. International Journal of Health Services 29.2, 295-352.10.2190/M11W-VWXE-KQM9-G97Q

[22] Labov, W. 1966. The Social Stratification of English in New York city, Washington, D. C., Center for Applied Linguistics.

[23] Lambert, W. E. 1967. A Social Psychology of Bilingualism. Journal of Social Issues 23.2, 91-109.10.1111/j.1540-4560.1967.tb00578.x

[24] Lambert, W. E., Hodgson, R. C., Gardner, R. C., and Fillenbaum, S. 1960. Evaluational Reactions to Spoken Language. Journal of Abnormal and Social Psychology 60, 44-51.10.1037/h0044430

[25] Laruelle, A., Navarro, N., and Escobedo, R. 2019. Proficiency, Attitude, and Conventions in Minority Languages. Sociological Methods and Research 48.2, 350-368.10.1177/0049124116672679

[26] Lee, S. and Kim, D. S. 2014. Acculturation and Self-rated Health among Foreign Women in Korea. Health and Social Welfare Review 34.2, 453-483.10.15709/hswr.2014.34.2.453

[27] Lev-Ari, S. and Keysar, B. 2010. Why Don’t We Believe Non-native Speakers? The Influence of Accent on Credibility. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology 46, 1093-1096.10.1016/j.jesp.2010.05.025

[28] Moyer, A. 2013. Foreign Accent: The Phenomenon of Non-native Speech. Cambridge University Press.10.1017/CBO9780511794407

[29] Ryan, E. B., Giles, H., and Sebastian, R. J. 1982. An Integrative Perspective for The Study of Attitudes toward Language Variation. In E. B. Ryan and H. Giles (eds.), Attitudes towards Language Variation: Social and Applied Contexts. London: Edward Arnold.

[30] Tajfel, H. and Turner, J. C. 1979. An Integrative Theory of Intergroup Conflict. In W. G. Austin, and S. Worchel (eds.), The Social Psychology of Intergroup Relations. Monterey, CA: Brooks/Cole. 33-37.

[31] Trudgill, P. 1974. The Social Differentiation of English in Norwich. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

[32] Ura, M., Preston, K. S., and Mearns, J. 2015. A Measure of Prejudice Against Accented English (MPAAE) Scale Development and Validation. Journal of Language and Social Psychology 34.5, 539-563.10.1177/0261927X15571537

[33] Weber, M. 1968. On Charisma and Institution Building. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.

The Journal of Studies in Language ISSN:1225-4770(Print) 2671-6151(Online) 언어연구

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