A primer on accent discrimination in the Canadian context

Abstract

Negative attitudes toward foreign-accented speech have led to discrimination against second-language users in Canada. This article reviews aspects of the Canadian human rights process as they pertain to language and accent, and identifies three types of accent discrimination arising in human rights cases: discrimination in employment due to inappropriate concern with accent, dis-crimination due to accent stereotyping, and harassment based on accent. It is argued that ESL teachers can work to stop this kind ofdiscrimination by develop-ing an understanding of the role ofaccent in communication and by promoting informed attitudes toward second-language users ' speech, in both the classroom and the community. Les attitudes negatives face ala prononciation avec accent etranger sont sources de discrimination contre les locuteurs de langue seconde au Canada. Cet article etudie des aspects des droits de la personne au Canada dans Ie contexte de la langue et des accents. L'article identifie trois types de discrimination qui a ete documentee au Canada dans des cas juridiques impliquant les droits de la per-sonne: la discrimination en milieu d'emploi resultant d'une preoccupation indue avec l'accent; la discrimination attribuable aux stereotypes lies al'accent; et Ie harcelement base sur l'accent. L'auteur maintient que les enseignants en ALS sont en mesure d'intervenir pour arreter ce genre de discrimination, notamment en expliquant Ie role de l'accent dans la communication et en faisant la promotion d'attitudes eclairees face ala production orale des locuteurs de langue seconde. The most obvious indication that someone is a second-language (L2) user is a tendency to produce speech with a "foreign accent. " It is now widely accepted that the acquisition of a second language after early childhood almost inevitably results in speech that differs from that of native speaker