The Effect of Stimulus Mildness-Broadness in the Evaluation of Accents

Abstract

Past research has not considered the possibility of stimulus mildness-broadness variations affecting the evaluation of spoken accents and dialects. This study was designed to consider whether listeners can perceive vocal differences along this pronunciation dimension, and if they could, whether their evaluations of the aesthetic, status and communicative contents of a standard, neutral passage of prose were a function of broadness. The results support the notion of this dimension's saliency, with "experience" (defined in terms of age and length of regional membership) being considered an important evaluative determinant. The data are discussed within the context of related research.