Foreign Accent in Professional Communication: Empirical Research among Russian-speaking immigrants in Germany

Alexsandra Kolesnikova; Vasilissa Frolova

doi:10.12737/2587-9103-2023-12-6-69-78

VAK Russia 5.9.8 UDC 81

2 more Collapse

FOREIGN ACCENT IN PROFESSIONAL COMMUNICATION: EMPIRICAL RESEARCH AMONG RUSSIAN-SPEAKING IMMIGRANTS IN GERMANY Foreign Accent in Professional Communication: Empirical Research among Russian-speaking immigrants in Germany

АА Аа

Published in Scientific Research and Development. Modern Communication Studies · Volume 12, Issue 6 · Pages 69–78 · Rubric: Сommunication science and education

DOI: https://doi.org/10.12737/2587-9103-2023-12-6-69-78

Received: 04.09.2023 Accepted: 03.10.2023 Published: 29.12.2023 Language of publication: ENG

Authors

Alexsandra Kolesnikova

Vasilissa Frolova

Alexsandra Kolesnikova

Academic degree: candidate of pedagogical sciences

Science rang: docent

Lomonosov Moscow State University Associate Professor · Department of Linguistics, Translation Studies and Intercultural Communication · Moscow

Vasilissa Frolova

Lomonosov Moscow State University Department of Linguistics, Translation Studies and Intercultural Communication · Moscow

ABSTRACT

The literature review over the past 20 years indicates a particular interest towards foreign accent perception in business environment and reveals biased attitude of natives, whether employers or employees, to non-nativeness in terms of phonological competence in the studied field. While the attitude of natives has been thoroughly researched, immigrants’ opinions might vary and require careful consideration. This study aims to examine to which extent, if any, a foreign accent in the German language affects professional communication of Russian-speaking immigrants living and working in Germany (in fields including IT, finance, healthcare, education, etc.). In total, 108 participants aged 22-62 completed a questionnaire, the primary purpose of which was to explore whether a foreign accent is perceived as a hindrance in business environment. The research included a quantitative analysis of gathered statistical information processed via JASP software, as well as a qualitative analysis of open-ended items. The major finding indicates that for 39.8% of the participants, a foreign accent has no influence on interactions within a business context. According to the results of the questionnaire, 31.5% of the respondents have never found themselves confronted with a problem of not being understood due to a foreign accent. Finally, for more than a half of the surveyed participants, namely 53.7%, their foreign accent had no bearing on the accomplishment of job-related tasks as part of the working process whatsoever.

KEYWORDS

foreign accent, second language, accentism, German linguoculture, workplace, professional discourse

Funding

Text

Text (PDF)

Read Download

1. Vishnevskaya G. M. Mezhkul'turnaya kommunikaciya, yazykovaya variativnost' i sovremennyy bilingvizm. Yaroslav. ped. vestnik. 2002. No 1. [Vishnevskaya, G.M. (2002.) Intercultural communication, language variation and modern bilingualism. Yaroslavl pedagogical bulletin, 1].

2. Popova M.V., Filimonova A.A. Predposylki diskriminacii po akcentnomu priznaku v voprosah lingvokul'turnoy adaptacii russkoyazychnyh immigrantov v Germanii [Popova, M.V. & Filimonova, A.A. (2020). Background of accent-based discrimination in the issues of linguocultural adaptation of Russian-speaking immigrants in Germany. Russian Linguistic Bulletin, 4(24)]. https://doi.org/10.18454/RULB.2020.24.4.37

3. Tyurina S.Yu., Staroverova E.B. Akcent i ego vospriyatie v professional'nom diskurse [Tyurina, S.U. & Staroverova, E.B. (2017). Foreign accent perception in professional discourse. Russian Linguistic Bulletin, 3(11)].

4. Baquiran, C. L. C., & Nicoladis, E. (2020). A doctor’s foreign accent affects perceptions of competence. Health Communication, 35(6), 726-730. https://doi.org/10.1080/10410236.2019.1584779

5. Cohen, L., Manion, L., & Morrison, K. (2018). Research methods in education (8th ed.). London: Routledge.

6. European Commission. (2008). Discrimination in the European Union: Perceptions, experiences and attitudes (Special Eurobarometer 296, Wave 69.1). Retrieved from http://ec.europa.eu/COMMFrontOffice/PublicOpinion/index.cfm/Survey/getSurveyDetail/yearFr om/1973/yearTo/1994/surveyKy/656

7. Hirschfeld, U. (Eds.) (2001). Foreign Accent in Intercultural Communication. “Gesprochene Sprache - transdisziplinär (vol. for the 65th birthday of Gottfried Meinhold)”.

8. Hosoda, M. (2016). Attitudes Among Immigrants: The Mediating Role of Perceived Organizational Support. Journal of Organizational Psychology, 16(2). San José State University.

9. Krosnick, J. A. & Presser, S. (Eds.) (2010). Question and questionnaire design. Bingley, UK: Emerald Group Publishing Ltd., 263-313.

10. Mai, R., & Hoffmann, S. (2014). Accents in business communication: An integrative model and propositions for future research. Journal of Consumer Psychology, 24(1), 137-158. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcps.2013.09.004

11. Ramjattan, V. (2019). Racializing the problem of and solution to foreign accent in business. Applied Linguistics Review, 1-18. https://doi.org/10.1515/applirev-2019-0058

12. Schönherr, D., Leibetseder, B., Moser. W., & Hofinger, C. (2019.) Discrimination experiences in Austria: Experiencing inequitable treatment and discrimination at work, in daily life, in healthcare services and education. SORA - Institute for Social Research and Consulting. Commissioned by the Chamber of Labour (Vienna, Austria).

13. Teló, C., Trofimovich, P., & O’Brien, M. (2022). Disentangling professional competence and foreign accent. Journal of Second Language Pronunciation. Published online 29 September 2022. https://doi.org/10.1075/jslp.22013.tel

14. Wagenmakers, E.-J. (2019). JASP [Software] https://jasp-stats.org/

PDF JATS XML

Vypuskayuschiy redaktor

Dar'ya Sklyankina

501@infra-m.ru

2719

downloads

GOST

Kolesnikova A. N., Frolova V. A. Foreign Accent in Professional Communication: Empirical Research among Russian-speaking immigrants in Germany // Scientific Research and Development. Modern Communication Studies. 2023. no. 6. pp. 69-78. DOI: https://doi.org/10.12737/2587-9103-2023-12-6-69-78. (Date of access 02.10.2026).

MLA

Alexsandra Kolesnikova, Frolova V. A.. "Foreign Accent in Professional Communication: Empirical Research among Russian-speaking immigrants in Germany." Scientific Research and Development. Modern Communication Studies 12.6 (2023): 69-78. DOI: https://doi.org/10.12737/2587-9103-2023-12-6-69-78.

APA

Kolesnikova A. N., Frolova V. A. (2023). Foreign Accent in Professional Communication: Empirical Research among Russian-speaking immigrants in Germany. Scientific Research and Development. Modern Communication Studies, 12(6), 69-78. https://doi.org/10.12737/2587-9103-2023-12-6-69-78

Chicago

Alexsandra Kolesnikova, Frolova V. A.. "Foreign Accent in Professional Communication: Empirical Research among Russian-speaking immigrants in Germany." Scientific Research and Development. Modern Communication Studies 12, no. 6 (2023): 69-78. https://doi.org/10.12737/2587-9103-2023-12-6-69-78.

WIKI

{{cite journal | author = Kolesnikova A. N., Frolova V. A. | title = Foreign Accent in Professional Communication: Empirical Research among Russian-speaking immigrants in Germany | journal = Scientific Research and Development. Modern Communication Studies | year = 2023 | volume = 12 | issue = 6 | pages = 69-78 | doi = 10.12737/2587-9103-2023-12-6-69-78 }}

Copy

Export: BibTeX EndNote RefMan RusMARC

FOREIGN ACCENT IN PROFESSIONAL COMMUNICATION: EMPIRICAL RESEARCH AMONG RUSSIAN-SPEAKING IMMIGRANTS IN GERMANY Foreign Accent in Professional Communication: Empirical Research among Russian-speaking immigrants in Germany

Confirmation