The Influence of a Non-Native Accent on the Process of Sociocultural Adaptation of International Students

International students often show a low level of sociocultural adaptation conditioned by their tendency to avoid communication with host-nationals. The latter can be explained by the anxiety they experience because of the anticipated negative response to their foreign pronunciation expressed by native speakers. Although most English learners are condemned to retain at least a slight foreign accent, they still strive to eradicate it. The present research is aimed at further investigation of this problem and employs a method of contrasting non-native speakers’ attitudes (Russian university students studying abroad) and those of native speakers of English to obtain a comprehensive overview. As a result, it was found that anxiety experienced by international students and their expectations cause communication breakdowns and impairs adjustment, and not the accent itself. Host-nationals reported friendliness and willingness to communicate with foreign students, which means that the total elimination of accent is not necessary unless the speech is intelligible. These findings are intended to transform the current outlook on non-native pronunciation and provide insights into how successful intercultural contacts may be facilitated.