Exploring Intelligibility Across World Englishes: A VGT-Based Empirical Analysis

Abstract

For many decades, English has functioned as a lingua franca that enables people with different mother tongues to communicate to maintain their daily or professional lives. As the linguistic and acoustic features of their native languages differ, the way they use English differs, as well. These World Englishes have the possibility of going extreme, creating varieties which are incomprehensible to one another. These intelligibility issues can be prevented in some ways, one of which is to make sure the education system aims to familiarize learners with different varieties. In order to test this and help educational authorities take action if necessary, this study examines the comprehension levels of intermediate students who currently study at university. The comprehension test employing VGT to avoid bias is completed with the help of audio tracks recorded by real speakers in six different varieties. This test has been applied to 200 preparatory school students at two different high-scale state universities, and its results have been analyzed by using Jamovi. British English took the lead in comprehension, while Indian and American Englishes were realized to be the least comprehended varieties in this study. The results may not verify the dominance of native varieties over non-native ones, yet they ensure that the more students are exposed to different varieties, the more they become able to comprehend and possibly communicate in them.

Keywords

• comprehension
• World Englishes
• intelligibility
• familiarity
• raising awareness
• accent
• program evaluation

Dünya İngilizcelerinde Anlaşılabilirliğin İncelenmesi: VGT Tabanlı Ampirik Bir Araştırma

Abstract

İngilizce, onlarca yıldır farklı anadil sahiplerinin günlük ve mesleki iletişimlerini sürdürebilmelerini sağlayan bir ortak dil olarak işlev görmektedir. Ancak, bireylerin ana dillerinin dilbilgisel ve akustik özellikleri farklı olduğundan, İngilizceyi kullanma biçimleri de çeşitlilik göstermektedir. Bu Dünya İngilizceleri zamanla birbirleri tarafından anlaşılamayan çeşitler oluşturabilir. Anlaşılırlık sorunlarını önlemenin yollarından biri, eğitim sistemlerinin öğrencileri farklı İngilizce çeşitleriyle tanıştırmayı hedeflemesidir. Bu çalışmada, üniversite düzeyinde eğitim gören orta düzey öğrencilerin farklı İngilizce çeşitlerini anlama düzeyleri incelenmiştir. Önyargıyı azaltmak amacıyla VGT (Verbal Guise Technique) kullanılmış ve altı farklı İngilizce çeşidini konuşan gerçek konuşmacılar tarafından hazırlanan sesli materyallerle anlama testi uygulanmıştır. Test, iki büyük ölçekli devlet üniversitesinde toplam 200 hazırlık sınıfı öğrencisine uygulanmış ve sonuçlar Jamovi programı ile analiz edilmiştir. Bulgular, anlamada İngiliz İngilizcesinin öne çıktığını, Hint ve Amerikan İngilizcelerinin ise en az anlaşılan çeşitler olduğunu göstermektedir. Elde edilen veriler, yerli İngilizce çeşitlerinin üstünlüğünü kanıtlamasa da, öğrencilerin farklı çeşitlere daha fazla maruz kalmaları durumunda hem anlama hem de iletişim becerilerinin artacağını ortaya koymaktadır. Bu sonuçlar, eğitim politikalarının ve müfredat tasarımının Dünya İngilizcelerine yer vermesi gerektiğini desteklemektedir.

Keywords

• anlama
• Dünya İngilizceleri
• Aşinalık
• anlaşılırlık
• bilinçlendirme
• program değerlendirme

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