Perception of English Accents by Saudi University Students

Abstract

This research is part of the Evaluating English Accents World Wide (EEAWW) project. The project investigates the perception of standard varieties of English accents: Northern American English (NAm), British English (BE), New Zealand English (NZE), and Australian English (AusE). This paper will examine the perception of Saudi English learners towards different varieties of English. The researcher attempts to analyze the informants’ attitudes to the four varieties of the English language. The findings will add to the multinational project’s results of the attitudes of Saudi English learners and how they perceive the different accents of English. The results can help in directing the debate of what accent is more accessible to the Saudi educational context.