Students’ perception of British accent uses in English speaking

Abstract

This study addresses the value of a well-learned accent in helping foreign language learners become more proficient speakers in formal situation. Many students imitate a particular accent while speaking through receptive materials without any sufficient knowledge about it. Unfortunately, there are not sufficient studies looking at students' opinions about a particular accent acquired in learning, particularly speaking. This study aims to describe the students’ perception of British accent accommodating their speaking skill and elements. The population of this research was the eleventh-grade students. A convenience sampling technique used to select 68 respondents. The descriptive quantitative design used with a close-ended questionnaire as the research instrument. The study revealed that the students’ agreement reached 72.3% in speaking skill and showed 65% in language element. In conclusion, most of the students thought that British accent had unique, elegant, and formal characteristics.