Spotlight On...Alex Baratta
Dr Alex Baratta, Lecturer in Education, School of Environment, Education and Development
Please can you tell us a little about your role?
I am a lecturer on the English Language for Education programme, with my teaching focused on linguistics-based subjects (language acquisition; language, education and society; and pragmatics and intercultural communication). My research is firmly embedded within language and identity and I provide talks on this subject to both primary and secondary schools.
Your research on the relationship between accent and identity has been widely covered in the media, particularly in relation to teachers’ accents. Why do you think it’s such a fascinating subject?
The moment we open our mouths people make snap judgements about our accent, sometimes good, sometimes bad. From a purely linguistic-based view, no accent can ever be 'sexy', 'trustworthy', 'stupid' and so on. However, the public do make judgements nonetheless so if an accent is representative of a specific region and/or class level, then the connotations of such are placed onto the accent itself and in turn, the speaker. We all have an accent and so this makes it a relatable and accessible subject, not just for linguists. We expect teachers to be intelligent and knowledgeable so my current research began by asking the question, 'what if teachers have a stigmatised accent - how is this (and the teacher) perceived?'
What’s the most exciting project you’ve worked on over the last six months?
In April my book, Accent and Teacher Identity in Britain: Linguistic Favouritism and Imposed Identities, was published. I interviewed schoolchildren from three local schools to obtain their views on whether teachers should need to modify their accents for teaching. I also interviewed teachers to see what - if anything - they had been told about their accents. I found that teachers with Northern/Midland accents are more likely to be told to modify their accent, and some in fact were told to adopt Southern pronunciation if teaching there, which some teachers felt negatively about.
No one wants to say it, but there's a suggestion that broad accents are, for some, incompatible with teaching - no matter the qualifications.
Besides the book, I am currently working on four new projects. One of them investigates the various accents used by English as a Foreign Language (EFL) teachers. Notably, those with strong regional accents (such as Yorkshire) often find their students warming up to them more, because their accent is perceived as 'different'. The class-based connotations are notably absent from such regional accents as the EFL students do not have class-based perceptions in terms of regional British accents and it is important anyway for all students to be made aware of the accents that exist beyond the school gates.
What’s the best bit of advice you’ve ever been given, and how did it help you?
The advice I have always given myself is simple: follow your heart. This advice will never steer you wrong.