THE ACCENT PREFERENCES OF RESEARCH ASSISTANTS IN TURKISH CONTEXT

Abstract

Research assistants (RAs) are generally criticized for having 'unintelligible' accents for professional communication. Therefore, the use of accent variety is a big matter for them because ELT departments prefer that students are exposed to a standard or widely understood variety of English such as General American or Received Pronunciation (RP). In this regard, this presentation aims to explore the role of accent preference and perception in English language teaching and learning by RAs in Türkiye. Through a questionnaire, this research investigates which accents are commonly used and preferred by Turkish RAs, and how different accents impact perceptions of skillfulness and pronunciation difficulty. Additionally, the questionnaire probes which accents that are more challenging to pronounce for the respondents. The research aims to highlight trends in accent preference, such as the popularity of North American English (NAE) and British English (RP) accents along with three others, and the ways these preferences can influence language acquisition. Among the main findings of this article is that GA is the number one while RP is the second preferred accents. The results expose a significant impact of accent on both learner comfort and RAs’ effectiveness, with varying levels of difficulty in pronunciation. Actually, dialect preference of Turkish ELT RAs in English language education isn't about which dialect is "better", but it's about intelligibility, consistency, and alignment with instructional goals. To put it in a nutshell, Turkish RAs must be mindful consistently of their dialect use to support learning effectively, reduce confusion, and meet both institutional and learner expectations because students often imitate their pronunciation and phrasing.