Evaluations of employment suitability: Does accent always matter?

This "matched-guise" study provides data regarding attitudes toward (Mandarin) Chinese speakers by eliciting non-Asian Americans' reactions to Chinese speaker using 2 varieties of English (standard American and Mandarin Chinese-accented) and introduced in the context of an employment interview with either an Anglo-American or ethnic Chinese name. Results indicate that speakers in all conditions were rated equally suitable for 3 types of employment. Despite the fact that language attitudes research has consistently demonstrated that individuals with nonstandard accents are judged to be less suitable for high-status jobs and more suitable for low-status jobs, the present results contradict this generalization.