Pronunciation and Linguistic Bias in Interviewing Arabic Instructors

The present qualitative study reports on a sample of six Arabic instructors (out of 30) who were asked to modify/correct their pronunciation of Arabic as it was considered “unsuitable” by members of the recruitment committee. Almost half the instructors believed that the corrections involved linguistic bias. The others did not take issue and welcomed such direction since they believed that modification may improve the learning-teaching process by using a common educated accent that is suitable for all. The study described the linguistic truth for Arabic instructors in terms of regional pronunciation. It could be applied to both first- and second-language settings where instructors are required to accept that their local pronunciation is non-professional and is unsuitable for teaching. This qualitative study is undertaken for the betterment of our perception toward language diverse identities. The findings are discussed within Social Identity Theory.