Multilingual “Native” Speakers of the English Language: The Perceptions of University Students from the United Kingdom, Singapore and South Korea

Abstract

ABSTRACT This study investigates what characteristics are considered important for a hypothetical multilingual person to be perceived as a “native” speaker of English. The data was collected from 521 participants from the United Kingdom, Singapore and South Korea, responding to a survey comprised of 30 questions with opportunities for qualitative comments. Several empirical statistical methods of analysis were employed to compare the data of three groups. The results indicated that expertise in the English language via education, self-perceived native speaker competence and a home language were the three most significant factors while ethnicity and nationality were the least important considerations for participants when perceiving multilingual speakers as “native” speakers of English. In this study, the stereotypically portrayed characteristics of “native speakers of English” as “innate,” “fixed” and “monolingual” were not significant. These findings can contribute to discussions about “native speakerism” and what constitutes a “native” speaker, which has no sign of abating.