ABSTRACT
In this chapter, I provide an overview of issues related to ethical practice in the area of for-profit pronunciation instruction. I start by discussing key terms and concepts, such as accentedness, comprehensibility and intelligibility. This is followed by a discussion of historical perspectives on accent and pronunciation instruction, including a shift from adherence to the nativeness principle to the intelligibility principle (Levis, 2005). I also introduce Derwing and Munro’s (2009) categorization of pronunciation instruction into three models: the medical model, the business model and the educational model. The chapter then discusses current questions and ethical dilemmas facing service providers within this growing niche, with particular emphasis on instructors following the business model. These questions involve a debate over what constitutes adequate instructor preparation, the nature of advertising and the appropriateness of fees charged to clients. In order to assess the claims found in accent reduction advertisements, I provide an overview of how much a pronunciation programme can reasonably claim to be able to change learners’ pronunciation. I also discuss how learner identity and discrimination add to the complexity of the concerns addressed. The chapter concludes with a discussion of what can be done to curb unethical pronunciation instruction in the future, as well as ways that emerging technology presents both opportunities and challenges to ethical business practices in the area of pronunciation instruction. A series of guiding principles for ethical pronunciation instruction are given to serve as a resource for language teachers, teacher trainers, classroom practitioners and applied linguists who want to foster ethical pronunciation instruction across a wide range of contexts. Finally, recommendations for further reading in this area are provided.
