Between ELF Awareness and Native Norms: Vietnamese University Teachers’ Beliefs about Pronunciation Teaching

Abstract

The global use of English has prompted renewed attention to native-speaker models in pronunciation teaching and to the role of English as a Lingua Franca (ELF). This qualitative interpretive study explores Vietnamese university teachers’ beliefs about ELF and their perceptions of how these beliefs relate to pronunciation teaching practices. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with four English language teachers at one Vietnamese university. The findings indicate that the participants recognized the global use of English and consistently emphasized intelligibility, while also maintaining a preference for American or British pronunciation as an ideal classroom model. The four teachers reported prioritizing segmental features and stress in pronunciation instruction, while their use of diverse English accents was limited. They also described institutional materials, assessment practices, and students’ expectations as constraints on greater incorporation of ELF-informed principles. The findings suggest a tension between emerging awareness of ELF and continued reliance on native-speaker norms within this particular institutional context.