The Marquette Student Government recommendation to further evaluate the English language proficiency of instructors for whom English is a second language is both misguided and unnecessary.

First, it should be clear that only one aspect of language proficiency is being addressed here: accent, the way each of us speaks the sounds of our language. Instructors' firm command of English vocabulary and sentence structure is not at question here.

Second, the degree of accentedness in a second language (such as English) varies considerably from individual to individual. Factors such as time, effort and intelligence do not predict the successful acquisition of a native-like accent. A case in point is a friend of mine from graduate school. A brilliant student, expert in the analysis and use of both Old English and modern day English, he worked diligently for years to acquire an American-like accent, but without success. Did students in his classes have to work a little harder to understand him? Yes, absolutely. And their efforts were rewarded with a rich learning experience, because he was among the most inspiring, challenging and compassionate teachers in the department. He just happened to speak with a heavy Korean accent.

Third, evaluations of accented English are subjective and laden with ethnic and racial stereotypes. French accents are romantic. Russian accents are coldly intellectual. Korean accents are hard to understand. Recognized or not, racial and ethnic stereotypes can influence one's willingness to try to understand a speaker. My friend's accent would not even have been an issue had he been French.

The point is, Marquette's TAs of every nationality are expert scholars and teachers who want to be understood — even more than their students want to understand them. They do not need a special task force to remind them of this. If students want to understand and to learn, then the best thing to do is to tackle the issue in a sincere and upfront way. Meet face-to-face with your instructor to genuinely and sympathetically look for ways to improve your comprehension: see if you can sit where it is easier to see and hear, follow up in class and after class with genuine questions for clarification. In short, take up your responsibility for this aspect of your education. You will be rewarded.

Steven Hartman Keiser is an assistant professor of linguistics in the department of English.

This article appeared in The Marquette Tribune on Mar. 10 2005.