Total: 1
Accents can have a detrimental impact on interpersonal evaluations. However, the influence of specific language errors remains less understood. The present study tests how accent strength (constructed as a graded factor obtained through ratings) impacts evaluations of speakers’ personality traits (warmth, competence) in the German-Polish context. Moreover, this study intertwines accentedness with two L2 typical error types: phonological (vowel substitutions) and grammatical (gender agreement errors). Results indicate that L2 accent strength had an unfavorable effect on speakers’ competence but positively influenced warmth. The perceived competence was reduced by both error types (phonological, grammatical), while warmth was decreased solely by grammatical errors. The error effects diminished with increasing L2 accent. Finally, Polish participants were less sensitive towards errors and particularly resistant towards phonological substitutions when rating speakers’ personality.