Can't understand accent
I taught and assisted in some undergraduate linguistics courses at a big US university for a while. I am white and have a fairly standard North American English accent, and thus had few problems getting respect from students. Instructors who weren't American got all kinds of weird feedback though. A woman I knew from Brazil had a student do an impression of her accent while she was lecturing, a Scottish grad student had people request to be moved *in* to his class because people thought his accent would improve their performance in the class, but the worst was the following:

A member of the department from Singapore got some written, anonymous feedback at the end of the semester that students couldn't understand his accent, and this had caused their work to suffer.

It seems as though for some students his brown skin had trumped the fact that he grew up in Singapore speaking not only Malay and Chinese, but RP English as well, and his English accent, vocabulary, and grammar were probably more standard (with respect to British English anyway) and prestigious than mine in every possible way.
( the prick of misery pierced my foot on a spiiiike on, Tue 26 Feb 2013, 19:16, 24 replies)

But did he have a name as fantastic as yours?

( Ghoti Fingers, Tue 26 Feb 2013, 19:25, closed)

Actually he had an awesome name
Unfortunately, my real name is extremely stupid and undignified. :(
( the prick of misery pierced my foot on a spiiiike on, Tue 26 Feb 2013, 19:56, closed)

British English? As opposed to what?
I refer you to the second clause in here b3ta.com/questions/fixtheworld/post1366190
(Vigilante Man weeps because you're stupid., Tue 26 Feb 2013, 19:47, closed)

you should try speaking American sometime
It makes your mouth taste like doritos and gatorade.
( the prick of misery pierced my foot on a spiiiike on, Tue 26 Feb 2013, 19:52, closed)

Is that a good thing?

(Vigilante Man weeps because you're stupid., Tue 26 Feb 2013, 20:11, closed)

i've heard it's better than hula hoops and irn bru
Wait, Irn Bru doesn't sound right. What is a famous soft drink of England?
( the prick of misery pierced my foot on a spiiiike on, Tue 26 Feb 2013, 20:27, closed)

Dandelion and Burdock.

(Vigilante Man weeps because you're stupid., Tue 26 Feb 2013, 20:35, closed)

Carling Black Label

( social hand grenade I was a lurker before you were a lurker, Tue 26 Feb 2013, 20:42, closed)

I was expecting 'cider'
but I like this answer
( the prick of misery pierced my foot on a spiiiike on, Tue 26 Feb 2013, 20:54, closed)

I bet he drinks Carling Black Label.

(Vigilante Man weeps because you're stupid., Tue 26 Feb 2013, 21:03, closed)

Coca Cola.

( Je suis un vagabond is an unfunny, up your own arse middle class knob, Tue 26 Feb 2013, 21:22, closed)

Ginger beer
Accept no substitute. Lashings of ginger beer, or if a tory, just 10 lashes.
( moonbadger Doesn't judge a fish by its ability to climb trees, Tue 26 Feb 2013, 21:30, closed)

Robinson's Orange Barley Water

(roysin, Tue 26 Feb 2013, 21:42, closed)

Ok I thought this one was a joke
I managed to find Dandelion and Burdock in the US once (LIKED), but I haven't seen this stuff. They both sound like they came from a Redwall book.
( the prick of misery pierced my foot on a spiiiike on, Tue 26 Feb 2013, 22:02, closed)

How about a G&T with Elderflower cordial?
I only ever met one person who drank Dandelion & Burdock - it's nasty.
( monster munch person, man, woman... camera... TV?, Tue 26 Feb 2013, 22:11, closed)

Skol 1080

( stuj (^(^;;^)^) GO TEAM SPIDERS!(^(^;;^)^), Tue 26 Feb 2013, 21:48, closed)

Quote
" I am white and have a fairly standard North American English accent, AND THUS had few problems getting respect from students."

You bloody racist!!!
(Colonel Blink is now officially a pretentious prick, Tue 26 Feb 2013, 21:40, closed)

I can't tell if this reply is sarcastic or not.
I'm going to assume it is :)
( the prick of misery pierced my foot on a spiiiike on, Tue 26 Feb 2013, 21:53, closed)

I f the guy spoke with good RP,
isn't likely North American students would have trouble understanding him. They must hear similar accents to Brazilian all the time, and there are plenty of Scottish accents in films and the media, but how often do you think a young North American has heard RP. I'm English, and it's not an accent that pops up very often in the UK.
( The Awful Puppy Bakery is still bored, Tue 26 Feb 2013, 21:47, closed)

yeah this is an excellent point
I think I'm exaggerating by calling it strictly RP. Maybe 'high-register British English' is better.

Regardless, you're right- it's possible the students just couldn't understand his British English accent, but I think his skin color biased them against it. There's some experimental research on that idea but I can't seem to find it. What a shitty linguist.
( the prick of misery pierced my foot on a spiiiike on, Tue 26 Feb 2013, 21:58, closed)

Bloody commoner!

( monster munch person, man, woman... camera... TV?, Tue 26 Feb 2013, 22:13, closed)

Bally comminer!

( Ghoti Fingers, Wed 27 Feb 2013, 8:33, closed)

Bravo!
I've smashed my monocle as penance.
( monster munch person, man, woman... camera... TV?, Wed 27 Feb 2013, 8:58, closed)