What does your accent say about you?
All accents can provoke prejudice, according to a language expert
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.No single British accent fails to provoke a measure of prejudice, a language expert has claimed.
So, what does your accent say about you?
Robert Cauldwell, who teaches English as a foreign language and who has spoken on the the effects of regional accents, claims while there have been huge shifts in the perception of accents in recent years, some stereotypes do remain.
“People from Birmingham are uneducated, thick, louts. That would be one that I come across most often,” he said. Bad luck if you are from Birmingham.
But, should you hail from either Northern Ireland or Edinburgh, you may be in luck. “Educated Scottish English and educated Irish English are always an attractive accent, people find.”
“There is no prejudice neutral accent,” he told The Independent. “There is no accent that is immune from prejudice – but prejudice jumps both ways, so can be positive and negative.”
He also cautioned there was no “best” accent. “It depends on the social group that you want to impress or work with.”
And, Mr Cauldwell added peoples reaction to accent said more about them than the accent itself. “Every accent excites prejudices… they lie with the hearers.”
A 2014 YouGov survey polled 2000 applicants and found the most attractive accent was from Southern Ireland, closely followed by the Queen’s English accent, with the Brummie and Scouse accents polling at the bottom.
Mr Cauldwell told there had been a “shift” in recent years away from the “precious or what was known as Received Pronunciation [RP]” accents.
“Previously those accents were thought of as highly educated and trustworthy,” he said. “But, the perception of toffs and of, say, the Bullingdon Club, means those accents can now be seen [as] having privileges they don’t deserve.”
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments