People commonly judge others on their accent — how they sound when they speak. Accents can result in judgments about an individual’s education, intelligence, and social class.
In Britain, for example, those with an Upper Received Pronunciation accent are frequently viewed as privileged and, well, self-important. Accents can also lead to assumptions about a person’s trustworthiness, competence, and intelligence, which can sometimes lead to discrimination. While accent translation can help, accents do shape perceptions. Here’s how.
What is an Accent?
Regardless of where someone is from, everyone has an accent. Most people don’t know this because everyone around them pronounces words the way in which they do. An accent is a distinctive manner of pronouncing a language, particularly as it relates to a certain language, social class, or locality.
Typically, accents only become noticeable when we leave our regular circles of influence. For example, people may look twice at someone from Mississippi were they to wander into a neighborhood store in Vermont and ask where the Cokes are.
Accents and Perceptions
Peoplewho speak with the accent of the dominant societal group, considered the standard accent, are generally received better than non-standard-accented speakers.
Individuals tend to respond differently to any accent other than the dominant-group accent. Such a response causes the person to develop judgments about the speaker, such as their ethnicity and socioeconomic status.
While accents are usually influenced by when, where, and how an individual first learned to speak, people sometimes alter or change their accent to fit into a group they deem to be more appealing.
Indeed, adopting the speech patterns of a group a person views as superior is a way of showing affinity for that group. Relatedly, people commonly judge those whose accents they view as inferior. This can be especially important in business.
Consequences of Accent Bias
Judging people on how they speak can lead to lower levels of employability for those whose speech patterns are deemed unfavorable. Such linguistic profiling is especially prevalent when a lot of verbal communication is required.
This is most apparent in places like call centers. Customers routinely become impatient, are less trustful, and talk rudely to call center representatives who have accents they view as foreign.
Accent bias can also result in social exclusion, as those with different accents might feel less accepted or marginalized in some groups. In turn, this can affect their confidence, self-esteem, and overall well-being. Such prejudice also restricts the diversity of perspectives and viewpoints in any kind of setting, which can hamstring innovation and creativity.
Changing Perceptions
There are ways in which we can change how we perceive accents:
- Heighten awareness. An essential step is education. Understanding that our biases about accents are frequently unfounded can help diminish prejudice. Training sessions and workshops can be helpful here, as can inclusive policies in schools and workplaces.
- Highlighting diversity. Celebrating how different accents bring richness to society can help alter perceptions. This can be accomplished through cultural events, media representation, and public speaking events that feature various accents.
- Promoting inclusivity. Offsetting accent bias can also be accomplished by creating environments where all accents are valued. Put in place inclusive communication practices such as avoiding interrupting and active listening.
Accents play a big role in terms of how we perceive others, whether those perceptions are subconscious or not. There are effective tools available that can soften accents. However, a larger goal should be to tackle the root causes of such prejudice.