Accents: Discrimination or over exaggeration?
Linguists all over the world have gone into meltdown once again over a current debate discussing the
significance of having an accent in the modern day, but are they really all that important or should we just
scrap them all together?
Dr Alexander Baratta from the University of Manchester has recently spoken of a newly developed concept
called ‘accentism’ describing the experience in which people are discriminated against because of the way
they speak. One particular study into accents around Britain found that the majority of people favoured
accents such as Southern Irish (42), Standard English (31) and Geordie (10) whilst Brummie (-53), Scouse
(-33) and Cockney (-30) were amongst the least attractive. One theory for these results is that this is
perhaps due to the stereotypes attached to accents based on geographical location. For instance, the least
popular accents were mainly associated with crime and unintelligence whereas the most popular accents
were correlated with education and sophistication. Another reason could largely be to do with British
culture. Current well-known celebrities wear their accents proudly such as Eddie Redmayne, Cheryl Cole
and Benedict Cumberbatch, however, opinions can change depending on the attitudes towards the place or
person which can ultimately lead to discrimination.
To try and combat this, people attempt to flatten their accent so they can blend more seamlessly into society
wherever they are. The chameleon approach is adopted to suit the location making it easier for everyone
else. Some individuals have even gone so far as to stray from their traditional roots and change not only
their accent/sociolect but their name too. This can be observed in the increase of migrants coming to the
UK who are trading in their accents for an easier substitute. There is a worry, however, that this could
undermine a person’s sense of being or make them feel obliged to give up a part of themselves. Surely in a
multiracial and multicultural place such as Britain we should be encouraging the differences between us and
celebrating our diversity. Many seem to disagree.
‘When it comes to a working environment I think it should be everyone’s responsibility to be as clear as
possible when communicating. If this means changing one’s accent to allow more understanding then I
can’t see why this would be a problem and I certainly don’t see how it would be discrimination.’ - Anon
It seems that a lot of people believe that in certain situations people should alter and adapt their accent to
become more clear and allow for better communication. The theory of convergence can be applied here to
demonstrate the changing of language/dialect/accent to move closer linguistically. This may be seen as
particularly important at work where there needs to be coherent conversation between workers. It would
perhaps be difficult with a broad accent to do this successfully and so it would be appropriate to flatten it
slightly. Instead of losing a part of your individuality, you’d be adding to it with the ability to morph your
accent into something else. Communication is vital and although it is important to be true to yourself and
stand out from the crowd, it’s also important to be able to talk to people. Convergence can bring people
together who wouldn’t usually be familiar with each other and it’s crucial we use that as a tool to expand
our relations.
It’s human nature to argue and so the debate of whether you can call this discrimination will never truly be
over. Just don’t feel obliged to change a part of yourself because of what someone else thinks.
Emma Finnemore
Linguists all over the world have gone into meltdown once again over a current debate discussing the
significance of having an accent in the modern day, but are they really all that important or should we just
scrap them all together?
Dr Alexander Baratta from the University of Manchester has recently spoken of a newly developed concept
called ‘accentism’ describing the experience in which people are discriminated against because of the way
they speak. One particular study into accents around Britain found that the majority of people favoured
accents such as Southern Irish (42), Standard English (31) and Geordie (10) whilst Brummie (-53), Scouse
(-33) and Cockney (-30) were amongst the least attractive. One theory for these results is that this is
perhaps due to the stereotypes attached to accents based on geographical location. For instance, the least
popular accents were mainly associated with crime and unintelligence whereas the most popular accents
were correlated with education and sophistication. Another reason could largely be to do with British
culture. Current well-known celebrities wear their accents proudly such as Eddie Redmayne, Cheryl Cole
and Benedict Cumberbatch, however, opinions can change depending on the attitudes towards the place or
person which can ultimately lead to discrimination.
To try and combat this, people attempt to flatten their accent so they can blend more seamlessly into society
wherever they are. The chameleon approach is adopted to suit the location making it easier for everyone
else. Some individuals have even gone so far as to stray from their traditional roots and change not only
their accent/sociolect but their name too. This can be observed in the increase of migrants coming to the
UK who are trading in their accents for an easier substitute. There is a worry, however, that this could
undermine a person’s sense of being or make them feel obliged to give up a part of themselves. Surely in a
multiracial and multicultural place such as Britain we should be encouraging the differences between us and
celebrating our diversity. Many seem to disagree.
‘When it comes to a working environment I think it should be everyone’s responsibility to be as clear as
possible when communicating. If this means changing one’s accent to allow more understanding then I
can’t see why this would be a problem and I certainly don’t see how it would be discrimination.’ - Anon
It seems that a lot of people believe that in certain situations people should alter and adapt their accent to
become more clear and allow for better communication. The theory of convergence can be applied here to
demonstrate the changing of language/dialect/accent to move closer linguistically. This may be seen as
particularly important at work where there needs to be coherent conversation between workers. It would
perhaps be difficult with a broad accent to do this successfully and so it would be appropriate to flatten it
slightly. Instead of losing a part of your individuality, you’d be adding to it with the ability to morph your
accent into something else. Communication is vital and although it is important to be true to yourself and
stand out from the crowd, it’s also important to be able to talk to people. Convergence can bring people
together who wouldn’t usually be familiar with each other and it’s crucial we use that as a tool to expand
our relations.
It’s human nature to argue and so the debate of whether you can call this discrimination will never truly be
over. Just don’t feel obliged to change a part of yourself because of what someone else thinks.
Emma Finnemore
