Valerie Fridland, a linguistics professor at the University of Nevada, Reno, explores the power of accents in her new book Why We Talk Funny: The Real Story Behind Our Accents. She argues that humans instinctively use accents to categorize those around them. 'We learn to recognize other people as being like us through the way that they sound,' Fridland says. This process begins early: studies show that young children prefer friends who share their accent. In one study, five- and six-year-olds in Toronto chose peers with a local Canadian accent over those with a British accent, despite daily exposure to diverse accents.
Accent-Based Judgments and Their Consequences
Accent-based judgments can lead to serious problems, fueling stereotypes about class, ethnicity, and regional background. This can affect high-stakes scenarios such as job interviews, where a posher accent might be deemed more capable than a working-class one. It can also influence assumptions about political views; a study found that subjects assume politicians with southern accents are making conservative arguments. Accent bias can even affect jury reactions, as Fridland believes happened in the trial of George Zimmerman.
Fridland's Personal Experience with Accents
Fridland herself is a case study in accent development. Raised in Memphis, Tennessee, by French-speaking parents, she says, 'Being surrounded by people who were very aware of outsider opinions of their accents primed me from a young age to be curious about why they were such markers of identity.' Accent discrimination has ancient roots, appearing in the Old Testament when the Gileadites identified enemy Ephraimites by their pronunciation of 'shibboleth.'
How Accents Develop
Our awareness of accents begins almost at birth. By age one, babies recognize prevalent sounds in their environment. Around age five, children shift focus from parents to peers, and their own accents emerge. This explains why Fridland, despite her parents' French accents, sounds like her American peers. However, changing an accent in adulthood is extremely difficult. Learning a new language requires creating novel sounds, and even within one's own language, moving to a new region often results in a 'blended dialect' rather than full assimilation.
Accent Bias in the Legal System
Fridland highlights the case of Rachel Jeantel, a key witness in the George Zimmerman trial who spoke with a strong African American Vernacular English (AAVE) accent. Linguists John R Rickford and Sharese King noted that Jeantel's testimony was largely dismissed, contributing to Zimmerman's acquittal. Similar studies in the UK show that people with working-class accents are more likely to be suspected of crimes. 'There's a really good, solid body of literature that suggests that having a non-standard accented speaker can influence credibility ratings of jurors and increase attribution of guilt,' Fridland says.
Mitigating Accent Bias
Simple awareness can help reduce accent bias. Studies show that reminding employers to focus on capabilities rather than speech can mitigate prejudice. Linguists have also developed jury instructions to reduce bias. Ultimately, Fridland believes that most people want to be better listeners. 'There are some assholes out there, but the majority of people, given the right tools, want to do better,' she says.
