Whether you speak Cockney slang, have a Scouse lilt or are full-on Geordie, there are no shortage of accents across the UK.
Now a study suggests children as young as five start to link them to social stereotypes.
Researchers have found youngsters associate people with middle-class accents as being more intelligent than others.
And it represents a ‘vital step’ in understanding the development of language attitudes throughout childhood.
A team from the University of Essex recruited 27 five-year-olds and combined two research methods to see if they were biased towards certain accents when it comes to cleverness.
The three accents included in the study were Standard Southern British English (SSBE) – a contemporary version of Received Pronunciation – Yorkshire and Essex.
The linguistic experts collated the children’s brain activity using electroencephalogram (EEG) caps alongside measuring the speed of their answers to indicate how embedded their attitudes towards accents were.
Across all measures, the children associated someone with the SSBE accent – typically described as middle class – as being clever, while they linked the Yorkshire accent to a lack of intelligence.
Researchers have found youngsters associate people with middle-class accents as being more intelligent than others. (file image)
Previous studies have shown that, while the Yorkshire (pictured) accent has been negatively evaluated on scales of prestige, it has also been linked to attributes such as sincerity, reliability and friendliness
Although the Essex accent is usually stigmatised, the children appeared to have less negative bias towards it than expected – perceiving their home accent as being clever on one of the brain measures.
The finding could be attributed to their familiarity with the accent – and studies have shown that in later life these Essex schoolchildren will grow to feel negatively towards it.
Dr Ella Jeffries, from Essex’s Department of Language and Linguistics, who led the research said: ‘This study is a vital first step towards understanding the development of language attitudes throughout childhood.
‘This work has important consequences for educational policy and practice in order to eradicate the harmful stereotyping of accents and promote the celebration of accent diversity at pivotal stages of childhood.’
The study, which also involved academics from the University of California, Davis, found that children who were exposed to a range of accents at home were more positive towards different accents.
Dr Jeffries said: ‘Our findings will add weight to calls for a better range of accents on children’s TV and films to help address this bias.
‘Given that stereotypes are prevalent in the media relating to certain accents, it is not surprising young children have picked up on accent differences.
‘Ideally. it would be good to see a better representation of a range of accents across the media, which do not play into these biases and which avoid always associating certain accents with certain characteristics.’
The researchers now hope to follow-up by investigating a larger pool of children across a bigger age range (file image)
The researchers now hope to follow-up by investigating a larger pool of children across a bigger age range to focus on a wider range of accents to develop a broader picture of how and when this accent bias first develops.
Previous studies have shown that, while the Yorkshire accent has been negatively evaluated on scales of prestige, it has also been linked to attributes such as sincerity, reliability and friendliness.
A 2021 study found the Essex accent is associated with being unintelligent.
The findings were published in the Journal of Child Language.
