Links and further reading

    Related projects, media stories and other academic reserach.

    What to know more about accent bias? Below are links to other projects that are examining the problem, media coverage of the issue, and the existing academic research and papers that helped inform our work.

    Related projects

    The Accentism Project, Manchester Metropolitan University
    https://accentism.org/

    Vocal Fries Podcast, Carrie Gillon & Megan Figueroa
    https://vocalfriespod.fireside.fm/

    Linguistic Prejudice – Variation and Change in Language: Combatting Linguistic Prejudice Through Knowledge and Understanding Project, University of Sheffield
    https://preconceitolinguistico.group.shef.ac.uk/

    Accent Pride, University of Manchester
    http://accentpride.co.uk/

    Media stories

    How “Sounding White” Helps Get You Ahead—on Film and in Real Life
    https://slate.com/human-interest/2018/07/linguistic-prejudice-in-sorry-to-bother-you-is-a-real-world-problem.html

    Why having a regional accent could be holding you back – Sophie Scott on BBC5Live
    https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p05rfd64

    What does your accent say about you?
    http://www.bbc.com/future/story/20180307-what-does-your-accent-say-about-you

    Labour MP Angela Rayner: ‘I’m proud of my accent’
    https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-40554137

    Trainee teachers from northern England told to modify their accents
    https://www.theguardian.com/education/2016/may/12/trainee-teachers-from-northern-england-told-to-modify-their-accents

    Gerraway with accentism – I’m proud to speak Yorkshire
    https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2019/jun/10/accentism-yorkshire-regional-dialects-english-snobbery

    As a teacher I was told to hide my Midlands accent and speak more ‘BBC’
    https://inews.co.uk/opinion/as-a-teacher-i-was-told-to-hide-my-midlands-accent-and-speak-more-bbc/

    28% of Britons feel discriminated against due to accent
    https://www.itv.com/news/2013-09-25/28-of-britons-feel-discriminated-against-due-to-accent/

    Accent Bias: How Can We Minimize Discrimination In The Workplace?
    https://www.forbes.com/sites/pragyaagarwaleurope/2018/12/30/bias-is-your-accent-holding-you-back/

    Further reading

    Alemoru, K. 2015. “You don’t sound like them”: A sociolinguistic investigation into how race interacts with the perception and attitude towards Multicultural London English. Unpublished MA dissertation, University of Sheffield.

    Ashley, L., J. Duberley, H. Sommerlad and D. Scholarios. 2015. A qualitative evaluation of non-educational barriers to the elite professions. London: Social Mobility and Child Poverty Commission.

    Baratta, A. 2015. Standard English but not the standard accent. Paper presented at the Resisting the Standard conference, University of Sheffield.

    Bertrand, M. and S. Mullainathan. 2004. Are Emily and Greg more employable than Lakisha and Jamal? A field experiment on labor market discrimination. The American Economic Review 94: 991-1013. https://doi.org/10.3386/w9873

    Coupland, N. and H. Bishop. 2007. Ideologised values for British accents. Journal of Sociolinguistics 11: 74-93. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-9841.2007.00311.x

    Giles, H., S. Baker and G. Fielding. 1975. Communication length as a behavioural index of accent prejudice. International Journal of the Sociology of Language 6: 73-81.
    https://doi.org/10.1515/ijsl.1975.6.73

    Giles, H.; P. Wilson and A. Conway. 1981. Accent and lexical diversity as determinants of impression formation and perceived employment suitability. Language Sciences 3 (1): 91-103. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0388-0001(81)80015-0

    Heath, A. and S. Y. Cheung. 2006. Ethnic penalties in the labour market: Employers and discrimination. Department for Work and Pensions. https://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20130125104217/http://statistics.dwp.gov.uk/asd/asd5/rports2005-2006/rrep341.pdf

    Hiraga, Y. 2005. British attitudes towards six varieties of English in the USA and Britain. World Englishes 24: 289-308.
    https://doi.org/10.1111/j.0883-2919.2005.00411.x

    Kalin, R.; D.S. Rayko; N. Love. 1980. The perception and evaluation of job candidates with four different ethnic accents. In H. Giles; W. P. Robinson and P. M. Smith (eds), Language: Social Psychology Perspectives. Oxford: Pergamon. https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-08-024696-3.50034-X

    Lambert, W., R. C. Hodgson, R. C. Gardener, and S. Fillenbaum. 1960. Evaluational reactions to spoken languages. Journal of Abnormal and Social Psychology 60: 44-51.
    http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/h0044430

    Lippi-Green, R. 1997. English with an accent: Language, Ideology and Discrimination in the United States. London: Routledge

    Mugglestone, L. 1995. Talking proper: The rise of accent as social symbol. Oxford: Clarendon Press.

    Tombs, A. and S. Rao Hill. 2014. The effect of service employees’ accent on customer reactions. European Journal of Marketing 48: 2051-2070. https://doi.org/10.1108/EJM-03-2013-0115

    Wang, Z., A. Arndt, S. Singh, and M. Biernat. 2009. The Impact of Accent Stereotypes on Service Outcomes and Its Boundary Conditions. Advances in Consumer Research 36: 940-941.

    Watson, K. and L. Clark. 2015. Exploring listeners’ real-time reactions to regional accents. Language Awareness 24: 38-59.
    https://doi.org/10.1080/09658416.2014.882346

    Wood, M.; J. Hales; S. Purdon; T. Sejersen and O. Hayllar. 2009. A test for racial discrimination in recruitment practice in British cities. Natcen, Department for Work and Pensions. http://www.natcen.ac.uk/media/20541/test-for-racial-discrimination.pdf