Simone Lawson
An accent is a feature of spoken language that reveals the speaker's linguistic background, including their geographical, social, or ethnic origins. Accents are influenced by the way people pronounce vowels and consonants for particular words, known as the prosody of speech. Prosody refers to the tone or musicality of one's speech. Accents are not static and can evolve over time, influenced by factors such as migration, social mobility, and exposure to other cultures and languages. While accents are a natural part of spoken languages that contribute to linguistic diversity, they can also lead to misunderstandings and communication barriers. Additionally, accents can affect how speakers are perceived by others, with individuals with non-native accents often facing negative judgments and discrimination. Accents are a fascinating aspect of linguistic variation, and understanding their nuances is crucial for effective communication and cultural exchange.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Quality of voice | Higher or lower pitch, greater loudness |
| Pronunciation | Vowels and consonants |
| Distinction | Vowels and consonants |
| Stress | Word stress, or lexical stress |
| Prosody | Tone of speech or its musicality |
| Grammar | Word order |
| Semantics | Meaning |
| Vocabulary | Word choice |
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What You'll Learn
Accent vs dialect
While the terms "accent" and "dialect" are often used interchangeably, they represent distinct concepts in sociolinguistics.
An accent refers specifically to the way a person pronounces words, encompassing differences in quality of voice, pronunciation, and distinction of vowels and consonants, stress, and prosody. For example, the word "car" means the same thing in different English-speaking countries, but the pronunciation can vary, with different regions emphasising the "r" or pronouncing the "a" in different ways. Accents are often distinguished by geographical area, social class, or other common features among speakers.
On the other hand, a dialect is a broader concept that includes variations in vocabulary, grammar, and pronunciation. Dialects are specific varieties of a language, often recognised by their usage in a particular geographic area or among a specific social class. For instance, in Australia, "thong" refers to a plastic sandal, while in the US, it refers to a woman's undergarment. Similarly, the grammar and vocabulary used in the African American dialect of English differ from those in other North American dialects.
It is important to note that accents and dialects are not fixed entities. People may switch their accents or dialects as they move through different regions or social circles, or as their language skills evolve over time. Additionally, accents and dialects are not limited by national borders, as languages are influenced by the interaction of people from diverse linguistic backgrounds.
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How accents evolve
Accents are a way of pronouncing a language that is distinctive to a country, area, social class, or individual. They typically differ in quality of voice, pronunciation, and distinction of vowels and consonants, stress, and prosody.
There are two main factors that influence the development of unique accents: human nature and isolation. Human nature refers to the inherently social nature of humans, who, as social beings, wish to be like others in a group and thus adopt similar ways of acting, movement, facial expressions, and speaking. This is known as the interpersonal theory of accent adoption.
Isolation, on the other hand, can lead to the development of distinct accents or dialects. For example, a study in the Journal of the Acoustical Society of America found the beginnings of a new English accent among the residents of the British Antarctic Survey, a group of researchers who spend months alone in isolation. Over time, their accents began to influence each other, creating a whole new mixture. Similarly, before the late 20th century, English working-class people in the regions were less able to travel and thus more isolated than the middle classes, allowing for broader accents to develop.
Accents can also be influenced by an individual's first language. For example, German and English have distinct sounds that do not exist in the other language, like the "w" and "th" sounds in English, and the "v" and "z" sounds in German. As a result, many English-speaking Germans pronounce "wish" as "vish" and "this" as "zis".
In addition to isolation and first language influence, social class, region, and status can also play a role in shaping accents. For example, Received Pronunciation (RP) in the United Kingdom and the Mid-Atlantic accent in the United States are associated with the upper classes and carry more prestige in society.
Lastly, the age at which a non-native language is learned can also impact the development of an accent. The younger the learner, the easier it is to pick up the sounds of the new language.
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Accents and discrimination
An accent is a subset of a dialect and refers to the differences in pronunciation associated with a particular dialect of a language. Accents typically differ in quality of voice, pronunciation, distinction of vowels and consonants, stress, and prosody.
Despite the fact that everyone has an accent, accent discrimination is a pervasive problem. It often does not garner the same attention as other forms of discrimination, such as racial, sexual, or gender discrimination. However, it can have serious consequences, including deprivation in education, employment, health, and housing. People with non-native accents are often judged as less intelligent, less competent, less educated, and unpleasant to listen to. This can lead to harassment, exclusion from opportunities, and discrimination in hiring, promotion, and career advancement.
In the United States, Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibits discrimination based on national origin, which implies accents. However, employers may claim that an employee's accent impairs their communication skills necessary for effective business operations. This has led to continued discrimination in the workplace, as employers are allowed to determine if an accent will interfere with an employee's ability to communicate effectively.
Linguistic racism occurs when certain forms of English are ranked higher than others, leading to both native and non-native speakers being judged, marginalized, and penalized for the way their English sounds. For example, African-American English remains discriminated against, while English spoken by some Europeans may be considered sophisticated and stylish. On the other hand, English spoken by Asians, Africans, or Middle Easterners may be viewed as challenging and unpleasant, even when they are native speakers.
Accent discrimination is not widely recognized as a form of discrimination, as it is seen as something that a person can change if they wish to do so. This leads to the assumption that speaking with an accent signals incompetence and a lack of effort. However, accents are not fixed, and individuals can acquire new accents or see their accents evolve over time due to their unique circumstances and interactions with speakers of different linguistic backgrounds.
Overall, accent discrimination is a serious issue that can have negative consequences in various aspects of life. It is important to recognize and address this form of discrimination to create a more inclusive society.
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Pronunciation and prosody
Pronunciation differences or patterns associated with a particular dialect of a language are what constitute a person's accent. For example, the Southern drawl in Southern English or the vowel shift in cities like Buffalo and Chicago, where "bag" becomes "byag".
Accents are acquired in childhood, and it becomes harder to learn the sounds of a different language as one gets older. People have trouble with sounds that don't exist in the language they first learned as a child. For instance, native Japanese speakers learning English often struggle with the English "r" and "l" sounds, as the Japanese language does not distinguish between these sounds. Similarly, German speakers learning English may struggle with the "th" sound, as it does not exist in German.
Prosody, a key aspect of accents, is the study of elements of speech, including intonation, stress, rhythm, and loudness, that occur simultaneously with individual phonetic segments: vowels and consonants. It reflects the nuanced emotional features of the speaker, such as their emotional state, the form of utterance (statement, question, or command), and the presence of irony or sarcasm. Prosody is a natural component of language, found across all languages, and is an essential aspect of pronunciation.
An individual's prosody may be influenced by their native language, and it can be challenging to modify. For example, a French speaker with excellent English pronunciation may still have a noticeable French rhythm when speaking English. Prosody is central to pronunciation, and learning how to tie words together in a sentence is crucial to sounding native-like.
In summary, pronunciation and prosody are integral components of a person's accent. Accents are shaped by the unique circumstances of an individual's language acquisition and environment, and prosody reflects the nuanced emotional features expressed through their speech.
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Accent acquisition in children
An accent is a subset of a dialect and refers specifically to the differences in pronunciation. It is influenced by the interaction of people from various linguistic backgrounds. For instance, people moving to the South may start to pick up the Southern accent.
Children are able to acquire accents relatively quickly. Children of immigrant families, for example, generally have a pronunciation more similar to people native to where they live compared to their parents. However, both children and parents may have an accent noticeably differing from local people. Children tend to lose their parents' accent within several years and adopt a local accent. However, some children do not adopt a local accent. For example, Irish Travellers born and raised outside Ireland tend to have a thick Irish accent. Similarly, some children retain a strong regional accent from their parents.
Children who hear multiple accents process language differently from those who hear a single accent. They may need more contextual information to recognize words as they do not assume all words will be spoken in the regional accent. However, by 18 months, children hearing multiple accents no longer face difficulties in recognizing words.
Children are born capable of producing and perceiving all human language sounds. From infancy, children learn which sounds are important in their language and disregard the rest. By the time they are a year old, they have learned to ignore distinctions among sounds that are not relevant in their language. As a result, it becomes harder to learn the sounds of a different language as they get older. For example, German speakers learning English may struggle with the sounds at the beginning of the words "wish" and "this" because those sounds do not exist in German.
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Frequently asked questions
An accent is the sound of the way people speak. It is influenced by the way people pronounce their vowels and consonants for particular words, also called the prosody of speech. Prosody refers to the tone of one’s speech or its musicality. Accents are not static and can evolve over time.
Accents are formed when people from different linguistic backgrounds come into contact and interact with each other. Over time, these interactions can lead to the development of identifiable accents. Accents can also be influenced by factors such as migration, social mobility, and exposure to other cultures and languages.
Dialects encompass a broader set of linguistic differences, including grammar, vocabulary, and syntax, while accents are purely about pronunciation. Dialects are often fluid and can evolve over time, just like accents. However, dialects are complete language systems in their own right, with unique features that reflect the historical, geographical, and social contexts of their speakers.
