Language has always been a formidable tool that helps to facilitate communication between humans and is also a clear marker of identity, social class and belonging.
But, there has always been a clear difference in the way that we communicate, from a difference in accents, languages and even pronunciation. What’s even more intriguing is the correlation between linguistics and class, which is a complex and incredibly multifaceted phenomenon, shaped by historical, cultural and sociopolitical factors. Accents ranging from the Eton accent to the Cockney accent have been held together by widely-held stereotypes which are deeply entrenched in class and social stratification in a society. It is commonplace for regional or rural workers to attempt to “posh up” their accents, so they seem more employable – an indication of how certain accents are seen more in a positive light than others. Certain accents or dialects are often linked to more prestigious, educated classes, while others are associated with more working-class or marginalised communities. This Eton accent, for example, would be associated with the economic and social elite, and spoken by famous celebrities like Tom Hiddleston, Emma Watson, Prince Harry, Prince William as well as Eddie Redmayne. It has always been associated with the upper class as well as the individuals who had enough wealth to study at Eton College, an extremely prestigious college that is also known as being the “chief nurse of English statesmen”. The school stands in the vanguard of educational development, has an extremely rigorous academic selection criteria and is also one of the most expensive educational institutions in the country. This, in contrast with the Cockney accent mainly used by working class people in east London, is often looked down upon by people who regard it as a substandard, uneducated and vulgar manner of speaking. Often linked to class, ‘accentism’—or as the French say, glottophobie—otherwise known as discrimination against individuals with regional accents, can greatly impact your employment status and your social standing in life.
This can also lead to extremely long-lasting psychological consequences. For example, Dovchin’s research shows that many individuals who are often shamed or excluded because of their language may eventually develop inferiority complexes, and start to believe that they’re actually less intelligent. Linguistic racism can often lead to deprivation in not only employment, but also in education, health,housing and many other opportunities in life, much as in the case of a Pakistani transport worker in London, whose manager keeps him out of conference calls. First impressions are also often crucial in judgements of behaviour, and verbal expression is one of the key factors as it may produce assumptions about a person’s geographical origin. Potentially, one’s class background can be assumed from a slight giveaway such as a twang or lilt in their speech.This can also give way to ‘similarity attraction’ as well, where “we favour people who are like us”, according to Devyani Sharma, a sociolinguist at Queen Mary University of London.Individuals may automatically view those with similar accents as more trustworthy.
Another example of stereotypes based on accents is what is usually referred to as ‘Received Pronunciation’, or ‘RP’ for short. Variously referred to as the “Queen’s English”, “BBC English” or “Oxford English”, Received Pronunciation is often stereotyped as well-educated, authoritative, persuasive, intelligent as well as professional.
What About In Singapore?
Even in a small archipelago like Singapore, the distinct Singaporean accent is often still frowned upon with our heavily accented, grammatically sloppy English, which is often made fun of by our university-educated elite. Common jibes include Singlish-speakers talking like an “ah beng”, a pejorative term applied to describe an anti-social lower-class youth that’s often not highly-educated, and stereotyped to participate in secret societies, with a common affiliation with gangs; almost an equivalent with Australia’s bogans, the United State’s rednecks as well as Britain’s chavs. Even Singapore’s elites, Goh Chok Thong, former Prime Minister of Singapore, had mentioned
“If they [the younger generation] speak Singlish when they can speak good English, they are doing a disservice to Singapore”
Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew echoed a similar sentiment:
“The more the media makes Singlish socially acceptable, by popularising it in TV shows, the more we make people believe that they can get by with Singlish. This will be a disadvantage to the less educated half of the population.”
Though Singlish has been acknowledged as a cultural marker for Singaporeans, the government has also heavily emphasised as well as pushed for the importance of proper English for economic reasons, with campaigns such as the Speak Good English Movement to motivate Singaporeans to make the transition from Singlish to Standard English.
Dialects
Accent discrimination further applies to rural and regional dialects and accents as well. Typically, the accents/dialects of wealthier cities and ports are often more sought after, much like the Seoul and the Shanghainese accent. In the K-pop industry, the Seoul accent is often the broadcasting dialect. Following that, idols are often made to ditch their regional ‘satoori’ dialects so as to advance their careers.
The Tohoku dialect spoken in northern Japan has also been widely discriminated against, often called the “most stigmatised dialect in Japan” with an image of it being “rural, rustic, old, stubborn, narrow-minded, backward, poor and uneducated.” People from Tohoku are especially made to feel ashamed of their accents which is also associated with negative traits such as laziness and provinciality. This can also be known as the horn effect, (the complete opposite of the halo effect), where negative attitudes or behaviours are attributed to someone based on one aspect of their appearance or character, and in this case, its the Tohoku accent.
Research has even shown that broader regional accents can actually be a barrier to social mobility, and extend even to the educational sector, such as in the anecdote of a teacher from Bristol modifying his accent to avoid being perceived negatively.
But, as awareness grows, it is possible for individuals to overcome their unconscious biases, our self-constructed self-identity as well and our high ethnocentric attitude, through prevalent education. This can be done through corporate training and attempts to create inclusive company practices as well as a mustered effort to create diverse teams and workplaces, that ensure that everybody is much more acclimated and adapted to varied accents—heightening multilingual sensitivity. One example of this is France’s law to protect people from discrimination against accents. It makes linguistic discrimination an offence, which is a step forward towards addressing accent bias.Through actions such as this, we may finally be able to conquer accent discrimination and ensure that everybody has a fair chance for progression in life.
