Accents are so ubiquitous we rarely even think of them. However, it’s long been known that they affect our perceptions of a speaker & how we judge them. Some recent research conducted at the University of Essex hints at just how early such prejudices are formed & what form they can take.
The study
Jeffries et al. (2025) tested 27 five-year-olds in Essex to see whether they unconsciously associate certain accents with being clever or not clever. This is the first study to use both behavioural data (via a child-friendly version of the Implicit Association Test) & neural data (EEG) to measure how kids process these associations without needing to verbalise them.
Children heard the same sentences spoken in three English accents:
- Standard Southern British English (SSBE) – the prestige “standard”
- Essex accent – local [ie the test subjects’ own accent], working-class & often stigmatised
- Yorkshire accent – less familiar, often seen as friendly but not “posh”
Each recording was followed by a cartoon character representing “clever” or “not clever,” and children had to make quick judgements via button press. At the same time, their brain activity was monitored for signs of emotional congruence or surprise.
Key findings?
Children already associate the standard accent (SSBE) with cleverness. This was evident in both their quick reaction times & in their brain responses (stronger late positive potentials for SSBE + “clever” pairings).
Surprisingly, some children also had a positive reaction to their own Essex accent, despite its low prestige in adult perceptions. Kids with only one Essex-born caretaker responded faster & more positively to all three accents. Those with two Essex-born parents were more likely to associate Essex with not being clever.
The Yorkshire accent results were mixed. Behavioural data showed a friendliness-like bias (Yorkshire = clever), while brain responses suggested the opposite—pointing to a deeper, perhaps unconscious stereotype.
Why does this matter?
Implicit biases can form long before a child can articulate them. This study shows that:
- Children aren’t blank slates: by age five, they’re already absorbing prestige-based accent ideologies from the environment.
- Exposure to more linguistic diversity -e.g. having parents from different regions-correlates with more neutral or positive responses across the board.
This study builds on earlier research into accent perception in adults. A 2021 study on adults by Dr Amanda Cole found that listeners consistently rated Essex & East London accents as less intelligent- even when the speaker was Dr Cole herself, a postdoctoral linguist from Essex. Her study also uncovered “self-bias” effects: working-class & ethnic minority participants often judged speakers like themselves more harshly. It’s a powerful reminder that accent prejudice is deeply embedded in our social environment- & can begin long before we’re aware of it.
Teacher Takeaways?
Accent awareness begins early– Be mindful of the way standard accents are positioned in materials, media & correction. Kids are already internalising value judgements about speech.
Diversify your listening materials– Include regional, international & non-native accents. The more variation learners hear, the less likely they are to form narrow attitudes about what “good” English sounds like.
Talk about language attitudes explicitly– Especially with older learners. If nothing else, it makes for an interesting topic of discussion involving both English & the learners’ L1.
How angry do you get when listening materials use fake ‘regional’ accents?
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