Accentism in the Media
Below are some links to various stories in the media that relate to accentism and linguistic discrimination. Some are stories highlighting examples of discrimination, some are discriminatory themselves, and others are commentaries challenging such discrimination.
2025
- UK’s hierarchy of accents: ‘I thought mine made me sound stupid‘ – BBC News
- People with working-class accents more likely to be suspected of committing crimes – The Guardian
- No bab, Brummies don’t sound stupid – all the ignorant people who mock our accent do – The Guardian
- Five year olds ‘link accents with intelligence’ – BBC News
2024
- Police worried 101 call bot would struggle with ‘brummie’ accents – BBC News
- Don’t blame parents for wanting their children to speak differently – blame society – The Conversation
- Is having a posh accent a new ick? – The Independent
- ‘Accentism’ and the fascinating history of the Cardiff Welsh accent – Nation Cymru
- Long vowels or short shrift: Oxford’s shocking accent hierarchy – Cherwell
- Study provides evidence of AI’s alarming dialect prejudice – University World News
2023
- Merthyr presenter Katie Owen mocked for her Valleys accent at glitzy London awards bash – Wales Online
- Janet Street-Porter was told she should be ‘put down’ over her accent – Indy100 (video)
- Edinburgh student says people mock his accent as he’s not from a ‘posh school’ – Edinburgh Live
- Yes, I’m an academic with an Essex accent. Stop mugging me off – The Independent
2022
- Do you need to change your accent to get a top job? – BBC (video clip)
- The regional accentism that secretly affects job prospects – BBC
- Accent discrimination is alive and kicking in England, study suggests – The Guardian
- Bias against working-class and regional accents has not gone away, report finds – The Guardian
- Accentism: is it time for protected status? – People Management
- One in four have accents mocked at work – survey – BBC
- AYE’D & PREJUDICE Quarter of workers say they’ve been mocked by colleagues over their accent – The Sun
- Trying to make other people feel small isn’t clever – Herald Scotland
- Peloton sued by instructor who claims executive made fun of his Irish accent – The Telgraph
- Posh Spice sounds posher, but changing your working-class accent isn’t a ticket out of discrimination – The Conversation
- I understand why Victoria Beckham changed her voice – sounding posh opens doors for you – The Independent
- The AI startup erasing call center worker accents: is it fighting bias – or perpetuating it? – The Guardian
- ‘It was a lot being black, female and northern all at once’: AJ Odudu says it was ‘tricky’ to win her first presenting role as she was ‘essentially told to not be me’ – Daily Mail
- Saying the northern accent is ‘friendly’ is not the compliment you think it is – Metro
- Academics complain of ongoing accentism at UK universities – Research Professional News
2021
- The pervasive problem of ‘linguistic racism’ – BBC
- In France, Accents Are Now Protected by Law – Reasons to be Cheerful Magazine
- Accent discrimination, codeswitching and UK equality law – Lexology
- Essex and London accents deemed less intelligent, researchers find – BBC News
2020
- Accentism is alive and well – and it doesn’t only affect the north of England – The Conversation
- Can accent discrimination become a legal reality? – HR Magazine
2019
2018
- Teachers with Northern accents are being told to ‘posh up’, here’s why – The Conversation
- Why people are still trying to ‘lose’ their accents – The World in Words (podcast)
- Unlearning linguistic trauma: Identifying broken perceptions in the composition classroom -K-State English
- Love Island: Audience reaction shows deep snobbery about accents – The Conversation
- We stigmatize accents but language belongs to everyone – PBS
- BBC Radio 4 Archive on 4: Could the PM have a Brummie accent? – BBC (radio)
- Everyone has an accent – New York Times
- Floury language: This Morning fans baffled by Nadine Coyle’s accent as she’s asked to say ‘flour’ again – The Sun
- Could a prime minister ever have a Brummie accent? – BBC
- How “Sounding White” Helps Get You Ahead—on Film and in Real Life – Slate
2017
- ‘And the time is now free firty’: Viewers slam BBC voiceover man for saying ‘f’ instead of ‘th’ in his continuity announcements – Daily Mail
- Those who ridiculed my accent highlighted their ignorance – not mine – The Guardian
- Accents speak louder than words – Listen to Britain (short film)
- The politics of accents – Macmillan dictionary blog
- I’m sorry but you’re a racist – Medium
- The sound of inclusion: Why teachers’ words matter – The Conversation
- Teacher changes accent to avoid ‘village idiot’ tag – BBC
- Leanne Wood told to ‘moderate’ Rhondda Welsh accent – BBC
2016
- Leave off, will you? Britain should celebrate ‘regional’ accents – The Conversation
- Slang shouldn’t be banned … it should be celebrated, innit – The Conversation
- National Grammar Day: What language pedants and fashion victims have in common – The Independent
- Accent prejudice in the mainstream – Macmillan dictionary blog
- There’s nowt wrong with dialects, nothing broke ass about slang – The Guardian
2015
- Young women, give up the vocal fry and reclaim your strong female voice – The Guardian
- A response to Naomi Wolf – Language: A feminist guide
- G’day mate: ‘Lazy’ Australian accent caused by ‘alcoholic slur’ of heavy-drinking early settlers – The Telegraph
- On a one-word reaction to reports about drunken Aussie accents – David Crystal blog
2013
- BBC Radio 4 Four Thought: Language is Power – BBC (audio)
- There’s nowt wrong with children’s dialects – Stan Carey blog
- Does your accent really hinder your job prospects? – The Guardian
2011
- Ghetto grammar robs the young of a proper voice – The Standard