Audience are someone interested in how accents affect the way people are perceived
Does your accent define your personality?
oo-rite me babbers, dead yampy, proper job.
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| Survey of attractive accents results ^ |
All over the UK we are brought up in our local communities and learn how to speak with an accent which sounds the same as our family and friends' from the area, but how many people dislike the way we are naturally tuned speak? Every day there are over 47 accents used in Britain, surely we should celebrate such diversity?
'Beauty is in the eye of the beholder', or in this case intelligence is in the ear of the listener. No matter where you come from people make assumptions on your character based on the way you behave, but it seems that most of all the way you speak and look (using body language) are the key factors in this judgemental decision making. Although there is now a much more diverse range of accents in the media, the judgement of certain people caused by accent is still very much present.
Dr Alexander Baratta from the University of Manchester did a study regarding something he calls 'accentism', this is where people are discriminated against because of their accents, he describes it as somewhat similar to racism. A third of people questioned said that they were "ashamed" about thinning or changing their accents, and they only do so to 'fit in'. Professor Baratta says that going in to the world with a voice that is not your true self can "undermine your sense of being", and that those who do may have a problem with their identity.
Although there are still prejudices surrounding accents, they should not and do not define our personalities, nobody should feel as if they need to change the way they interact using speech. Talk in a certain way for you, not for fear of judgement.
This is a great article with some really interesting points I like the 'ear of the listener part'. To improve you could add a few more theories relating to the subject.
ReplyDeleteVery good article, i think the way you have added quotes and the graph showing statistics is good. However, you could add theories to make it better.
ReplyDeleteGood point made and good use of graph, some theories could be included to make it even better😜
ReplyDeleteThis is a really good piece. Visually summing up your points is a great idea because it backs up the points you've made. To improve use more of the theories we've learnt in Johns lessons.
ReplyDeleteEndearingly written, engaging and concise. This article covers all of the necessary points on the topic, but I feel that it could be developed further, with more reference to theory and terminology. On the whole, a very good article.
ReplyDeleteThere is a good tone here and some well-integrated research. I see what they're getting at about including a few more ideas from language study but you all have to be careful to transform it - you could drop in a few examples of how people do change their accents and some hot topic stuff about Youtube videos and news stories of people changing their accents or showing you how but without using linguistic terminology.
ReplyDeleteYou start to liven things up with your strapline but you haven't yet woven in the hook throughout and the title could be catchier too. It's very promising though.
Good comments thoughtfullnesses!