The psychology of accents
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Have you ever been told you speak with an accent? Perhaps, to you, the person who asked that question was the one with the accent? Have you ever heard of "own-accent bias"? While you can't hear my accent as you read this, you are probably reading it in an accent familiar to you. This Braincraft video, along with this lesson, are intended to get you thinking about why and how accents exist within languages.
Additional Resources for you to Explore
Let's consider the accent(s) that may or may not distinguish and endear Bostonians and New Yorkers. This Brainstuff podcast considers their origins.
This website shows how there are 8 significant dialects of English being spoken in North America. Warning: Lots of information here: http://aschmann.net/AmEng/
Did you know that people with accents can experience bias based solely on the way in which they pronounce their words? In his 2016 TED Talk, Safwat Saleem shares why he keeps speaking up. In his talk, Saleem challenges the assumptions and biases that exist in people when they hear accents that are different than their own.
An article in Scientific American - Why the Brain Doubts a Foreign Accent tries to explain that the reasons behind accent discrimination are not only a function of intolerance or racism, but that cognitive fluency compounds a speakers chances of being believed. (BTW this article mentions the Giraffe Question from the video.)
The title of this article says it all: Why So Many Movie Villains Have British Accents
Did you ever wonder why we can't really make out accents when we're listening to music? It is not always noticeable when music and lyrics are blaring at full blast. However, did you know that some artists ditch their accents intentionally while others don't?
This website shows how there are 8 significant dialects of English being spoken in North America. Warning: Lots of information here: http://aschmann.net/AmEng/
Did you know that people with accents can experience bias based solely on the way in which they pronounce their words? In his 2016 TED Talk, Safwat Saleem shares why he keeps speaking up. In his talk, Saleem challenges the assumptions and biases that exist in people when they hear accents that are different than their own.
An article in Scientific American - Why the Brain Doubts a Foreign Accent tries to explain that the reasons behind accent discrimination are not only a function of intolerance or racism, but that cognitive fluency compounds a speakers chances of being believed. (BTW this article mentions the Giraffe Question from the video.)
The title of this article says it all: Why So Many Movie Villains Have British Accents
Did you ever wonder why we can't really make out accents when we're listening to music? It is not always noticeable when music and lyrics are blaring at full blast. However, did you know that some artists ditch their accents intentionally while others don't?
About TED-Ed Best of Web
TED-Ed Best of Web are exceptional, user-created lessons that are carefully selected by volunteer teachers and TED-Ed staff.
Meet The Creators
- Video created by BrainCraft
- Lesson Plan created by Will Gourley