First, that the speakers of British English, particularly the upper-class dialect known as Received Pronunciation (RP, or “the Queen’s English”), would rate highest on measures of social status and power, such as wealth, education level, and assertiveness. Second, speakers with American accents (particularly the same American accent as the raters had) would score highest on measures of solidarity, such as friendliness and sense of humor.
Jessica Love explains the impact dialect and accent have on our perception of a speaker. Read What Prestige Sounds Like.

9 Notes/ Hide

  1. ruisenora reblogged this from theamericanscholar
  2. blue-belle reblogged this from elsi
  3. condalmo reblogged this from theamericanscholar and added:
    This probably explains why otherwise sensible people (this includes me) who would usually take a pass on soap operas are...
  4. jjjjjmmmmfffff reblogged this from elsi
  5. elsi reblogged this from theamericanscholar
  6. theamericanscholar posted this