Is your accent trustworthy, aggressive or criminal? New study reveals all
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Which accent is most likely to report a family member to police for a trivial crime?. Speaking in a scouse accent means you are more likely to be deemed a criminal, according to a new study identifying which harmful stereotypes about certain regional accents continue.
![[Boys make their way to classes at Eton College, where received pronunciation is the standard tongue]](https://static.independent.co.uk/2024/09/03/14/GettyImages-85972171.jpg)
Whereas people with a “posh” Standard Southern British English (SSBE), also referred to as received pronunciation (RP), Queen’s English or BBC English,are seen to be most likely to report a family member to the police for a minor crime. A University of Cambridge study sought to understand people’s perceptions of 10 different accents across the UK – and concluded listeners think some accents sound guiltier than others.
![[People who speak Standard Southern British English are seen to be more likely to report a relative for a minor crime]](https://static.independent.co.uk/2024/04/05/09/705adf551f10eb6cb9024a32366d838aY29udGVudHNlYXJjaGFwaSwxNzEyMzkxMzgz-2.21292325.jpg)
“Voices play a powerful role in the criminal justice system and police officers, lawyers and juries are all susceptible to judging voices based on stereotypes, whether they’re aware of it or not,” she said. In terms of overall criminality, the authors found the RP accent was perceived as the least likely to behave in criminal ways, while the Liverpool and Bradford accents were the most likely.
But when it came specifically to sexual touching without consent, the RP accent was rated third, behind cockney and Liverpool accents. The Glaswegian accent was most closely associated with honourable behaviour while Scouse was perceived as more likely to be aligned with general crime.
