Listeners think some accents sound guiltier than others, study suggests
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Speakers of some accents perceived as working class including from Liverpool, Newcastle, Bradford and London risk being stereotyped as more likely to have committed a crime, a study suggests. Researchers asked 180 participants to listen to recordings of 10 male voices with different accents and rate a series of statements on social traits and behaviours.
The accents were: Belfast, Birmingham, Bradford, Bristol, Cardiff, Glasgow, Liverpool, London, Newcastle and standard southern British English (SSBE), also referred to as RP. Participants who listened to the accents were asked to rate statements about behaviours for them, including “drive dangerously”, “physically assault someone”, “shoplift”, “touch someone sexually without consent” and “vandalise a shop front”.
The study indicated that the Liverpool and Bradford accents were perceived as most likely to behave in criminal ways. Researchers noted there was significant correlation between accents rated as working class and perceived likelihood to commit crimes. Received pronunciation (RP) was perceived as the highest status accent and least likely to commit crimes overall, with the exception of a sexual offence.
Lead author Alice Paver, of Cambridge University, said: “This may indicate shifting perceptions of the ‘type’ of man who can and does commit sexual offences.”. The voice samples used in the study were constructed in a similar way to those used in voice ID parades, aiming to reflect how a juror or earwitness would experience them in the criminal justice system.
