Non-standard English – News, Research and Analysis – The Conversation

May 13, 2024

Most people still think barristers need to sound posh, our research shows – but accent discrimination serves no one

Natalie Braber, Nottingham Trent University

There is a continuing lack of representation within the UK legal profession, which means a worrying lack of diversity among judges too.

Pros and shoppers play chess on Brick Lane market in Tower Hamlets. Kamira|Shutterstock

March 1, 2024

‘Bengali Cockney, Black Cockney, East End Cockney, Essex Cockney, Jewish Cockney, Sylheti Cockney’: why community languages matter

Christopher Strelluf, University of Warwick

Tower Hamlets’ recognition of Cockney as a “community language” celebrates the role that all English dialects play in shaping individual and community identities.

Some 80% of airline incidents are caused by pilots and air traffic controllers not understanding each other. Stephan Rathke|Alamy

November 2, 2023

Understanding all kinds of English accent can improve empathy and learning – and even be a matter of life and death

Alexander Baratta, University of Manchester

Accents are not inherently easy or difficult to comprehend. Rather, the lack of exposure people have to a variety of accents causes communication difficulties.

March 24, 2023

How Black children in England’s schools are made to feel like the way they speak is wrong

Ian Cushing, Edge Hill University

Beliefs about language are never just about language. They reflect institutional power dynamics.

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