The development of accent stereotypes in late childhood: A tale of two English cities

English is spoken in a multitude of accents all over the world. But these accents are not neutral. They are a source of stereotypes. For example, people who speak with a Birmingham accent are considered less intelligent and less suitable as a university lecturer than people speaking with a standard British accent. This thesis investigates the factors that influence how English children develop these accent stereotypes. It does so using quantitative data collected in two British cities (Plymouth, in South West England, and London) with participants between the ages of 7 and 11 years. The results are argued to show that both exposure to linguistic diversity and the ability to categorize accents affect when and how children develop accent stereotypes.