Accents are a part of what makes each of our voices unique. But how exactly do accents come to be? In this article, we will explore the linguistic and social factors that shape the development of accents.
What is an accent?
An accent refers to the distinctive way that a group of people pronounce words based on factors like the region or country they’re from. For example, people from the Southern United States are often said to have a “Southern drawl” while those from Australia have an Australian accent.
Accents develop when a language spreads to new regions. The local dialects start diverging from the original language due to isolation and contact with other languages. Over generations, these differences get more pronounced, eventually developing into distinct accents.
How do accents develop?
There are several key factors that shape the development of accents:
Influence of mother tongue
When people learn a second language, they unconsciously carry over some features of their native language into the new language. This transfer from their first language forms the basis of their accent.
For example, Japanese speakers learning English may pronounce “l” and “r” sounds the same, as there is no “l” sound in Japanese. Spanish speakers may roll their “r” sounds when speaking English. The influence of the mother tongue is most prominent with beginner learners but can persist even in fluent non-native speakers.
Physical aspects
Accents are also shaped by the unique shape of our vocal tracts. Factors like the size and shape of the lips, mouth, nasal cavities and larynx affect how we can produce speech sounds.
For example, the Queen’s English accent is known for clearly pronounced vowels. This precision in vowel sounds could be related to the shape of the oral cavity favored by the English upper classes in the past centuries.
Social identity
As people grow up surrounded by a certain accent, they internalize it as a mark of belonging to their community. Mastering the local accent is an important part of fitting in.
This social factor explains why accents can persist strongly even after speakers move to a new region. The accent ties them to their identity and origins.
Isolation
When groups of people are isolated from each other, their languages gradually diverge into distinct dialects and accents. This explains why remote regions often have very strong accents.
For example, the Appalachian accent emerged because the region was relatively cut off from outside influences for generations. The isolation allowed local speech patterns to become more pronounced over time.
Language contact
When speakers of different languages interact closely, they can influence each others’ accents. The local language starts absorbing features from the new language.
For example, the Irish accent has influences from Irish Gaelic while the Singaporean accent reflects the multilingual society there.
Prestige
The perceived social status of a particular accent also motivates people to adopt it. People may consciously model their speech after an accent they associate with education, wealth or power.
For example, accents of groups with historical political dominance, like the British RP accent, have been emulated widely. On the other hand, minority or regional accents are often derided.
Types of accents
There are two main categories of accents:
Regional accents
These accents are linked to a specific region or locality within a country. For example:
- Cockney accent in London
- New York accent
- Southern American English accent
Social class accents
These accents are associated with specific social classes or communities. For example:
- Prestige upper class accents like British Received Pronunciation (RP)
- Working class accents like Cockney, Southern American English
- Ethnic minority accents like Afro-American Vernacular English (AAVE)
How long do accents take to develop?
Accents can emerge relatively quickly under the right conditions. Studies have observed distinctive accents forming within a generation or two after a community is established.
For example, the New Zealand accent diverged noticeably from other English accents within a century of the first settlers arriving from Britain in the 1800s. Isolated dialects can become very pronounced accents within a few generations.
However, accents rarely emerge from scratch. New accents usually build on existing regional dialects. The founding population already has dialectal variations which become more exaggerated in the new environment.
Over many generations, long-standing accents become ingrained within communities as a strong marker of local identity and pride. They can persist despite increased mobility and communication in modern times.
Can you lose an accent?
It is possible, but difficult, to lose your native accent if you learn a language later in life. As a strong part of your identity, the accent is deeply internalized over your formative years.
However, with sustained effort and immersion, some people can learn to minimize their original accent. But it rarely disappears completely.
Younger children are able to absorb new accents more easily. If you move countries as a child, you can pick up the accent of your new home by the time you reach your teens.
Second-generation immigrants who grow up hearing two different accents at home and school tend to adopt a mixed accent.
Do all languages have accents?
Yes, accents are a universal feature of human language. All widely spoken languages have regional and social variations.
Even sign languages used in deaf communities have distinct accents based on hand shapes and movements associated with different regions.
The basic reasons that drive accent formation – isolation, identity, social prestige – apply across cultures. Accents help create a sense of belonging and shared identity.
Why are accents important?
Accents serve several important social functions:
- Group identity – Accents unite speakers of a language variety. They help create bonds within social, ethnic or regional groups.
- Personal identity – Your accent communicates a lot about your origins and background. It’s a key part of how people perceive you.
- Practical uses – Accents aid communication between compatriots. They act as verbal cues to quickly locate a speaker geographically or socially.
- Preserving heritage – Regional accents preserve expressions and words from ancestral languages that are no longer spoken.
Unfortunately, accents are also sometimes used to stereotype or discriminate against certain groups based on perceptions of social class, education level or ethnicity.
Conclusion
Accents add rich diversity to human languages. They emerge gradually based on a combination of linguistic, geographic, social and political factors unique to each community. Over generations, accents evolve as a natural way for groups to mark their identity and heritage.
Paying attention to accents provides fascinating insights into the history and relationships between different language varieties. From a linguistics perspective, accents are an endless source of study about how languages change and adapt.