Imagine two people walking into a job interview. Both have the same qualifications, the same experience, and the same confidence. The only difference? One speaks with a crisp “standard” accent, the other with a regional or working-class accent.
Who gets taken more seriously?
The uncomfortable answer: often, it’s the first speaker.
This is know as linguistic capital - the idea that accents can reinforce inequality in ways we rarely stop to question.
What Is Linguistic Capital?
The concept comes from French sociologist Pierre Bourdieu, who argued that language isn’t just a way of communicating — it’s also a form of capital (like money, social networks, or cultural knowledge).
Some varieties of language are treated as “valuable.” They open doors in education, jobs, and social mobility. Other varieties are devalued, stigmatised, and treated as “less intelligent” or “less professional,” even when they’re just as rich and complex as the “standard”.
Think of it this way: the ability to speak the “right” way buys you credibility, while the “wrong” way can cost you opportunities.
Accent Discrimination in Practice
Accent bias shows up almost everywhere:
Employment: Studies in the UK and US show that applicants with “standard” accents are rated more competent, even when their CVs are identical to others.
Education: Teachers often (subconsciously) expect less from students with regional or ethnic minority accents.
Media & Politics: “Neutral” or “prestige” accents dominate broadcasting and leadership roles, creating an illusion that they’re somehow more authoritative.
And yet — there is nothing linguistically superior about these accents. All accents follow systematic rules. All can express complex thought. What we’re really hearing is power and prejudice dressed up as “correctness.”
Why It Matters
Accent discrimination may sound subtle, but its effects are structural:
It reinforces class divides, punishing those who sound “working-class” or “regional.”
It marginalises speakers of minority languages or dialects.
It pressures individuals to “neutralise” or erase their accents to succeed — often at the cost of identity and belonging.
In short: accents become a social filter. They sort people into categories of “believable,” “professional,” or “educated,” regardless of what’s actually being said.
Challenging the Accent Hierarchy
So what can be done?
Awareness: Recognising accent bias is the first step. The fact that people hear some voices as “more intelligent” is cultural conditioning, not fact.
Representation: The more accents we hear in media, classrooms, and leadership roles, the more the hierarchy erodes.
Linguistic Justice: Schools and workplaces can explicitly value linguistic diversity instead of treating it as something to “fix.”
Ultimately, we need to ask: why should sounding like a BBC announcer be worth more than sounding like your grandmother?
The Takeaway
Language shapes inequality not just through who speaks, but through how they’re heard. Linguistic capital privileges some voices while silencing others.
Next time you catch yourself judging someone’s intelligence or credibility by their accent, pause. What you’re really judging is social power — not language itself.
And if you’ve ever been told your accent sounds “wrong” or “unprofessional”? Remember: that judgment says more about society than about your speech.
Further Reading
Pierre Bourdieu, Language and Symbolic Power — The foundational text on linguistic capital.
Rosina Lippi-Green, English with an Accent — A classic study of accent discrimination in the US.
Devyani Sharma, Accent Bias in Britain (2019 report) — Research on how accent shapes UK life chances.