You might think that prejudice based on how someone speaks is a relic of the past, but the reality is different. Accent bias, the tendency to judge a person’s intelligence or competence by their accent, remains a powerful hidden force. It can subtly influence everything from student engagement to career opportunities.

Dr Gisela Tomé Lourido is Associate Professor in Sociophonetics at the University of Leeds. We asked her some questions about the impact of accent bias in universities, how this bias can interact with other forms of discrimination, and what universities can do to create a truly inclusive environment where every voice is valued.

When did you first become interested in the issue of accent bias in higher education? 

My focus on accent bias in higher education began while teaching a final-year module on accent variation. As part of the course, I included a language attitudes task, a method that reveals how listeners judge speakers’ traits (like intelligence or trustworthiness) based on accent. 

What struck me was that even students with several years of linguistic training often produced evaluations similar to those of people without that background. This wasn’t a reflection on them, but a powerful reminder of how deeply embedded accent stereotypes are in society.

At the same time, I was working on a project with second-language learners of English, exploring whether classroom exposure to diverse accents could reduce negative attitudes. The findings showed that while exposure to diverse accents helped with comprehension; exposure alone was not enough to change attitudes. Both experiences suggested that critical reflection over time, combined with training grounded in real-life examples, is essential to understand and challenge our assumptions.

These experiences led to conversations with my colleague Rasha Soliman, then our School Equality & Inclusion Coordinator, and together with other colleagues, we launched the Embracing Linguistic Diversity network in 2021. The network aims to celebrate linguistic diversity and reduce language-based inequalities, starting from the Higher Education context. Since then, network has continued to grow, and we remain committed to embedding this work into institutional practice.

What are some of the common misconceptions people have about accents and their relationship to intelligence or competence?

One of the most common misconceptions is that there is a single idealised “standard” variety of a language that represents the “correct way of speaking”. In England, the so-called “standard” accent is Received Pronunciation (RP), historically associated with white upper-middle-class speakers in positions of power and influence. As a result, RP (and accents that approximate it) are often perceived as more intelligent and competent. In contrast, accents linked to industrial cities and working-class communities, or minoritised ethnic groups are frequently judged as less intelligent or less competent. 

Another key misconception is that these evaluations are based on specific speech patterns of the speakers, such as the final consonant in the word “back” in Liverpool English, or the tone and intonation of certain Indian English varieties. In reality, these judgements reflect social stereotypes about the people who speak the accents, shaped by broader ideologies around class, ethnicity, race, gender, and more. 

While such associations are often portrayed humorously in media or everyday conversation, research shows they can have serious real-world consequences – affecting people’s educational experiences, job prospects, and even access to housing.

“When we are unaware of our biases, these judgments can reinforce and perpetuate existing inequalities.”

How widespread is accent bias among students in higher education? 

Accent bias more generally is widespread across society. Researchers in the Accent Bias in Britain project define it as the “automatic associations with accents” that we all hold. While these associations are often unconscious, they can influence our decisions in ways that lead to discrimination.

My recent research with Julia Snell, Professor of Sociolinguistics at the University of Leeds, showed that a significant number of university students experience accent-based disadvantages that have a lasting negative impact on their academic life. These disadvantages do not simply mirror broader societal prejudices. In many cases, the university environment actually highlights and amplifies these prejudices. 

A key theme emerging from our data was the existence of a widely shared idea about what constitute a legitimate academic identity in UK HE. Students whose accents approximate Received Pronunciation (RP) often find it easier to inhabit this idealised identity and fully participate in university life, while others may feel marginalised or less confident in academic spaces.

What are the tangible impacts of accent bias on students? 

In the study, we identified three main areas, as reported in our recent Higher Education Policy Institute (HEPI) blog:

1.     Being marked as different or inferior
Many students reported experiencing negative evaluations, miscategorisations, and frequent microagressions, such as having their accents mimicked, mocked, and commented on. These experiences were most frequently reported by students from the North of England, especially those from working-class backgrounds, and students who didn’t grow up speaking English, especially those from minoritised ethnic backgrounds. 

2.     Barriers to academic engagement
Students from these groups often felt that their contributions in academic settings were undervalued because of their accent, which made them reluctant to participate in class. Some described feeling pressured to change how they speak, adding an additional cognitive burden to in-class participation. These students are disadvantaged because they miss opportunities to develop and refine their thinking through dialogue with others.

3.     Impacts on wellbeing and career aspirations
Due to negative past experiences, some students internalise negative perceptions of their accent. This affected their confidence and wellbeing, making them reluctant to take up new opportunities or follow certain career paths. This can also have a knock-on effect on their mental health.

Does accent bias intersect with other forms of discrimination, such as class, race, or nationality? How do these factors interact?

Absolutely. As I mentioned before, judgements about accents are rarely about the way someone speaks, they’re about the perceived characteristics of the speaker, including class, race, nationality, gender, sexuality, or disability. Accent bias is deeply entangled with broader systems of inequality. 

One of the key findings from our research was that participants were often very good at articulating how accent bias intersects with other forms of discrimination. While there isn’t space to explore every intersection, I’ll share a few examples from our data.

Many students with regional accents from the North of England explained how others often assumed they were from a working-class background based solely on their accent. This association frequently led to negative stereotyping, including explicit comments questioning their intelligence, competence, or event their place at university, both in academic and social settings. 

One participant who described their accent as “a broad local accent and what I will call for lack of a better term ‘gay voice’”, felt that this combination led to assumptions about lower intelligence, which they believed negatively affected their performance in oral assessments.

Several students who didn’t grow up speaking English also reported how their accent intersected with racialised perceptions and other markers of ‘foreignness’, such as having a ‘foreign’ surname, which contributed to assumptions of lower competence and disadvantage in academic or professional settings, including job interviews.

At the University of Leeds, you’ve worked with other academics, students and Leeds University Union representatives to produce a statement explicitly communicating that all accents are welcomed and valued at Leeds. How did this come about? Have you seen any impact yet? 

The idea emerged from a presentation of this research at a Student Success meeting, led by Elizabeth Pender in the School of Languages, Cultures and Societies. At the time, I was already working on these topics with colleagues in the Embracing Linguistic Diversity research group, as well as students and Leeds University Union representatives. Together, we developed the statement.

We were concerned about how normalised it is to mock and comment on the accent of students from minoritised backgrounds. While these comments may not be intentionally harmful, their cumulative effect can be damaging, often signalling to students that they are “out of place” at university. Because accent bias is rarely discussed openly, students sometimes internalise these negative evaluations, attributing the accent-based disadvantages mentioned above (such as their reluctance to participate in seminars) to personal shortcomings rather than recognising them as the result of structural inequalities.

We hope the statement helps challenge assumptions people make based on how others speak, and reassures both staff and students that support is available if they experience accent discrimination.

The statement was approved as good practice guidance by the University of Leeds but we are still in the early stages of this project. Alongside my colleague Niamh Mullen, I now co-lead an institutional working group focused on translating the statement into policy and practice at the University of Leeds.

We are in ongoing conversations with many wonderful colleagues across the University and Leeds University Union about how to embed and evaluate this work more systematically: from induction and student representative training to student support and research culture.

We’re also excited to see the statement being adopted externally, for example, as part of a coaching programme for GP trainees in the NHS in Yorkshire. There are many more initiatives in the pipeline, so watch this space for further impact!

What other practical steps can universities take to address and mitigate accent bias among both staff and students?

In the HEPI blog mentioned before, Julia Snell and I proposed four areas of collaborative work across the organisation:

1.     Raise awareness of accent bias and its negative consequences in collaboration with students and student unions. 

2.     Tackle accent-based inequalities by embedding action into university policy and practice. This includes adopting an accent equality statement, and incorporating content on linguistic diversity and discrimination into university policies, strategies, student communications, and training.

3.     Support students and staff who are targets of linguistic discrimination, bullying, or harassment. This involves creating a clear reporting and support route within existing systems and training staff providing support. 

4.      Evaluate impact by assessing how accent bias affects students’ success, sense of belonging, and wellbeing, and by measuring the effectiveness of initiatives designed to address it.

Through the working group mentioned earlier, we are now implementing this approach at the University of Leeds.

What advice would you give for staff at other universities who want to follow Leeds footsteps and tackle accent bias? 

“I believe that large organisations – like universities, as well as public and private institutions – have a vital role to play in tackling accent bias and related inequities. This would enable them to break down barriers to opportunity, not only within their own institutions but also at a broader societal level.”

My first piece of advice would be to incorporate content on linguistic diversity and discrimination into relevant institutional policies, such as those related to Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI), and teaching and learning. Policy is essential to provide an accountable framework to address systemic inequalities, including those relating to accent and language.

An important starting point is to create space for open, honest dialogue. Accent bias is often an invisible or taboo topic, so initiating conversations is a crucial first step.

One way to do this is by encouraging staff and students to reflect on their own assumptions about accent, language and identity, and how these may impact the experiences of students and staff at the institution. This could be done through communications campaigns and workshops, but it’s equally important to embed these conversations into everyday contexts, such as classrooms, staff meetings, and general training sessions. 

“To make this work meaningful and sustainable, it is essential to collaborate with students, student unions, and colleagues across departments and professional services. This ensures that initiatives are inclusive, grounded in lived experience, and responsive to the needs of the community.”

And finally, we’d love to hear from others doing similar work! Sharing ideas and learning from one another is key to building momentum and driving sector-wide change.

Read the Tackling Accent Bias statement from the University of Leeds