‘Is he a barrister or not?’: a study on perceived and actual accentism at the Bar of England and Wales

Braber, N ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2611-1190, Ching, J ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9815-8804, Jarman, J ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5745-0860, Stevens, O, Robson, J and Pautz, N ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5366-5925, 2024. ‘Is he a barrister or not?’: a study on perceived and actual accentism at the Bar of England and Wales. International Journal of Speech, Language and the Law, 31 (1). ISSN 1748-8885

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Abstract

Barristers present formalised legal arguments before courts and tribunals. As a result, considerable focus is placed on their oral skills. However, people are frequently judged by the accent they use. Those with a more standard accent – ‘Received Pronunciation’ (RP) in the UK – can be perceived as more intelligent and eloquent. This creates a barrier to social mobility because accent-based bias can discriminate against those with non-standard accents.

This article examines how the public perceives barristers in England and Wales with different accents and investigates experiences of barristers to establish whether accent discrimination disadvantages certain speakers. It includes an online survey of the general public which found that RP and South-East English accents are still seen as more prestigious. In addition, interviews with barristers illustrate how accent discrimination is widespread and affects career progression.

Item Type:	Journal article
Publication Title:	International Journal of Speech, Language and the Law
Creators:	Braber, N., Ching, J., Jarman, J., Stevens, O., Robson, J. and Pautz, N.
Publisher:	Equinox Publishing
Date:	22 February 2024
Volume:	31
Number:	1
ISSN:	1748-8885
Identifiers:	Number Type 10.1558/ijsll.25886 DOI 1889075 Other
Divisions:	Schools > Nottingham Law School Schools > School of Arts and Humanities Schools > School of Social Sciences
Record created by:	Laura Ward
Date Added:	30 Apr 2024 08:00
Last Modified:	30 Apr 2024 08:00
URI:	https://irep.ntu.ac.uk/id/eprint/51362

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