THE SCIENCE BEHIND your accent
How an accent is generated by the brain and shaped over time
WORDS AILSA HARVEY
There are over 7,000 languages used across the world, and within each of these languages there are many different dialects and accents. But how did people develop such different ways of speaking, and how do our bodies learn to produce and maintain the same sounds?
An accent is a specific way a person enunciates and pronounces words in a language. While different dialects range in their unique vocabulary and grammar rules, accents are the different sounds that can be made when using the same vocabulary and grammar.
New accents emerge when groups of people develop their own identities and are based on two main factors: human nature and isolation. Human nature involves people’s tendency, especially historically, to form groups and remain within those groups for long periods of time. The second factor is rooted in these groups being separated from others, allowing them to evolve unique accents over time. In today’s world, accents from all around the globe can be heard as people travel and communicate through media, telephones and the internet.