Accent Speaks Louder Than Race

By Cara

Thursday, March 18, 2010, 16:31

When it comes to making friends, children prefer befriending those who have similar speech patterns, rather than the skin colour.

It has long been recognized that both kids and adults form and organize relationship networks largely based on the race, gender and age.

While previous research has shown that white skinned kids in the United States tend to pick same-race friends, new findings suggest that race takes a back seat when foreign or non-native accents come into play.

During a study, when offered the choice of making friends with either a white or black child who spoke French, English with a French accent or native English, the group of white children opted for the native speakers, regardless of their race.

A related research has shown that 5 month old infants also exhibit similar inclinations toward a native accent, which emphasizes its powerful role as a critical marker of social identity and group membership.