From the approachable Geordie twang to the instantly recognisable Edinburgh lilt, the UK is home to some of the most distinctive accents in the world.
But a new study has warned that the way you talk might make people think you’re a criminal.
Researchers from the University of Cambridge played recordings of men with various British accents to people from all over the UK, and asked them to rate them for their crime-committing potential.
While the results will come as a relief to some Britons, they could raise alarm bells for others.
Somewhat unsurpisingly, men with posh English accents were rated as the least likely to commit crimes.
In contrast, the Liverpool and Bradford accents were perceived as the most likely to behave in criminal ways.
According to the rearchers, this indicates that there’s a link between perceived social status and the perceived likelihood of committing crimes.
‘Perceived social class, as judged from a speaker’s accent, is an important predictor of UK listeners’ expectations about behaviour, and this might have serious implications in the criminal justice system,’ said Alice Paver, lead author of the study.
A new study has warned that the way you talk might make people think you’re a criminal. Pictured: Zayn Malik, who is from Bradford
The Liverpool and Bradford accents were perceived as the most likely to behave in criminal ways. Pictured: Stephen Graham, who is known for his strong Liverpool accent
In the study, the team created 30-second collages from recordings of men speaking in 10 accents – Belfast, Birmingham, Bradford, Bristol, Cardiff, Glasgow, Liverpool, London, Newcastle and Standard Southern British English (SSBE).
They then recruited 180 people from all over the UK and assigned them to one of two surveys.
To start, they asked participants to rate voices according to 10 social traits such as kindness, being friendly, honest and trustworthy.
Next, participants were asked to rate how likely the voices were to have performed 10 different behaviours.
These included crimes – such shoplifting or physically assaulting someone – and moral behaviours such as cheating on a romantic partner or returning a lost wallet to its owner.
Analysis revealed people from Liverpool and Bradford – whose accents were considered lower-status – were rated as the most likely to commit criminal offenses while those with a posh English accent and a Belfast accent were the least likely.
A Scouse accent was also rated as most likely to cheat on a romantic partner while those from Belfast sounded most loyal.
Participants said those who spoke in a posh English accent sounded most likely to be wealthy, intelligent and educated, while those with a Cockney accent were the least likely.
Somewhat unsurpisingly, men with posh English accents (Jamie Laing, pictured) were rated as the least likely to commit crimes
Meanwhile those from Cardiff were rated as sounding the most kind, while people from Newcastle scored the lowest on the kindness scale.
Writing in the journal Frontiers in Communication, the researchers said those who were thought to be from a lower social class were deemed most likely to break the law.
‘We found a strong link between perceived social status and the perceived likelihood of committing crimes,’ lead author Alice Paver said.
‘This link was more important than how trustworthy, kind or honest someone was perceived to be.’
The team said they also hope that anyone encountering spoken evidence in the criminal justice system is warned against letting accent-based prejudice influence their decisions.
‘These stereotypes could have real-life legal consequences,’ Ms Paver added.
