Developments in the Social Meaning Underlying Accent- and Dialect-Based Social Preferences

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Abstract

Abstract From infancy, children display robust preferences for native-accented and local-dialect speakers over foreign or nonlocal counterparts. These accent- and dialect-based preferences continue to manifest in children’s friendship choices and intergroup behaviors across childhood, resulting ultimately in prejudice and discrimination in various settings in adulthood. In this article, we begin with a review of the burgeoning literature on infants’ and children’s accent- and dialect-based social preferences. We then adapt Bigler and Liben’s (2007) theory to discuss how developments in children’s perceptual discrimination, social categorization, and intergroup attitudes lead to shifts in the social meaning children attach to accents and dialects to guide their social preferences across childhood. We conclude by suggesting avenues for research that can inform efforts to reduce accent- and dialect-based prejudice and discrimination.

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