Are accents snobbish

[678somean]

I know this is going to get me a lot of backlash. But I love a good debate so thought I'd pose the question....
I hate regional accents. I know they can't be helped but they sound so thick.
There was an article in the Guardian recently where they mentioned that people with regional accents go to speech therapy before moving to London in order to apply for jobs!
I think it's a smart move. But of course not a popular opinion.
I've worked with lots of people in high profile roles and honestly, whether people like it or not, the ones with RP are definitely taken more seriously and respected.
I've noticed all over England that the ones who are highly educated with good jobs rarely have their local accent and most have admitted that it's undesirable to have a regional accent and they are middle/upper class so don't speak with one.
Do others feel the same when applying for high status roles?

Maybe I do. I can only speak from experience. Working in London in finance surrounded by lawyers, doctors and people who send their children to private schools I have yet to meet anyone with a thick regional accent.
Sure, there are subtle tones. But none very strong.

Actually the op doesn't mean a London accent they mean a "Private school"accent and the rest of England because well where else is there in the world ! Need to just .pull their socks up !

I'll say it again, there are doctors and lawyers all over the country who send their kids to private school and they have regional accents!

The world is bigger than London.

Just because the prejudice exists, you don't have to believe it's right or perpetuate it.

Racism and sexism also exists – do you believe those are right too?

People like the OP don't understand that everyone has an accent, even the delightful RP was an accent, if we didn't we would never open our mouths!

You can be a successful person without living in London and working in finance! You seem to have a very narrow view of what is "successful."

Many people in the north and Midlands are wealthy, own their own businesses, etc.

My dear, RP is an accent, it's just the one that fits your prejudices!

The prejudice is real, but we need to work on the prejudice not the accents.

With globalisation everything is becoming homogenous and people are starting to sound a lot more similar anyway. Also we've come a long way in media representation even in the last 30 years but there is still some way to go.

Oh definitely not saying that. Many Londoners sound thick too!

I love Astrophysycist Professor Brian Cox’s soft Northern vowels.

I mean who would have thought success outside the city of London !

OP, the title of your post does not reflect the point you are making.
What you are actually saying is 'is my judgement of the regional accents of other people snobbish?'
The answer is technically yes. Ironically both the point you are making and the way you are making it makes YOU sound thick.

In terms of the wider implications of what you are saying:
Studies have proven there is a bias against regional accents. National accents (Ireland/Scotland/Wales) are not judged as harshly as regional ones, with accepts like Yorkshire and Estuary English being less negatively judged than Brummie/Scouse/West country.

I my profession (law) I would say that the biggest barrier to entry (assuming relevant academic qualifications) is undoubtedly the social class that your accent reveals. Way, way more than your race, sex or sexuality. It's a huge problem for social mobility.

It's also interesting that colleagues from around the world don't hear my accent and Americans in particular marvel at how intelligent I sound, whilst my English colleagues are sniggering at the reality if the stereotypes that my accent carries.

I notice Prince William is developing a slight Estuary accent which sounds much better than his wife's newly acquired ultra posh voice.

Perhaps OP thinks we should all sound like Boris Johnson eh?

I work with very successful and wealthy people up and down the country who run very successful privately owned small to medium sized construction, engineering and manufacturing businesses (SMEs) with highly skilled employees. All of them have regional accents.

Business, contrary to what a lot of politicians, lawyers, accountants and FTSE CEOs think does not just mean white collar office based service and financial industries, big retailers and global corporations. Construction does not mean house builders alone or someone coming to build your extension and duck house. We do still actually make, invent and build useful and brilliant things in this country and the majority of the workforce are actually employed by SMEs and it is about time these people took their heads out of their arses and realised this.

What is RP? Is it just the generic newsreader accent? What does it stand for?

People who judge people by their accents and not by what they're saying, don't just sound thick, but are thick.

You're not wrong. It's how it's seen mostly.
People can hate me all they want but I'm just speaking from experience.

Received Pronunciation.

I agree with all of that.

I have a soft Mancunian accent, not trying to be RP at all and still say bath not barth etc and have met South Africans who thought I was posh and people from the US who said I sound like John Lennon.

City law firms were not completely adverse to my accent but people can be quite patronising "Oh bless she's NORTHERN" about it.

Thanks. Is that just generic english accent then? Like posh Londonesque?

Yes it is.

And also interestingly I found the civil service harder to get into in terms of class prejudice than law.

Every day's a school day! Thank you.

I really dislike the Essex accent. It's just awful. Also, the Birmingham accent. A lady I work with is from Birmingham and says everything is loov-lay instead of lovely and it bugs me so much.