All English Accents Matter: In Pursuit of Accent Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion

Orelus’ valuable study draws on the scholarly work of sociocultural and postcolonial theorists, as well as testimonies collected from study participants, to explore accentism, the systemic form of discrimination against speakers whose accents deviate from a socially constructed norm.

Orelus examines the manner in which accents are acquired and the effects of such acquisition on the learning and educational experiences of linguistically and culturally diverse students. He goes on to demonstrate the ways and the degree to which factors such as race, class, and country of origin are connected with nonstandard accent-based discrimination. Finally, this book proposes alternative ways to challenge and counter the accentism that minority groups, including linguistically and culturally diverse groups, have faced in schools and in society at large.

It will be of interest to all of those concerned with linguistic/accent-based prejudice and the experience of those who face it.

Dr. Pierre Wilbert Orelus is associate professor at Fairfield University and past chair of the Educational Studies and Teacher Preparation department, where he is faculty and the director of the Teaching and Foundation master’s program. His research is intersectional examining ways in which race, language, and class interweave to affect people’s lives in general and student learning in particular, often in ways that go unnoticed. His most recent books include Unschooling Racism (Springer, 2020) and How It Feels to Be Black in the USA (Brill, 2022).