The Brain: How do we learn accents?

Did you know that babies learn accents before they are even born? Did you know that there is a neurological condition where people wake up one morning and start speaking with a different accent than they did when they went to bed? Did you know that people with a foreign accent are perceived as less competent and less trustworthy than those without an accent? Can one’s accent be influenced by pollution? Why is it so difficult for late learners of a second language to acquire a native-like accent? Can voice coaches for actors help speech therapists develop exercises for people with communication problems? 

In her talk on the neuroscience of accents, Dr Miha Constantinescu (Department of Psychology, University of East London) will address some of these questions. 

Miha Constantinescu is a Senior Lecturer in Cognitive and Developmental Psychology. Before joining UEL in 2018, she earned an MPhil and a PhD in Developmental Psychology from the University of Cambridge. Miha has published research in the following areas: cognitive development and spatial abilities; sex differences in infancy and childhood; hormones and behaviour. 

More recently, Miha has embarked on a research project on bilingualism and foreign accentedness, which seeks to investigate and understand the complex and subtle ways in which existing biases and stereotypes concerning foreignness can impact an individual’s perceived competence and trustworthiness. 

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