North Easterners better at spotting fake accents study shows

A Cambridge University study found that people from Glasgow, Belfast, Dublin, and the North East of England are more adept at spotting fake accents than those from London and Essex.

The study, published today in the journal Evolutionary Human Sciences, involved 50 speakers from seven regions, including the North East, Belfast, Dublin, Bristol, Glasgow, Essex, and Received Pronunciation (RP).

Participants were asked to read sentences in their natural accent and then mimic other accents.

Listeners were tasked with identifying whether the accents were genuine or fake.

The study found that those from the North East, Scotland, Ireland, and Northern Ireland were able to detect fake accents with an accuracy ranging from 65 to 85 per cent.

In contrast, people from London, Essex, and Bristol only succeeded 50 to 65 per cent of the time.

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Corresponding author Dr Jonathan R Goodman, from Cambridge's Leverhulme Centre for Human Evolutionary Studies, said: "We think that the ability to detect fake accents is linked to an area's cultural homogeneity, the degree to which its people hold similar cultural values."

He added: "Cultural, political, or even violent conflict are likely to encourage people to strengthen their accents as they try to maintain social cohesion through cultural homogeneity."

The researchers suggest that the accents of Belfast, Glasgow, Dublin, and North East England have culturally evolved over the past several centuries.

During this time, there have been "multiple cases of between-group cultural tension, especially with the cultural group making up South East England, particularly London."

They argue that this tension has led to a stronger emphasis on accents as signals of social identity.

This, in turn, has necessitated improved accent recognition and mimicry detection—qualities not as needed by those in regions without strong cultural group boundaries, such as London.

The study also highlights that many speakers of the Essex accent moved to the area only over the past 25 years from London.