A study into the impact of accent on children's spelling

The way in which children acquire and develop their writing skills is a field of linguistics where research is developing yet limited in some areas. This research aims to explore the impact that accent may have on children’s spelling. A regional accent may pronounce phonemic sounds differently, however, vowel sounds appear to have the most effect on accent. Therefore this research will focus primarily on the 20 vowel sounds within the phonetic alphabet. Previous research suggested that there would be significant differences in spelling dependant on the location and accent that the child has acquired. This thesis will explore the idea throughout the research. This research was investigated by using two sets of 15 children aged 7-8, from different parts of the country. A local speaker from each area was selected. They then read a set of sentences, which were recorded. These recordings were then played to the children, who had to write down what they heard. Each of the 20 vowel sounds were featured within the sentences to allow an unbiased analysis of the vowel sounds. Both sets of children heard each of the recordings, however, the study took place across four weeks. This was to reduce the likelihood that the children will become familiar with the words that they were given. A comparative analysis of the results has then taken place to examine the data. To summarise, the research will cover the differences between the accents and the impact it had on the children’s spelling, as well as the implications that issues with accent and spelling may cause, and solutions to minimise this.