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The Conversation
The Conversation
Ella Jeffries, Lecturer in linguistics, University of Essex

Children link accents with intelligence from the age of five, says study

Brain Languages United Kingdom United States
Fh Photo/Shutterstock

From the moment we are born (and even before that, in utero), we tune into the languages around us. This includes the accents they are spoken in.

Studies have found that infants show a preference for a familiar accent from as young as five months old. Fast forward to adulthood and it is difficult to find anyone who doesn’t have something to say about accents.

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