The Biological and Cognitive Basis of Accent-Based Code-Switching

Abstract

Accent-based code switching is changing one’s accent as they talk to different social groups. It is more challenging to transcribe words when the listener hears someone speak with a different accent. The regions of the brain involved while processing and speaking with accented speech include the posterior default mode network, and the dorsal attentional network. Not only is the speaker affected, but the listener as well; their learning and attention is affected while hearing accented speech. Some cognitive effects that result from accent-based code switching include a person’s attention and learning, which is affected while hearing someone with an accented speech. When hearing accented speech, the brain’s speech planning regions and auditory areas interact with each other the most to help find the best match between the speaker’s and the listener’s phonetic pronunciations/templates. This process allows listeners to be able to easily transcribe the words spoken by a person with the same or similar accent as them with similar phonetic pronunciations. In order to learn to understand the message being conveyed in accented speech by an unfamiliar voice, it is essential to pay attention to not only the words, but also the pitch and tone of the speaker.