Accent Discrimination in Media Based on Raciolinguistic Ideologies

Articles in Press
Author
ع. محمدی
PhD in Linguistics, National Language Institute Researcher, Tehran, Iran.
Abstract
Raciolinguistic ideologies are beliefs that link language and race, leading certain accents or languages to be perceived as inferior or devalued based on the speaker’s racial identity, thereby perpetuating linguistic inequalities among speakers. This study examines how media in Iran represent and reproduce accent-based discrimination, and which factors play the most significant role in maintaining such biases. The research corpus consists of 205 texts drawn from newspapers, magazines, official news websites, television programs and series, and social media clips concerning Iranian speakers’ accents between 2012 and 2024 (1391–1403 in the Iranian calendar). Texts were purposefully selected to capture those that generated the most public attention and audience reactions. The theoretical framework integrates sociolinguistics and critical discourse analysis, grounded in the perspective of raciolinguistic ideologies; this framework considers language not merely as a micro-level structure but as a macro-level system intertwined with power institutions, enabling the analysis of how linguistic and social inequalities are reproduced. Data were analyzed using a descriptive–analytical approach, focusing systematically on the components of accent-based discrimination, labeling accents according to region, enforced standard accents, and aesthetic judgments. Findings indicate that media, consciously or unconsciously, reproduce accent-based discrimination, with aesthetic judgments and the evaluation of accents occurring most frequently. These results are linked to the ideology of monolingualism and the lack of linguistic awareness among speakers regarding language diversity. Overall, the study highlights the significant role of media in reinforcing linguistic and social inequalities.

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Articles in Press, Accepted Manuscript
Available Online from 16 September 2025