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(De)Coloring Sociolinguistic Perception: The Stratification of Accent Attitudes Along the Color Spectrum
Journal article   Open access   Peer reviewed

(De)Coloring Sociolinguistic Perception: The Stratification of Accent Attitudes Along the Color Spectrum

Jorge E. Ramos and Victor Fernandez-Mallat
Journal of sociolinguistics
10/06/2026
DOI: 10.1111/josl.70077
url
https://doi.org/10.1111/josl.70077View
Published (Version of record) Open Access

Abstract

This article advances a colorism-aware approach to (socio)linguistics in the United States by examining how American English listeners leverage skin color variation in sociolinguistic perception. Although prior research has emphasized macro-sociological categories-shown to modulate listeners' attitudes and expectations toward accents-there is comparatively little work on how the social meanings of finer-grained, racialized cues can be re-signified vis-& agrave;-vis these broader social and linguistic categories. Accordingly, this study employs the verbal-guise technique alongside an expectancy assessment task, featuring manipulated versions of White and Latinx guises stratified by skin color (light, medium, and dark). Results indicate that skin color can be differentially associated with language-attitudinal dimensions (status and solidarity), partly shaped by the perceived "nonnative-ness" of the accent. Moreover, listeners' social expectations about face-accent pairings appear to influence their evaluative reactions to accents. Together, these findings support cognitive models of sociolinguistic perception that are sensitive to finer-grained, discrete features and top-down expectations.
 Social Sciences Linguistics

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