To what extent does a regional dialect and accent impact on the development of reading and writing skills?: A Report for the BBC

There is continued concern about whether a regional dialect and accent hinders or helps access to the writing of standard English. Furthermore, if there is linguistic hindrance, does it impede life chances, social mobility and employment prospects for young people? The present study was commissioned by BBC radio journalists in Hull, Middlesbrough, Newcastle, Liverpool and Bristol. Specifically, the research question we established for this research review was ‘To what extent does a regional dialect and accent impact on the development of reading and writing skills?’. In other words, we have aimed to answer the linguistic and sociolinguistic question rather than address the wider societal issues. In doing do, we have looked systematically at research on and in the English language from the 1960s to the present, both in the UK and internationally. Further research is required both on the sociolinguistic and on the wider socio-economic implications of our report.