Attention Determines Accent Adoption

A laboratory study found that when people repeat a foreign dialect without instruction they tend to copy only the accent bits they notice or consider socially meaningful, and that explicit instruction or perceived prestige changes the degree of imitation. This suggests accent transfer is selective and mediated by attention and social evaluation, not automatic mimicry. — If accent features spread only when noticed or valued, policies and social dynamics around assimilation, discrimination, and identity can be reframed around attention and prestige rather than mere exposure.