Essay --

Linguistic profiling is the auditory form of racial discrimination by making judgment solely based on the way a person speaks and sounds. This type of racial discrimination has been detected in regards to housing, job opportunities and the criminal law. The effects of linguistic profiling is detrimental to individuals who are perceived as having an undesirable accent. These perceptions often lead to stereotypical misconceptions that society has created or attached to a certain race group. Dr. John Baugh, a professor of linguistics from Stanford University of California, was the inventor of this term. He conducted an experiment to examine the reaction of Americans to different accents. He calls properties that are advertised for rent and uses different accents. He uses an African American accent, a Latino accent and finally a neutral American accent. During these calls there was no mention of job history, qualifications, credit scores or educational background. His findings concluded that the minority dialects inquiries were often disregarded particularly in the affluent communities. Many times the researchers determined that those with the minority accent were often told by the property managers that there were no Ladesh 2 vacancies, but openings were available to those who spoke in a Standard English accent. â€Å"Those who sound white get the appointment,† Baugh says. â€Å"When challenged in lawsuits, many businesses deny that they can determine race or ethnicity over the phone. However, Baugh’s ongoing study shows that over the phone many Americans are able to accurately guess the age, race, sex, ethnicity, region of heritage and other social demographics based on a few sentences, even just a hello.† (†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.) Baugh ... ... confused and even shocked. That is when John realized that when he spoke to them on the phone he used his professional voice and often he was criticized for â€Å"sounding white†. That’s when he made the discovery that they were shocked because they expected him to be white. In fact, four agents told him the properties were no longer available. This whole idea of linguistic profiling encompasses steering, redlining, and overall racial discrimination towards individuals based on their personal characteristics. The assumptions and preconceived notions, the stereotypical associations are what is keeping racism alive. The way Ladesh 7 in which we talk shouldn’t be a negative, but in fact should be embraced by our cultural differences. The content of our words can be debated and questioned, but the way we sound when we speak these words should not.