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Join us for an illuminating episode of the with ⁠, a final-year PhD candidate at the ��ɫ��Ƶ, under the supervision of ⁠ ⁠in the ⁠School of Modern Languages and Applied Linguistics.⁠

As a sociolinguist and Algerian government scholarship recipient who graduated as valedictorian from her Master's programme, Dounia brings a unique perspective to the study of language, identity, and power.

In this episode, Dounia explores the fascinating world of accent bias and linguistic profiling—drawing from her personal journey as someone whose third language is English. Dounia asks us to consider the following: why do we automatically associate certain accents with intelligence, education, and prestige while stigmatising others as "deficient" or "incorrect"?

Her research challenges the pervasive standard language ideology that privileges the accents of politically and economically dominant groups.

Through rigorous fieldwork, participant interviews, and thematic analysis, Dounia uncovers the patterns and narratives that shape our linguistic perceptions.

She discusses the challenges of PhD life, including dealing with imposter syndrome, the pressure of academic excellence, letting go of perfectionism, and the importance of staying socially connected.

Dounia is a passionate advocate for systemic change in how we approach accent diversity. Discover in this podcast why the solution isn't "fixing" individual speakers, but rather transforming the educational systems and social structures that determine whose voice gets valued.

This is a powerful conversation about social justice in linguistics and the urgent need to celebrate—not just tolerate—the full spectrum of human linguistic diversity.

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