Objective: To investigate the perceptions of Irish listeners concerning
geographical origin, occupation and socio-economic class, based on
speech samples from County Cork; to relate this information to phonetic
features of each speaker’s accent and recent changes in Irish English.
Methods: Recordings of speakers from three locations in County Cork
were analyzed for features of supra-regional and advanced Irish English
(Hickey, 1998, 2003, 2010). Th ese recordings were played to young
adult listeners from counties Cork and Kilkenny. Listeners completed
a questionnaire assessing the location, occupation and socio-economic
class of each speaker. Th e results of the questionnaire were compared
with the phonetic features of the speakers.
Main results: Diphthongization of FACE and GOAT vowels, [θ, ð] for
TH, GOOSE-fronting and emerging velarised /l/ in syllable fi nal position
tilt listener judgements towards non-regional, professional and upper
middle class. Cork City listeners are most accurate in terms of locating
Cork city speakers. Kilkenny listeners are least accurate in identifying
speaker location.
Conclusions: Irish English speech varies depending on location and
gender. Perceptions of class and occupation are closely tied to gender of
speaker and type of phonetic features present. Supra-regional features
are increasingly used by young adults in County Cork, and recognized
by young adult listeners.