Accents can be confused with dialects which are varieties of language differing in vocabulary, syntax, and morphology, as well as pronunciation. Dialects are usually spoken by a group united by geography or social status.
People occasionally make the claim "I don't have an accent." What they presumably mean is "I don't have an identifiable regional accent" - which is not quite the same thing. Everybody has an accent of some type - even if that accent is only Received Pronunciation or general American.
- Sounds Familiar? — Listen to regional accents and dialects of the UK on the British Library's 'Sounds Familiar' website
- 'Hover & Hear' accents of English from around the World, and compare them side by side.
- The Speech Accent Archive (Native and non-native accent recordings of English)
- "English accents and their implications for spelling reform" John Wells
- I don't have an accent! by Karen Stollznow
- FAQ about Accents
- Mugglestone, Lynda Talking Proper: The Rise of Accent as Social Symbol - Oxford. (At Google Books) and Times Online review