Job Discussion Forums

[naturegirl321]

Do you think that some people just have an ear for langauges as far as accents go? I've meet people, including my family members who have lived in a country for a long time and still have strong accents even if they are fluent in the language.
Or here in China, there are people who have been here for four, five years, yet still have an accent, but some people who have been here for six months or a year don't have accents.
Strange, isn't it?

[Glenski]

As far as you are concerned, they may not have an accent. Is it also true for what the locals think?

I ask because I ran into someone in England whom I thought was a local, but learned was an American enamored with the country. I asked rather loudly where she was from, and she hushed me up. She was embarrassed to say the USA because the locals had already caught onto her, but for those locals who hadn't met her yet, she was still considered a Brit by her mannerisms and clothing. Apparently, all she had to do was utter a few words, and her fake British accent gave her away to them. I was completely fooled.

[thelmadatter]

I think learning languages is like anything else ... some people have a knack for it and some dont. Everyone can learn a second language to some degree just like anyone can learn carpentry or playing the violin to some degree. But some are able to be very good and a blessed few can be master craftsmen and virtuosos.

It is rare that a person can fool a native speaker of the language. Supposedly, Lawrence of Arabia was one. While I never fool any of the Mexicans I meet, many have complimented me on my pronunciation (several semesters of phonology in English and Spanish did help). I guess I dont sound TOO much like a gringo! lol

[SueH]

I sometimes ask students if they play an instrument or sing, as I feel that if they have an ear for music they may have an ear for languages too.

Mind you, as a traditional musician who plays by ear I am often surprised by the lack of this ability in classically trained musicians. I've known the same with some linguists whose accent is in no way as good as their knowledge of the language.

[scot47]

Being good at languages is like sex or football. Everyone can do it but some are better than others.

[Joe Gahona]

[kimo]

One thing I have noticed about some people who learn accents very well over a long period of time is that they never stop adjusting, or correcting, their own accents. As time passes and they are able to hear the sounds more correctly, either consciuosly or subconsciously, they are always fine-tuning their own pronunciation,

I had one high-level student who told me I did not know how to say the words 'of' and 'oven'. His ability to express himself was magnificient, but at some point he had stopped listening to how we actually pronounce things in English.

I have no musical ability. People pay me not to sing or try to play a musical instrument I am that bad. However, I learned Portuguese in Brazil when I was 18 and the Cariocas said I had nailed the Rio accent after only a few weeks. Japanese took longer to flatten out, but more than a few have been surprised to meet a white-faced foreigner after a phone conversation. Chinese, however, oh those blessed tones, they elude me with mocking derisiveness. I have no facility at all to put two tones together.

Perhaps, there are some languages we are more able to learn. Age too must play a factor. My ears just are not what they used to be. As well as desire determines our ultimate success.

[Dr.J]

I agree about the impersonation thing. Not many people feel comfortable doing it, but if you like making funny sounds and voices then it makes you more receptive to foreign languages, because you are already have a feel for what mouth shapes make what sounds and so on.

Which is why kids pick up pronunciation because they are always experimenting with their vocal cords and making silly sounds.

[MELITTA]

here's my input on this. i've been in america for 5 years now, and i get surprised if someone asks where i'm from. i don't rememeber the last time someone "cracked" my accent. i always pass for an american. but here's a catch now. although i grew up bilungual, speaking albanian and flawless serbian (call it croatian, bosnian, all the variations), nowdays i put a bit of an "american" accent on my serbian! i don't know how to explain this. part of it could be the fact that i hardly ever use spoken serbian anymore. last week, i went to a bosnian store abot 20 miles from where i live, and started speaking bosnian ("when in rome...) the lady assumed i was an american born to bosnian parents. she said that i sounded like an american who really tries to roll their "R"s. i rushed to call my parents and spoke albanian to them, i was in such a hurry to find out i'f i was rolling my albanian R correctly. i got them all concerned, and probably wondering about what kind of water i've been drinking lately(if any).

i have no ear for music, but i was told i have an ear for languages.
i never find my self repeating words, striving for the perfect pronouciation, but i might be doing it subconsciously...who knows...

[SueH]

[rj]

[waxwing]

[Will.]

They say imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.
So what accent would you like to have ...apart from the one you currently have.

[rj]

[waxwing]

Because of the all-pervasive American media, the average Britisher will probably be able to distinguish between the 'strongest' American accents, e.g. New York, Southern .. but as for me, I'm not sure if I can distinguish between, say, Californian and mid-West accents .. well if someone pointed them out to me, probably I could. First and foremost, they all sound American to me. I can pick out the difference between Canadian and American pretty easily, in most cases. Australian and New Zealand is harder, but there are certain vowel sounds that give it away.