| Pages in topic: < [1 2 3 4 5] > | "you have an accent" Thread poster: Matthew Trulandzev
|
|---|
Tom in London
United Kingdom
Local time: 16:40
Member (2008)
Italian to English
| Sounds American | Oct 14, 2012 |
Lingua 5B wrote: Charlize Theron's mother tongue is Afrikaans. She was first introduced to the English language aged 19 (which is not really childhood). I can't find a trace of foreign accent in her English which sounds Standard US English, but it should also be taken into account she's an actress and they work a great deal on their voice and have plenty of voice/speech practice as a part of their career. Here is an example of her speaking: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v70pNFdsBSg (starting at 2:00)
She just sounds Hollywood American.
| | | | Phil Hand 
China
Local time: 23:40
Chinese to English
Lingua 5B wrote:
Charlize Theron's mother tongue is Afrikaans. She was first introduced to the English language aged 19 (which is not really childhood).
She grew up in South Africa, where English is one of the official languages. She certainly learned it at school, and quite likely got it from the media as well.
Having said that, the way actors (and opera singers) adopt foreign accents is very impressive. And it shows that an accent can be learned. The reasons we say it's hard to get rid of an accent are
a) it doesn't happen naturally
b) most people don't know anything about phonetics and accents, so it's very difficult to train yourself in an accent without help
But if you get help from a specialist accent coach, it's very possible.
| | | | Samuel Murray
Netherlands
Local time: 17:40
Member (2006)
English to Afrikaans
+ ...
| Charlize Theron | Oct 14, 2012 |
Lingua 5B wrote:
Charlize Theron's mother tongue is Afrikaans. She was first introduced to the English language aged 19 (which is not really childhood).
According to her Wikipedia entry she quit dancing and went to Hollywood to become an actress when she was 19. At that time she had been living in the US for almost two years already (Florida and New York). She had also spend a year in Europe, and the only languages she could speak at the time was English and Afrikaans.
There is an odd sentence on the Wikipedia page saying that she learnt English at the age of 19, but that contradicts everything else in that article.
Phil Hand wrote:
She grew up in South Africa, where English is one of the official languages. She certainly learned it at school, and quite likely got it from the media as well.
Well, she did grow up on a farm (which in South African means relative isolation from civilisation), so her English might not have been fantastic until she started travelling.
I think being a second-language speaker makes it easier to pick up accents from your surroundings.
| | | | Allison Wright (X)
Portugal
Local time: 16:40
| Action movies | Oct 14, 2012 |
Phil Hand wrote: Lingua 5B wrote:
Charlize Theron's mother tongue is Afrikaans. She was first introduced to the English language aged 19 (which is not really childhood). She grew up in South Africa, where English is one of the official languages. She certainly learned it at school, and quite likely got it from the media as well. Having said that, the way actors (and opera singers) adopt foreign accents is very impressive. And it shows that an accent can be learned. The reasons we say it's hard to get rid of an accent are a) it doesn't happen naturally b) most people don't know anything about phonetics and accents, so it's very difficult to train yourself in an accent without help But if you get help from a specialist accent coach, it's very possible.
I agree with you Phil. I doubt Charlize Theron always spoke English with an American accent, since doing so only recently (um, the last twenty years or so ) became socially acceptable in South Africa. She learned the American accent because all the best roles in action movies had already been played by Arnold Schwarzenegger, and because I gather that English spoken with an Afrikaans accent is often difficult for those not familiar with it to understand.
| | |
|
|
|
Heinrich Pesch
Finland
Local time: 18:40
Member (2003)
Finnish to German
+ ...
| Good teacher needed | Oct 15, 2012 |
It hardly ever happens that one looses an accent just by speaking the language. Phonetics teacher will achieve good results in a few months.
There was this great singer Georg Ots from Estonia, who is still very popular in Finland. He had a large repertoire of songs in Estonian, Russian and Finnish (and was a fine Opera star). I always thought his Finnish was flawless, but once my brother-in-law, when we were listening, stated, that he did not double the nasal "ng" in one occasion, which g... See more It hardly ever happens that one looses an accent just by speaking the language. Phonetics teacher will achieve good results in a few months.
There was this great singer Georg Ots from Estonia, who is still very popular in Finland. He had a large repertoire of songs in Estonian, Russian and Finnish (and was a fine Opera star). I always thought his Finnish was flawless, but once my brother-in-law, when we were listening, stated, that he did not double the nasal "ng" in one occasion, which gave him away as an Estonian. For instance the genitive of Helsinki is Helsingin, but it is pronounced like helsingngin.
Estonians usually pronounce d, g and b like t, k and p, and Finns make the same mistake but the other way round when speaking Estonian.
Sometimes people here think me an Estonian, some think I might be from the Swedish speaking region, some at once guess I'm from Germany. I will never master the "r" like a Finn. But otherwise I never had help from a phonetics teacher, so I'm content. ▲ Collapse
| | | | | Accent and pronunciation | Oct 15, 2012 |
Well, to me, every time they have told me I have an accent, they have expressed themselves that it is such a great thing to have right before we meat each other. They seem to be excited as they ask the question, so I don't mind when they ask me that. I still wish I didn't have an accent, though.
Recording myself would be harder than going to google translate or somewhere else where you can type the word you want and they will say it, because either way I will still have to memorise ... See more Well, to me, every time they have told me I have an accent, they have expressed themselves that it is such a great thing to have right before we meat each other. They seem to be excited as they ask the question, so I don't mind when they ask me that. I still wish I didn't have an accent, though.
Recording myself would be harder than going to google translate or somewhere else where you can type the word you want and they will say it, because either way I will still have to memorise the pronunciation. Recording yourself is a good idea, though.
@ Kirsten Bodart That's funny, because everyone tells me it's cute, too. I guess it's the only part I like about it.
@ Tom in London I'd like to know what part of using English made me sound that way. You can send me a private message, if you wish. I'm just starting to learn how to become a better writer so it will be very useful for me.
@ Ty Kendall Yes, it is an Albanian accent. As all the rest of the languages I speak differ from the way words are pronounced in English, it is very hard to keep up with a good pronunciation of all the words I say in English (so yes, the phonology). While I am a non-native English speaker, I still plan to translate a lot more into English than what I plan to translate into Albanian.
And yes, everyone must have an accent since I also hear the following a lot: "They have a Southern Nevada accent" or "He has a Northern Wisconsin accent" ▲ Collapse
| | | | | You have to speak with your own accent -- perhaps modeled on | Oct 15, 2012 |
the accent of someone whose pronunciation you really like -- otherwise you will sound like a parrot. (not authentic at all). I interviewed once a person who applied for a job as a receptionist, and her English was very good (it was her second language), however, she sounded like someone from an escort service when she spoke in English. She must have learned it from some unusual source, site or movie, and thought this was the way English was supposed to be pronounced. In her L1, she sounded like ... See more the accent of someone whose pronunciation you really like -- otherwise you will sound like a parrot. (not authentic at all). I interviewed once a person who applied for a job as a receptionist, and her English was very good (it was her second language), however, she sounded like someone from an escort service when she spoke in English. She must have learned it from some unusual source, site or movie, and thought this was the way English was supposed to be pronounced. In her L1, she sounded like a serious secretary with a degree in finances. ▲ Collapse
| | | | Sheila Wilson
Spain
Local time: 16:40
Member (2007)
English
+ ...
| Pronunciation vs accent? | Oct 15, 2012 |
Ty Kendall wrote:
I've met quite a few extremely proficient non-native speakers who have done quite a good job of pulling the wool over my eyes...for a minute or two. It might be the strange pronunciation of a vowel (sheep/ship) or the odd stressing of a syllable which gives the game away, but the game is *nearly* always given away.
I don't know if I'm using the right terminology, as I never studied linguistics, but I've been teaching EFL for business for the last 13 years, and I tell my students that a slight accent doesn't matter at all, as long as they use the correct rules of pronunciation. I've used the word "information" with French learners as it's the same word but pronounced very differently in the two languages. I've heard English people using French but with little attempt to pronounce the word in the French way. I, on the other hand, try very hard - starting with 'an' but not an English 'n', more as though you're speaking with a cold, and ending with 'si-on' rather than 'shn', in other words I DO pronounce it correctly - but it always comes out sounding so damned 'British'. I cringe when I hear myself speaking French.
What I find interesting is the differences on a national scale. The majority of northern Europeans speak English intelligibly, whether they have a Dutch, German, Swedish... accent. On the other hand, there are many people in France and Spain who simply fail to communicate with me in English, even though their countryfolk understand their version of English. I'm convinced this has to do with the TV that was blaring out when they were young, even in the womb. In northern Europe, most programmes are in the original language, with subtitles. I'm sure youngsters in those countries absorb the 'music' of English, whereas the French and Spanish hear nothing but their own language until they are too old to adapt.
| | |
|
|
|
| No, i don't believe your observations to be accurate or at least in accord | Oct 15, 2012 |
with the linguistic research. There is no scientific proof that a child starts developing his or her L1 in the womb. Also, it might have to do more with the similarities between Germanic languages as opposed to Romance languages, rather then anything else -- the persons phonemic field might be important here.
| | | | wonita (X)
China
Local time: 11:40
| West Germanic languages | Oct 15, 2012 |
What I find interesting is the differences on a national scale. The majority of northern Europeans speak English intelligibly, whether they have a Dutch, German, Swedish... accent.
People in North and Central Europe speak west Germanic languages.
On the other hand, there are many people in France and Spain who simply fail to communicate with me in English, even though their countryfolk understand their version of English.
Here is another language family - Romance language, to which Spanish, Italien, French and Portugese belong to.
I'm convinced this has to do with the TV that was blaring out when they were young, even in the womb. In northern Europe, most programmes are in the original language, with subtitles. I'm sure youngsters in those countries absorb the 'music' of English, whereas the French and Spanish hear nothing but their own language until they are too old to adapt.
It also plays a role.
[Edited at 2012-10-15 14:20 GMT]
| | | | | TV - Not quite right | Oct 15, 2012 |
TV programs in Portugal are not dubbed - so youngsters here will have a lot of contact with English spoken by native speakers. In Germany, every film and every series is dubbed, we never hear English if we don't want to.
So I don't believe that your argument is right - it is more probable that it has to do with the difference of West-Germanic vs. Romanic languages.
I started to hear the German accent my English has only when I started to be a translator. I never had t... See more TV programs in Portugal are not dubbed - so youngsters here will have a lot of contact with English spoken by native speakers. In Germany, every film and every series is dubbed, we never hear English if we don't want to.
So I don't believe that your argument is right - it is more probable that it has to do with the difference of West-Germanic vs. Romanic languages.
I started to hear the German accent my English has only when I started to be a translator. I never had thought about it before or given it any attention. Now I cringe when I hear it... and I hear it in my head while typing these probably very "Germanic" sounding phrases in English - and somehow it always seems to sound like Schwarzenegger. Terrible! o_O ▲ Collapse
| | | | Lingua 5B
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Local time: 17:40
Member (2009)
English to Croatian
+ ...
| Germanic and Romance languages | Oct 15, 2012 |
Sheila Wilson wrote:
What I find interesting is the differences on a national scale. The majority of northern Europeans speak English intelligibly, whether they have a Dutch, German, Swedish... accent. On the other hand, there are many people in France and Spain who simply fail to communicate with me in English, even though their countryfolk understand their version of English. I'm convinced this has to do with the TV that was blaring out when they were young, even in the womb. In northern Europe, most programmes are in the original language, with subtitles. I'm sure youngsters in those countries absorb the 'music' of English, whereas the French and Spanish hear nothing but their own language until they are too old to adapt.
Dutch, German and Swedish are in the same language family as English - Germanic. Whereas Spanish and French are Romance languages. This is where it stems from, since the two groups have different language logic on macro level (phonetic system included).
[Edited at 2012-10-15 15:00 GMT]
| | |
|
|
|
| Accents are charming | Oct 15, 2012 |
Hi, Salithealbo. Accents are charming. People always tell me they love mine. So, I guess I won't try to lose it.
| | | | Alison Sparks (X)
Local time: 17:40
French to English
+ ...
discussion. My English accent is very neutral even though I use the odd Scots or Midlands phrase. Thank heavens I don't have a Mansfield, Notts. accent although I can reproduce it if need be! With one parent from Nottinghamshire and the other from Essex it was a standing family joke that I never knew which way to pronounce 'bath' or 'laugh'. All that changed when we moved to Hong Kong, and no child wants to stick out like a s... See more
| | | | Ty Kendall
United Kingdom
Local time: 16:40
Hebrew to English
| Actually Liliana, .... | Oct 15, 2012 |
LilianBoland wrote:
No, i don't believe your observations to be accurate or at least in accord with the linguistic research. There is no scientific proof that a child starts developing his or her L1 in the womb.
Actually Liliana, there is.
It is thought that the child becomes sensitive to the prosodic features of the main language spoken around it while it is still in the womb:
"The idea that prosody is central to the learning and memory of language has
long gained recognition in child language research literature. With research
findings showing how foetuses in the last trimester of pregnancy are sensitive
to the melody of language and capable of memorising auditory stimuli from
the external world (DeCasper and Spence 1986; Mampe et al. 2009), it is clear
that linguistic prosody begins to drive the language learning mechanism when
the baby is still in the womb."
http://applij.oxfordjournals.org/content/33/3/342.full.pdf?keytype=ref&ijkey=zJ6nniZA5s2CIgZ
| | | | | Pages in topic: < [1 2 3 4 5] > | To report site rules violations or get help, contact a site moderator: You can also contact site staff by submitting a support request » "you have an accent" | CafeTran Espresso | You've never met a CAT tool this clever!
Translate faster & easier, using a sophisticated CAT tool built by a translator / developer.
Accept jobs from clients who use Trados, MemoQ, Wordfast & major CAT tools.
Download and start using CafeTran Espresso -- for free
Buy now! » |
| | Protemos translation business management system | Create your account in minutes, and start working! 3-month trial for agencies, and free for freelancers!
The system lets you keep client/vendor database, with contacts and rates, manage projects and assign jobs to vendors, issue invoices, track payments, store and manage project files, generate business reports on turnover profit per client/manager etc.
More info » |
|
| | | | X Sign in to your ProZ.com account... | | | | | |
Login to reply/comment 
