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-- Accents
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quote:

Originally posted by Frenchie But you can't purposely keep an accent unless you're fobby and/or refuse to learn the new language and use it fluently. Trust me, no one purposely keeps an accent to sound foolish in a new country/province.

a 40 something year old chick does who has been living here for 30 years and is married to a jewish-american guy probably does for reasons that chaka just talked about. lol

She's lame, really lame. It doesn't have anything to do with heritage and the people who say that just need a cover story for why they can't lose it. Can't is the word, not won't.

Some people can't, yes. Like what has been said...sometimes your accent just comes out unknowingly..or when you're drunk (which happens a lot with me). But if you've been here for 30 years, are young AND around people who are speaking the language which probably forces you to have to communicate... there is no reason to have a thick accent that makes you sound like you just stepped of the boat. No.

quote:

Originally posted by Frenchie But you can't purposely keep an accent unless you're fobby and/or refuse to learn the new language and use it fluently. Trust me, no one purposely keeps an accent to sound foolish in a new country/province.

That's absolute crap. My very first job was at a fish and chip shop run by a Greek couple, they had been here for 30 years conversing with people for 8 hours a day and had extremely strong accents. Same deal at the local Chinese restaurant.

What I find harder to grapple with is people who adopt accents after a short time in a new country.

p.s Americans don't really lose their accents. You may think you do, but it's nearly always detectable to outsiders.

You can limit your vocabulary when it's dealing with a restaurant, though.

quote:

Originally posted by Frenchie You can limit your vocabulary when it's dealing with a restaurant, though.

Then how do you explain that 2nd and even 3rd generation wogs here have accents when they've never spoken a language other than English?

Or that 2nd or 3rd generation Jews still say "dooawg" instead of "dog"?

I guess they pick it up by listening.

I haven't come across anyone who has been here from another country for more than 15 years that still had a thick as mud accent.

quote:

Originally posted by Slylee then you would also be proving my point. that you are purposely keeping your accent for reasons other than the fact that you just can't quite grasp the new language accent. you have a sense of pride in your heritage and you want everyone to know, "hey i'm not originally from here". GOD IS IT THAT FUCKING HARD TO UNDERSTAND MY POINT PEOPLE?

As far as I've seen, people with accents are still thinking in their first language more often than not. Even though they've been using a new language for years, their brains still think in their first language and that skews proper pronunciation.

quote:

Originally posted by Slylee then you would also be proving my point. that you are purposely keeping your accent for reasons other than the fact that you just can't quite grasp the new language accent. you have a sense of pride in your heritage and you want everyone to know, "hey i'm not originally from here". GOD IS IT THAT FUCKING HARD TO UNDERSTAND MY POINT PEOPLE?

I'm not agreeing with you. I'm just saying that I don't see the need to make the effort to clean up your accent unless it's for professional reasons. I took many classes for it and while they helped, like I said in a previous post, some things just come out unconsciously. I am proud of my country (which is not really my heritage) and all but trust me, I'm not trying to keep my accent, and I don't need people to know "I'm not originally from here" by my accent because they can just tell by looking at my face

This happens to me..my accent gets worst the more i drink....i dont know if that happens to you guys or not.

quote:

Originally posted by Chaska I'm not agreeing with you. I'm just saying that I don't see the need to make the effort to clean up your accent unless it's for professional reasons. I took many classes for it and while they helped, like I said in a previous post, some things just come out unconsciously. I am proud of my country (which is not really my heritage) and all but trust me, I'm not trying to keep my accent, and I don't need people to know "I'm not originally from here" by my accent because they can just tell by looking at my face

yea and you also asked why you would want to change your accent to blend with the country you're in, when the one you originally have helps get you laid. lol

quote:

Originally posted by shadow_419 As far as I've seen, people with accents are still thinking in their first language more often than not. Even though they've been using a new language for years, their brains still think in their first language and that skews proper pronunciation.

good point, i never thought of that. however i think for the most part, no matter how many languages you speak, when you're thinking while having a conversation in whatever language, you're thinking in that language right?

Nope. I think in French all the time. Before I talk, before I write, while thinking of something, counting in my head regardless if I'm having a conversation in French or in English. Now that I'm learning Spanish I think in French as well..which really isn't helping.

Franche

come with me to see Laidback Luke at Circa on Saturday

Sorry, babe. Friends birthday that night.

Circa, that's funny.

quote:

Originally posted by Slylee yea and you also asked why you would want to change your accent to blend with the country you're in, when the one you originally have helps get you laid. lol

It's called humour.

What you're suggesting is imitating an accent, not changing it. All I was trying to say that you just can't seem to understand is that it is very difficult to rid of your accent that comes from your first language influencing how you pronounce your second language. It is extremely unlikely to just drop your original accent, no matter how well you speak the foreign language (vocabulary and grammar- wise).

quote:

Originally posted by Frenchie Nope. I think in French all the time. Before I talk, before I write, while thinking of something, counting in my head regardless if I'm having a conversation in French or in English. Now that I'm learning Spanish I think in French as well..which really isn't helping.

when i attempt to speak spanish (i know a little and have lots of spanish friends), i say it with a perfect spanish accent though. i'm always complimented on my accent and how well i can pronounce words in that language. i don't say it like a white person trying to talk spanish. and if i were to get so good at it that i was a fluent speaker, i would still speak it with that great pronounciation like the spanish people do...not like a white person does. like some guy saying, "hey there, done-day esta el banyo?" lol you see what i mean? i guess not everyone is good at picking up on accents of other languages.

quote:

Originally posted by Slylee when i attempt to speak spanish (i know a little and have lots of spanish friends), i say it with a perfect spanish accent though. i'm always complimented on my accent and how well i can pronounce words in that language. i don't say it like a white person trying to talk spanish. and if i were to get so good at it that i was a fluent speaker, i would still speak it with that great pronounciation like the spanish people do...not like a white person does. like some guy saying, "hey there, done-day esta el banyo?" lol you see what i mean? i guess not everyone is good at picking up on accents of other languages.

I bet you anything that if you were having a full conversation, it would creep up with some words, word combinations and prosody (rhythm, intonation, volume, linguistics). It just happens, it's not intentional. Try recording yourself next time you speak in a foreign language, you'll see what I mean

well i think if i recorded myself saying things in spanish, a group of spanish people would have to be the judge of that lol not me.

There is a difference between a strong accent and an accent.

The answer to your original question, Jamie, is never. Never. Never. Never. You will always have a Hispanic accent. Now if you're asking how long does it take to rid yourself of a strong accent, that is a different question altogether. It obviously varies.

Even if you don't speak the language fluently, you can still tell. It's helping me with improving my italian (and I don't speak it fluently yet).

Re: Re: Accents

quote:

Originally posted by barbina why would she want to give it up? maybe she doesn't feel the need to assimilate and americanize her voice. her friends and family, ie. parents, siblings etc, may still speak spanish together too...ya never know

Exactly. What's the fucking point.

Chaska is right. I've known a few people that can imitate accents very well, but when the conversation gets prolonged they couldn't hold it. A girl I knew in Louisiana, with a thick Southern accent, could totally pull off sounding like a native Spanish speaker as long as it wasn't more than a phrase or two at a time.

quote:

Originally posted by Chaska Even if you don't speak the language fluently, you can still tell. It's helping me with improving my italian (and I don't speak it fluently yet).

?

quote:

Originally posted by Renzo There is a difference between a strong accent and an accent. The answer to your original question, Jamie, is never. Never. Never. Never. You will always have a Hispanic accent. Now if you're asking how long does it take to rid yourself of a strong accent, that is a different question altogether. It obviously varies.

ok my best friend's mom is 100% colombian and he also has 3 sisters who all spoke spanish fluently in the house all the time when he was growing up. he's half canadian too so he's like mixed. but still, he had spanish being spoken all the time when he was little and he spoke it when he was little but he learned english and always spoke that and if you talk to him, he sounds like a fucking white boy from florida.

actually...that just made me think of chach too. he sounds like a total white boy and i bet his first language was spanish. he has a very typical south florida type of accent and he's been all over (grew up in canada and lived in spain for a while too). he has totally adapted to the accent and language down here and you would never know he was spanish if not for his looks.

so there chach proves my point. good night.

quote:

Originally posted by Slylee ...that just made me think of chach too. he sounds like a total white boy and i bet his first language was spanish. he has a very typical south florida type of accent and he's been all over (grew up in canada so there chach doesn't prove my point. good night.

fixed

I don't speak with a Spanish accent even though it's my first language because I grew up in the USA.

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