how long do you guys think it takes for someone to lose their native accent when living in another country?

i was thinking about this today becasue this chick i work next to has a slight colombian accent but i mean she moved from colombia when she was like 10 and i think it's a little ridiculous that she would still talk like she just came from there. she is in her 40's and has an american-jewish husband and a kid and everything so it's not like her husband is spanish and they speak spanish all the time at home.

i mean is it really about a sense of pride or something, or do you guys REALLY just have a hard time picking up the language/accent of the country you're in, even after 10 + years?

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Originally posted by notelfreak man i can't believe i tried to come off as responsible in that other thread, i am so full of shit just don't tell anyone

i still speak with mexican accent, 9 years speaking english

I started learning English at the same time i learned Spanish... I have an accent in both Spanish and English:/

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Originally posted by Halcyon+On+On OOKA-OOKA ME NACHOS ME PRESS KEYS ON COMPUTER GOOD

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Originally posted by Slylee how long do you guys think it takes for someone to lose their native accent when living in another country? i was thinking about this today becasue this chick i work next to has a slight colombian accent but i mean she moved from colombia when she was like 10 and i think it's a little ridiculous that she would still talk like she just came from there. she is in her 40's and has an american-jewish husband and a kid and everything so it's not like her husband is spanish and they speak spanish all the time at home. i mean is it really about a sense of pride or something, or do you guys REALLY just have a hard time picking up the language/accent of the country you're in, even after 10 + years?

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

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Originally posted by nchs09 I started learning English at the same time i learned Spanish... I have an accent in both Spanish and English:/

fag accent?

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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

yea but it just makes me think she makes an actual effort to keep her accent, which is sort of put on...as in, phony.

anyway you just answered my question. it's more about having a sense of pride from where you come from and not wanting to conform.

___________________

My soliloquy may be hard for some to swallow, but so is cod liver oil.

quote:

Originally posted by notelfreak man i can't believe i tried to come off as responsible in that other thread, i am so full of shit just don't tell anyone

It depends on how early the person started learning the language and the influences while learning it. I still have an accent and have been taught English since I was a baby, but grew up and lived until I was 19 years old in South America where I went to a British school.
The person you are talking about didn't learn English as a first language, so don't expect her to speak it as if she did

sssss... dont be silly paaaaaaaaaapi.


There really is no effort into losing an accent.. you eiher have it or you dont. It is mostly related to how you pronounce words in the place you where born/learned to speak.

I know i have an accent, but i am never thinking "oh i need to lose it..." its something that i spend 0 time thinking about.

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Originally posted by Halcyon+On+On OOKA-OOKA ME NACHOS ME PRESS KEYS ON COMPUTER GOOD

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Originally posted by Chaska It depends on how early the person started learning the language and the influences while learning it. I still have an accent and have been taught English since I was a baby, but grew up and lived until I was 19 years old in South America where I went to a British school. The person you are talking about didn't learn English as a first language, so don't expect her to speak it as if she did

i know that, but she is in her 40s now and that's plenty of time to pronounce things the "american way" you know what i mean?

i'm not being biggoted or anything i'm just honestly curious and wanted to see what some of you would say because i know a lot of ppl here are bilingual. my own boyfriend is french-canadian and has been living in america for 7 years. before he dated me, he had only french-canadian girlfriends and friends and even in his line of work, he mostly works for the frenchies, so he never really had to practice english much. he still has an accent and has a hard time saying words.

___________________

My soliloquy may be hard for some to swallow, but so is cod liver oil.

quote:

Originally posted by notelfreak man i can't believe i tried to come off as responsible in that other thread, i am so full of shit just don't tell anyone

i never said you have to lose it neither did i

fag4life

the amount of accent seems to depend on who I'm talking to. I've spoken english for 12 years but I tend to subconsciously slip into a slight eastern-european accent whenever I'm speaking with someone else who's native language is not english. But when I'm giving a talk in a class for example, I don't have much of an accent, if any. This might just be an imitation of certain reinforced beliefs/instincts about what is appropriate or common in each situation.

In her case, it might be some aspect of her identity that she subconsciously keeps alive.

a year or two in an english immersion class?

i have a buddy who moved from poland about... five years ago- before, he was a horrendous english speaker. now he speaks english very well, uses colloquial dialect and slang, interprets and understands meaning very well- but still has an accent.